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I deserve death, but I beg for a second chance – Teenager admits after killing church mate

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I deserve death, but I beg for a second chance – Teenager admits after killing church mate

I deserve death, but I beg for a second chance – Teenager admits after killing church mate

 

 

 

If 23-year-old Ayomide Adeleye, a 300-level philosophy student of Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, had known the far-reaching implications of killing a fellow human being, he would have opted to remain poor.

The lanky black complexioned young man who resides with his parents in Ikorodu in Lagos  is now cooling his head inside the cell of Lagos state Police Command Tactical Unit, Ikeja.

He bemoaned the fate that befell him, lamenting that after his arrest, he tried to cut his fingers with any sharp object so that he would bleed to death but for the vigilant security agents that stopped him.

His story:

“I was born in Surulere Local Government area in June, 2001. My parents later relocated to Ikorodu where we have our own house. I have three siblings. One of them is late. I am the first son, and my father is a boat driver. Before I was born, he and my mum worked at Eko hotel. So, I think due to their marriage, one of them had to stop working. When he stopped, my mum was still there until 2011. I attend the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

How it happened

 

“I had not been at home for over six months. The victim, Christiana Idowu, 18, contacted me several times in school where I was studying Philosophy, in 300 level. She had been contacting me that she wanted to repair her phone because I had repaired it for her before.

How did you meet her?

“We were church members. I had known her for three years before the incident. She had been contacting me and I told her I would be at home at the end of the session. When I came back to Lagos, she called and I told her I was at home. She came to our house around 5pm on the day of the incident and asked me to repair her phone. She was an Industrial Training, IT, student in Yaba College of Technology. She came with a bike. She had her bag and other things she used in school. So, when she arrived, I collected the phone from her, looked at it, and I discovered that the phone only had battery problem and the screen was faulty. I just needed to put gum on the screen and change the battery. But she was not ready to change the battery, she just wanted to continue using the phone like that.

Why did you kill her?

“I killed her because I had financial problems. I thought of the problems and decided to strangle her while she was busy going through my phone. I then called her mother claiming that she was kidnapped and she should pay ransom. I didn’t really pounce on her. She was preoccupied with my own phone. Then, it was drizzling, and a little noisy, so, I just grabbed her, applied pressure. She started struggling. She didn’t really shout because I already suppressed her. I then squeezed her throat and she gave up. I placed her body on a seat and took her picture so that I could send it to her mother. I didn’t send it immediately, I just left her at the shop like that. That was around 5:30 pm on Monday night. I left her on the seat and went to plan how to dispose of the body. By 11 p.m. that same night, I started to dig her grave in a small farm behind our compound. Luckily, rain fell that day, so the ground was a little soft. I dug using shovel. I was not able to dig deep that night. So, I postponed the digging. The body was still in the shop. By 4 am the following day, I woke up, I continued digging. Honestly, I did not close my eyes till day break. I was just filled with thoughts about what I did. I then took the body to the shallow grave only to notice that it could not be covered well. I thought of what to do because I was really tired of digging. I had blisters on my hand and the shovel I used had already broken. So, I thought of chopping off her head to make it easy to bury but I did not have the courage to do that. I just had to continue digging even if the shovel broke, I continued to dig until the shallow grave could contain her. I then buried her, covered it with sand. Everything happened before 5 a.m. Then I left the scene to contact her mother and demanded ransom.”

 

How did you get the mother’s number?

“It was on the daughter’s phone. Luckily, she did not have PIN number or pass code. I recognized her mother’s face on her profile picture. I then called and the first thing I said to her was, “Hello, madam. we have your daughter.” The next thing she said was “who be this?.” Maybe she thought it wasn’t for real. Then I sent a text message telling her same thing. I sent it with the picture where she was sitting on a chair. She asked me, “What do you want?” I told her, “madam, how much do you have?” I spoke to her. I wrote everything in Pidgin. She said, “I don’t have any money. I am a single mother.”

I said, “Madam, just bring anything.” She said she didn’t have, I said; “bring three million to release your daughter.” I know for a fact that she didn’t have three million. Even if she did not have that amount, I was ready to collect any amount because I desperately needed money no matter the amount. After going back and forth with her, she said she was able to get N350, 000.00 and I gave her a sporty bet account to pay the money in order to avoid being traced. That was three days after I buried her daughter. She sent the money there, but, I was unable to withdraw at first because Sporty bet had this rule that once you deposit, you have to play at least a game before you can withdraw. I tried to withdraw but they locked the fund. Then, they asked me to present my NIN for verification. I sent it to them, and they released the money. They didn’t release it until three days later.

