Headline

Alleged Murder: Former Delta PDP LG Chairman Narrates Ordeal Two Years After Release From Police Den

Published

4 years ago

October 18, 2021

The immediate past Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, Chief (Dr.) Kings Okpako popularly known as Kuti, who hails from Erho-Abraka, was arrested two years ago in connection with the murder of an indigene of Abraka.

Recently, he spoke with journalists two years and four months after he was set free by the police, just as he celebrated the anniversary of his freedom.

According to him, he was found innocent and released by the Nigerian police that held him in detention for four months.

The politician who stormed Ebenezer Church, Erho Abraka for the oath-taking said he was set-up.

His words: “I came this day to take an oath before the Lord Almighty as Samuel and Abraham did in the scripture. I come before the altar of God. If I deceive the whole world can I deceive my God?”

“There is the insinuation that I tied someone in the bush that I wanted to use to bury my mother; that I belong to a secret society.”

According to him, he took the oath because he is bitter.

Recounting some of his ordeal as a politician, he recalled how he was kidnapped on the 29th of January, 2013.

In his words, “I was kidnapped in Asaba on my way from Benizia Hotel where I went for Okowa’s first tenure as the Chairman of the party in Ethiope East. For 6 days I was in the forest. Friends and some political allies paid the ransom which led to my release. Some said “Kuti went to hide himself in bush so government can give him money.

“April 14, 2007, my house was burnt during the gubernatorial election that brought Uduaghan in. My cousin and his pregnant wife were murdered in my house. The insinuation was that “Kingsley Okpako used them for money ritual”. It’s laughable. Thank God the fresh bodies were met instantly right there.

“Then January 28, 2019, when a young illustrious female of this soil was killed, an agreement was dubbed against me. It was insinuated that Kings knows about it and I was arrested to Abraka Police Station. I was beaten up like an armed robber, like a dog left, right and center. I was taken to Obiaruku, then the next day to Asaba. An interview was conducted by the Commissioner; he came to see that I was innocent. In a bid to release me, SARS and IRT said no to the CP. They drew me back again, slapped me and smuggled me to Abuja where I was incarcerated for 4 months. At the end, I was taken to court and vindicated.

“I was not even in town that day and I knew nothing about it. Thank God for today that the mother of that sane girl is now confessing that she is the one that manipulated her daughter to join the secret cult in Abraka for ladies called Jezebel. She was tortured during her initiation and she died and was dumped at the Isoko park. That vindication is not yet known. I’m not here to speak on that alone. Four months of incarceration for a man that lives in an air conditioned house and car? I was made to sleep on the bare floor for four good months from on the 28th of June to the 28th day of October.”

He continued: “As the then Chairman of my party in the local government, I was in Abuja in Transcorp Hotel after we went to the field where we were voting in Jonathan’s second tenure which he won in grandstyle. I began to receive phone calls from different quarters. Those that don’t even know me began to call me. Where you dey? I said I’m in Abuja and I dey field dey vote. Some said the situation is this, some say he done die, some say they cut my hand. What happened?

“Some said I dey come from witch for night, nai I fall for Ogboru compound, I kon dey confess witch say na me nor dey make Ogboru win elections for Ethiope East and Delta State so that I’m a witch and that anywhere they see me, they should mob me.

“There have been stories of people wanting me to be murdered in this place for reasons I don’t know. Is it jealousy, blackmail, envy, I don’t know. What have I really achieved in life? I’m the only child, one seed of corn does not get lost in fire.

“Right now they are confessing with their mouth one after the other. Those involved in this blackmail in Abraka and beyond, if they don’t repent from their act, they will die in penury one after the other. I thank God for the oath I have taken this morning.

“I make bold to say that nobody has assisted Great Ogboru in Delta State than me. You can ask those working with him. I sponsored his rally in Benbo Game Village with my 4 Lexus car in 2003… there was no blackmail then. Because I left them and said enough is enough, then I became an enemy of them all. But I thank God for my confidant who has been there for me…for those who stood by me in thick and thin. If I lie before the whole world, I won’t lie in the temple of God.

