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Nigerian Navy Accused Of Aiding Land-grabbing, Terrorism In Ogun Village
As you read this, a 12-month old infant forcefully taken from her mother is yet to be found, dead or alive, several months after she was snapped from the mother, Lateefat Adenekan who recently visited Fowowawo village, near Magbon Etido, in Obafemi Owode Local Government area of Ogun State. She had innocently travelled to see her kinsmen without prior knowledge of land-grabbers invasion of the hitherto peaceful village.
One Sufi Taiwo Ogunleye with the backings of some naval officers he contracted have allegedly continued to unleash terror on the villagers as they extort locals and grab their lands at will, even when there is an existing court judgment against that.
According to the Baale, Chief Waheed Muraino, who himself has been forced on self-exile, the naval officers have refused to vacate Fowowawo while they continued extorting innocent villagers, torturing those who are not ready to comply by their directives. He said some villagers have been maimed as a result of the torture while some others have been extra-judicially killed.
He said: “The kidnap and disappearance of Lateefat Adenekan’s 12-month old baby is not the only evil that the uniformed men and those who brought them to our village have visited on our people. Lateefat’s uncle, Nurudeen Adenakan who confronted them, was not only maimed but was eventually killed.”
Chief Muraino said trouble started in 2015 when the Ogun state high court under Hon. Justice Akinyemi ruled in favour of the Olasile family as the rightful owners of the land making up the Fowowawo village near Magbon Etido against the defendants, the Ogunleye’s family represented by Sufi Taiwo Ogunleye, labi Ogunleye and Ayinde Ogunleye. The case had lingered in court since 2009 before the judgment of 2015, -a six year period.
According to Chief Muraino, “Since that judgment, the Ogunleye Family has not allowed us rest in the village. Sufi Taiwo Ogunleye has not ceased wagging war against the entire villagers. It was during one of the invasions that they kidnapped the 12-months old baby that has not been found till date. That abduction led to the continued torture of one Nurudeen Adenekan by the armed officers with all sorts of chemical which eventually led to his death in November 2020 at the Olabisi Onabanjo University teaching Hospital [Muraino brandished the death certificate]. This is the death certificate issued. Nurudeen was the uncle of the mother whose baby was stolen.
“Since January this year, Sufi Taiwo Ogunleye has continually led some naval officers into the village, starting from the 5th or 6th January 2021. We reported at Elewe-Iran police command but it appears like the police were overwhelmed with the involvement of the naval officers, although they tried their best.
“Later, we approached 174 Battalion in Odogunyan (as the one in charge of Berger to Shagamu) thinking the uniformed men were men of the army, but on coming around, they discovered they were naval men. That was when we petitioned the naval base in Apapa reporting the matter and seeking their intervention but they told us the men were only sent to secure pipelines in Arepo but we all know that Fowawawo is far from Arepo.
“They have seized more than 10-acres of farmland and they keep excavating sand to sell just as they never stopped extorting motorists. All efforts to seek an intervention have not yielded desired result.
“For instance, last month or thereabout, one of our brothers, Michael Sotinoye and three others were arbitrarily arrested at around 12 am led by naval Officer, Albert Abraham as assisted by Taiwo Sufi Ogunleye. The boys spent more than 12 days in their captivity as they were locked inside a container. As I am talking to you, Michael Sotinoye is still at the hospital.
“Albert Abraham led other naval officers and Sufi Ogunleye to forcefully grab about two acres of land from a farmer, Seyi Sodipo who had legally bought the land from the Agbeje family with all documentations intact. The uniformed men invaded the farmland with rifles and caterpillar to take two acres from the five acres he used for farmland. Two weeks after, they returned to take the remaining three acres.
“I as the Baale have not been spared. They are also threatening to deal with me for asking questions and insisting that the court judgment be respected.” Chief Muraino told our correspondent, adding that they have written petitions to the Senate, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ministry of Defence, Headquarters of the Nigerian Navy, office of the Chief of Naval Staff, among others, but the actions have yielded little or no result.
Efforts to speak with the Ogun state naval commandant Ofem Ubi, under whose purview Obafemi Owode falls, did not yield a result as he immediately cut the call as soon he was told the caller was a Journalist. For Officer Albert Abraham, he initially rejected the call and ignored a message sent to his phone but later promised to speak with our correspondent later via a text message. Up till the time of filing this report, he has not called back and has not been picking his calls.
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At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans
More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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