Lagos Assembly Frowns At Murder Of Monarch’s Son

– calls on Sanwo-Olu, IGP to ensure thorough investigation
– reiterates need for state police

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday described the murder of Prince Kazeem Ademola Akinloye, first son of the Ojomu of Ajiran land, Oba Tijani Akinloye, as one too many.

The House urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to urgently commence investigation into the incident with the goal of ensuring justice for the bereaved family.

The House, which observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased, also resolved to send a letter of condolence to the Ojomu royal family.

Ademola was shot and stabbed to death on August 26, 2024 along Chevron Drive, Lekki area of Lagos.

Raising the issue under ‘Matters of Urgent Public Importance’, the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Noheem Adams, called the attention of his colleagues to the reported gruesome murder of Prince Akinloye.

Adams urged the House to call for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Ademola Richard Kasunmu, said the situation was enough for the security agencies in the state to work more efficiently.

Supporting the motion, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2) recalled a similar case involving the murder of Mr. Sheriff Ishola Salami within the same area of the state some months ago.

While praying for the repose of the souls of Prince Akinloye and Salami, he said the mystery behind the killings needed to be unravelled.

Hon. Adewale Temitope (Ifako-Ijaiye I) reminded his colleagues that one of the responsibilities of the government is protection of lives and property, but added that the level of insecurity in Lagos is becoming alarming.

“The security agencies, though putting in their best, are not as effective as we expect,” he said while advocating for the empowering of state Neighbourhood Safety Corps.

He also suggested a letter of condolence to the bereaved family.

On his part, Hon. Ladi Ajomale (Oshodi-Isolo II) said the House began investigating the case involving the late Salami but decided to allow the police to look into the issue.

Sympathising with the Ojomu family, Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, who presided over the sitting on behalf of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, urged the Lagos command of the Nigeris Police to do more concerning the case.

“I also want to suggest that pending the conclusion of investigation, the police should provide security at the palace to avoid intimidation of people there,” she said.

Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Ekiti Group kicks as Abuja Judge, Nwite, stops EFCC from probing Fayemi’s aides, despite controversial rulings on Yahaya Bello

The Ekiti Justice Group (EJG) has described as strange, the granting of exparte order by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, barring the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from probing the ex-Ekiti Procurement Director General, Seun Odewale and Ariyo Oyinkolawa Adesola over their alleged embezzlement of funds budgeted for the Ekiti Airport project, among other alleged atrocities.

The group said it was disturbing that the same Justice Nwite, who issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, despite the pendency of an order of a High Court stopping his arrest and prosecution, could stop the EFCC from investigating Ariyo Adesola and Odewale, who served as Director General of the Bureau of Procurement when Dr Kayode Fayemi was governor.

In a statement on Tuesday, by its Coordinator, Comrade Tunji Oluwasanmi, the EJG, accused Justice Nwite of double-standard, wondering why what was good for the goose in Kogi State was not good for the gander in Ekiti State.

Just as in the case of Yahaya Bello, the applicant’s lawyer, Chief R.O. Balogun, SAN, in the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1340/2024, argued that “while the EFCC is using the investigation of Ekiti State Government finances as the basis for interrogating his clients, the propriety of the EFCC’s investigation regarding contracts awarded or executed by the government of Ekiti State is the subject of an appeal pending before the Court of Appeal in Ado-Ekiti.”

Balogun added that there was also a pending motion for a stay of execution and an injunction pending appeal. According to him, the pending case is challenging the EFCC’s power to investigate or make inquiries into the contracts awarded or projects executed with monies appropriated by the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

All these arguments adduced in the case of Fayemi’s side, were also advanced in the case of Yahaya Bello, but Justice Nwite insisted that Yahaya Bello must face trial despite the pendency of a case in the Supreme Court, challenging the power of the EFCC to investigate or make inquiries into the contracts awarded or projects executed with monies appropriated by the Kogi State House of Assembly.

The EJG, said Nigerians should pay their attention to the handling of cases by Justice Nwite, especially those involving the EFCC, adding that with his handling of the matter involving the former aide of Fayemi and the swiftness with which he granted the exparte order, it was clear that he is susceptible to doing hatchet jobs.

Insisting that those who superintended over Ekiti State funds must be made accountable to the people, the group said rather than seeking an order of the court to prevent EFCC’s investigation, those who worked with Fayemi should present themselves for probe if they don’t have skeletons in their wardrobes.

Fleeing terrorists kill five in Plateau community

Barely two weeks after eight persons were killed in two separate attacks carried out by gunmen in Congo and Zarap communities in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, gunmen have again killed five persons in the same council area.

It was learnt that the latest attack occurred in Mbar Community on Sunday night.

Residents told our correspondent in Jos on Monday that the victims, who were mainly youths, were attacked on their way from Mbar town to Koh village along a bypass encircling Yelwa Nono village.

The attack, they said, happened  between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. by fleeing terrorists on motorcycles.

The terrorists had initially been repelled by the military from the surrounding mountains.

The Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard, Farmasun Fuddang, confirmed the fresh killings in a statement on Monday.

The statement, which was jointly signed by the association’s Secretary, Duwam Bosco, read: “We wish to condemn in the strongest terms the tragic killing of five innocent young men in Mbar community on September 15, despite prior intelligence reports of suspected terrorists’ influx into the area.

“By the time the security forces were informed about the attack and arrived at the scene several minutes later, the terrorists had completed their mission and fled without apprehension.

“This incident adds to a series of armed attacks in our villages, including the recent murder of 11 youths in Tarangol, Daffo, and Bargesh villages on September 3.

“We perceive these unprovoked attacks as a calculated attempt at evicting our people from their ancestral homes and taking over the land.

“We request to be involved in the handling of the threats in our land, working in synergy with security forces as is the case with the civilian joint task force in the North-East and North-West regions.

“This is not to undermine or underrate the efforts of the military. However, we understand the logistical and manpower shortages faced by the military, requiring the active participation of local community members who, by the way, know the terrain and can better assist with intelligence to identify and expose criminal elements in communities.

“This, we believe, can enable us to find lasting solutions to these attacks.

“We wish to also advise communities to eschew late movements as advised by security authorities to minimise risk.”

The socio-cultural organisation sympathised with the families of the victims and called on their people to be vigilant.

“We will not stand idly by while our people, a small minority in Nigeria, are eliminated from the face of the earth,” the statement further stated.

The spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, was not readily available when contacted on the incident as his phone indicated that it was switched off.