“ I then asked the mother again, “madam, how much can you pay again? She said the money in her account wasn’t up to N10, 000.00. I said, just hurry, hurry, put it together and send. “She sent it to her daughter’s account making the whole money N360, 000.00 paid as ransom. After that, I stopped all communication with the mother. But, before they sent the money, they were telling me that they wanted to actually see a video or voice confirmation of the girl but the girl was no more. It was only that picture I took that I was able to send. So, I just kept on pushing them. I used the money to take care of my personal and family financial problems.”

How did the police arrest you?

 

“It was not police, I was picked up by soldiers. They told me it was through my Sporty bet because I uploaded my NIN so it was traced. If I had not uploaded my NIN, it would just be an empty account. But the moment I uploaded my NIN, all my personal details, my location, my address, my name, everything, was already on the sporty bet. The girl’s phone was also with me, they could have traced the location of the phone, that was how they got my location.”

How do you feel now that you have taken somebody’s life over peanuts?

“Even before I was arrested, Christiana was somebody that I had known for over three years, and we were close friends. I regret that I killed her because my mum and her mum were friends.”

Have you ever had any mental issues that landed you in the hospital?

“I wouldn’t say that it landed me in the hospital, but I am always alone. I don’t like associating with anybody.”

 

What was the last word she said before you took her life?

“She was focusing on the TikTok video. She did not say anything. In fact, when that incident happened, my cell phone dropped from her hand.”

Now, what do you want to be done to you?

“I don’t deserve any mercy for what I have done. At the same time, I ask God to forgive me. What I did was totally wrong and I regret it. I feel remorseful for what I have done. If there’s any way I could be given a second chance, I want to be given one but I deserve death, honestly. I have been planning to kill myself. While I was in the guard room, I tried to look for any sharp object to cut myself so that I would bleed to death.”

 

 

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NNPP Chieftain, Ajadi Says Nobody Can Turn Nigeria To One Party State

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NNPP Chieftain, Ajadi Says Nobody Can Turn Nigeria To One Party State …Visits Olopoeyan In Ibadan

A Chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party, ( NNPP) in the South West, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo has said that nobody can turn Nigeria to a one party state because Nigerians are too wise, too sophisticated to belong to one party.

 

Ajadi made this known, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State on Tuesday when he paid a courtesy call on the Ibadan strong and grassroots politician, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeeyan.
He said that if President Bola Tinubu refused to change the current narrative to favour the people, the All Progressives Congress (APC), he will receive a shock during the from the opposition in the 2027 general elections.

“It is not possible to have a one party system in Nigeria. A single person cannot change the country’s party system. We are a multi party state. I am very sure that by the next election something will happen, except President Bola Tinubu changes the narrative positively to favour the masses,” he said.

He added that he decided to pay a courtesy call on Alhaji Olopoeeyan because he is his political leader and father.

Speaking on the visit, Ajadi said that Alhaji Olopoeeyan has been calling on him to visit him in Ibadan.

 

He said, “I am surprised today that the whole discussion has been centred on a call on me to shift my politics to Oyo State. I am an Ibadan indigene. My father is a known figure in Oja Igbo in Ibadan North East Local Government.

 

“Alhaji Olopoeeyan admonished me to come to Ibadan, my home town to practice politics. He said though my mum is from Ilaro in Ogun State, I should come to my state of origin to practice politics.

 

“You may want to ask how I feel about that. To me, it didn’t make any difference, politics is about serving the people and I have interest in turning a son of nobody to somebody. I love to serve the masses.

“Politics is about serving the people. When you have the passion to serve, anywhere you are, you are good to go. We have a lot to do and we keep doing our best for the people.”

In his response, Olopoeeyan, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said that he dragged the former governorship candidate of the NNPP in Ogun State, Ambassador Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, to Oyo State politics so that he can contribute to the development of his fatherland, Ibadan and his state of origin, Oyo.

Olopoeeyan said that though Ajadi has returned to the PDP, he will soon officially announce his return to the party with a funfair, adding that he wouldn’t know if Ajadi would join his new party.

“But I think he has done enough politically and in terms of empowerment for the people on the side of his mother’s state of origin in Ogun.

I believe he will follow me to wherever I am going. He has been a good sibling, a loyal party man in NNPP. We hardly disagree. I believe he will continue to go where I ask him to go politically.
“But he is an accomplished person in his own right; I can’t force my opinion on him. He will take his decision. But I said he has to come to Ibadan to help in building his state of origin too after contributing to the development of Ogun where his mother hailed from.

 

“We are politicians, and I am not unmindful of the need for him to identify with his roots. He has been involved in many philanthropic activities in Yewaland and Ogun State in general. Let him help Ibadanland too. He is from Oja’gbo in Ibadan. We need him. He will tell me his decision,” Olopoeeyan said.

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Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

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Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

 

 

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

 

 

As Israel and Iran plunge into open war, global powers are on edge and international newsrooms are in overdrive. Headlines scream about nuclear threats, oil prices, and regional instability, but here’s a harder question we Africans must ask:

 

 

Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

 

Why are Nigerians, Africans, and even our governments more concerned about Tel Aviv and Tehran when corpses are piling up in Benue, Borno, Katsina, and the Congo?

 

 

We have not only failed to secure our borders but have also normalized our own bloodbaths. Yet we stretch our necks toward the Middle East like loyal houseboys watching the master’s house burn while ours is already in ashes.

 

Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

 

1. The Israel–Iran War: Yes, It Matters Globally

To be clear, the Israel–Iran conflict is no small fight.

 

Israel has launched massive air raids on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

 

Iran responded with ballistic missiles, drones, and cyberattacks.

 

Global oil prices are soaring. Security analysts warn of possible regional implosion involving Hezbollah, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and even NATO states.

 

This war threatens global stability, from energy markets to international diplomacy.

 

But for Nigeria (and for Africa) is this where we must channel our loudest outrage?

 

2. Meanwhile in Nigeria: The Massacre Nobody Notices

 

Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

 

Benue State: Land of Blood and Abandonment

On April 7, 2023, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen slaughtered over 134 people in Benue State, mostly in the villages of Umogidi, Apa LGA, and Mgban in Guma LGA. Survivors told horror stories of children butchered in their sleep and bodies burned beyond recognition.

 

Governor H. Alia cried to the Federal Government. The Presidency said… nothing.

 

Borno: Home of Endless Terror

In Konduga LGA, Borno State, at least 18 farmers were beheaded by Boko Haram insurgents in November 2024, their bodies left on farmland as warning signs. In the same period, several bombings and raids by ISWAP killed civilians and soldiers in Damboa and Dikwa.

 

Yet media houses barely flashed these images across screens. No candlelight vigils in Lagos. No flags flying half-mast.

 

Katsina: Bandits Reign Supreme

On May 9, 2025, armed bandits stormed the Gidan Boka and Kankara areas of Katsina State. The death toll? More than 50 villagers. Several others were abducted. They killed, looted, and vanished into forests like ghosts of anarchy. It’s no longer even shocking.

 

Where were the GLOBAL TEARS? Where were the DIPLOMATIC CALLS for CEASEFIRE?

 

3. Congo: The Forgotten Holocaust of Our Time

While Israel gets $14 billion in U.S. aid and Iran threatens nuclear revenge, Congo remains the world’s most deadly, most ignored warzone.

 

In Eastern DRC, over 6 million people have died since 1996, a figure greater than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria combined.

 

On January 3, 2024, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda slaughtered at least 37 civilians in Kishishe village in North Kivu.

 

In March 2025, over 300 civilians were massacred in Ituri Province by the CODECO militia, many hacked with machetes.

 

The United Nations calls Congo a “SILENT GENOCIDE.”

Nobel Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege calls it “The RAPE CAPITAL of the WORLD.”

 

So, tell me, where is our outrage? Why aren’t African leaders calling emergency summits? Why are we silent while our people rot?

 

4. The Hypocrisy of African Diplomacy

When Israel struck Iran, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned it with immediate urgency. Still, when Nigerians are killed in Benue, Borno, or Katsina, and in the Eastern parts of Nigeria, our leaders issue vague “WE WILL INVESTIGATE” press statements and return to Abuja cocktail parties.

 

We condemn Gaza bombings but ignore Zamfara villages burnt to ashes. We mourn Israeli civilians but scroll past 10,000 Congolese displaced in one weekend.

 

This is not foreign policy. This is colonial mimicry. We weep for Paris when our own cities are bleeding.

 

5. Expert Voices: Wake Up and Look Within

Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, former NHRC Chairman:

“You cannot lead in foreign affairs when your backyard is ablaze. Africa must fix its own hemorrhaging wounds before trying to bandage the Middle East.”

 

Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, Columbia University:

“Congo is the heart of Africa and its destruction is our moral indictment. No nation can outsource its conscience and survive.”

 

Dr. Akinyemi Adesina, Nigerian Conflict Analyst:

“The biggest war Africa is losing isn’t military. It’s the war of attention. We let CNN tell us what to cry about.”

 

6. What Should Nigeria Do Instead?

Face our own fires

We must strengthen local intelligence, rebuild our police system, fund border protection, and invest in modern technology, not donate statements to Tel Aviv or Tehran.

 

Convene African solutions

Instead of echoing Western fears, Nigeria should call for African-led peace missions in Congo, Sudan, and Burkina Faso. Let us form our own “AU Peace Shield,” not wait for France, China, or America to babysit our chaos.

 

Build a Pan-African Media Voice

If Al Jazeera can project Qatar’s voice, why can’t Nigeria lead the charge in building a Pan-African media bloc that puts Congo, Benue, and Borno on every screen in Africa and beyond?

 

7. The War of Narrative: Who Gets to Be a Victim?

Let’s be blunt: the world does not value African lives the same way it values Israeli or Ukrainian lives.

 

40 CONGOLESE VILLAGERS DIE? It’s “tribal conflict.”

 

3 ISRAELIS DIE? It’s “a terror attack against civilization.”

 

This racist double standard is echoed even by us, the victims.

 

Until we value our own people, no one else will.

 

8. Final take: Charity Begins at Home or It Dies There

Let the world worry about Israel and Iran. Let Nigeria first worry about Benue, Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, and Plateau. And we Africans worry for Congo.

 

We don’t oppose caring about global peace, but how can a man with a bleeding wound argue about the neighbor’s broken pipe? This is hypocrisy dressed as diplomacy.

 

George Omagbemi Sylvester is a political columnist based in South Africa. He writes regularly on African conflicts, diaspora issues, and African international affairs.

 

Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

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“Benue Bleeds, Tinubu Moves: President Visits State Amid Genocide Claims, Public Outcry, and Calls for Emergency Rule

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“Benue Bleeds, Tinubu Moves: President Visits State Amid Genocide Claims, Public Outcry, and Calls for Emergency Rule”

“Benue Bleeds, Tinubu Moves: President Visits State Amid Genocide Claims, Public Outcry, and Calls for Emergency Rule”

In a bold move to address the escalating violence that has devastated communities and claimed hundreds of lives in Benue State, President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to meet with key stakeholders in the state today (Wednesday), following the gruesome massacre of over 200 residents in Yelewata, Guma LGA.

The assailants, suspected to be armed Fulani militia, reportedly used sophisticated weapons and firebombed homes during the Friday night rampage, leaving trails of death and destruction, with women and children among the casualties.

In the wake of the bloodshed, the Benue State House of Assembly admitted collective failure. In a rare moment of self-indictment during a Tuesday plenary, lawmakers declared that Governor Hyacinth Alia, Deputy Governor Sam Ode, and all 32 legislators had failed the people.

Emotions ran high as members wore black in mourning and unanimously condemned the killings, describing them as genocide and acts of terrorism “comparable only to the Rwandan genocide and the Holocaust.”

Adding to the pressure, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), and several other political groups have called on President Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the state. They accused the federal government of neglect and demanded urgent security reform.

Opposition leaders slammed the President for acting swiftly in Rivers State without casualties while remaining silent on the carnage in Benue. “He plays politics with lives,” said ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, calling Tinubu’s response to national security “hypocritical and dangerously slow.”

But ahead of his visit, President Tinubu dispatched top security and government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, and the National Security Adviser, to Benue. According to presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, the President’s visit aims to “assess firsthand the recurring crisis” and engage traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and community stakeholders in a town hall to find lasting peace.

Security has been beefed up in Makurdi, and roads are being hastily rehabilitated for the presidential convoy. Most hotels in the city are fully booked.

Meanwhile, lawmakers passed a series of resolutions:

  • A three-day mourning period from June 18 to 20.

  • A call for full enforcement of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Law.

  • Demands for increased funding and autonomy for local governments to combat insecurity.

  • Urging Governor Alia to lead a high-powered delegation to the President to present the realities of the crisis.

Responding to criticism, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mathew Abo, defended the governor, saying, “You don’t expect him to carry guns and go to the bush.” He emphasized that Governor Alia had supported security agencies and facilitated their operations.

Despite mounting calls for a state of emergency, Benue PDP and APC leaders pushed back, arguing that more troops, not suspended democracy, are what the state needs. “We believe in solutions, not sensationalism,” said PDP spokesman Tim Nyior.

As Benue mourns, the nation watches. President Tinubu’s response to this crisis could define not only his commitment to national security but his legacy as Commander-in-Chief.

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