Speaking further, he disclosed that he has taken an oath before God and expressed pains over the insinuations about him by his kinsmen, saying he is innocent of all the allegations.

“People were responsible to tag this person on Facebook and Google that I’m a ritualist and I kill people to make money in my community. I have offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Aba, Warri, Onitsha. I have never been a ritualist there. It’s only in my community that this tag is on me.”

During his oath-taking at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Erho which he was instrumental to building, his prayer was thus: “Sir my Lord, this egg will stand as a witness, vengeance to fight that cause. The battle is not of me but of you my creator. If I know about all these, may my life shatter like these raw eggs. If I know nothing about all these Lord, then call them to question and they won’t confess, the rest is left to you my Lord. This is my witness.

“I’m not here this day to exhibit my academic know how or financial prosperity but I’m here to prove to God why he should put an end to this cause. More than 15 years ago, I singlehandedly built this church. I started the building of this church… then tell me why God won’t be with in my life? The plan of the devil against my life will not stand. When this mayhem started on the 28th of June 2019, my political friends and family abandoned me. My friends from the palace where I’m a Chief abandoned me. My Elite members in Lagos where I was the President abandoned me. In fact till this day they suspended because of what they saw online on Google. Thank God for technology.

“But I’m here today to take an oath that if I knew anything about all these, may I die like these raw eggs. May I be shattered in my life. But if I’m not, anybody that typed that message on Google to ruin me down politically, socially, mentally God will answer them. If I can roof a house before God, why can’t God roof my life? He will always roof my life and I present it today as a challenge to him that God, go and fight this battle. As you stood for me, from the beginning of this case to the ending, fight this battle with anyone connected with this blackmail about me. I give them two weeks and fourteen days, Father go and fight this battle. Let them confess and die. Majority of them sat in the canteen to type what will ruin me but thank God. You are not just my creator, but you rescued me. You took me to the promised land. You know the purpose why You brought me to this community. I have been a philanthropist here for the less privileged and the widows. So long as I am, that is the cause they are fighting. They will never stand. God this battle is of You and not me. You said many are the afflictions of the righteous but you God, you stand for us in time of need. You make an edge and that edge is what I’m asking of you today. Among the fruits of the spirit, I like one indicated there- Long Suffering.

“Lord I have suffered enough. You said you will not give us temptation that we will be unable to bear. Lord I have bared enough. Lord if I am guilty may I pay with my blood and may I die in penury. May my dreams be shattered! But if I’m not, Father go and fight this cause. My God, Jehovah Shammah, Jireh, Nissi go and fight this battle because the battle is of you and not of me. Let them drink of their own blood. I rest my case.”

Headline

INTERPOL Arrests Nigerian In Argentina Over Multi-country Romance Scam

Published

2 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

A Nigerian national identified as Ikechukwu N. has been arrested in Argentina for allegedly orchestrating multiple online romance scams targeting thousands of victims across several countries, according to a statement released by INTERPOL on Tuesday.

The arrest was made under Operation Jackal, an INTERPOL-led operation focusing on West African organised criminal groups involved in cyber fraud, money laundering, and related transnational crimes.

INTERPOL announced via its official X handle that Ikechukwu’s arrest marked Argentina’s first arrest of a fugitive under a Red Notice who was simultaneously listed in the organisation’s Silver Notice database — a new project aimed at tracing and recovering criminal assets worldwide.

The statement read: “Argentine authorities have captured Nigerian national Ikechukwu N., marking the country’s first arrest of a #RedNotice fugitive who was also the subject of an INTERPOL Silver Notice. The suspect is accused of orchestrating multiple romance scams involving thousands of women, and leading an international cybercrime network.”

INTERPOL added that the arrest was jointly carried out by the Argentine Federal Police and the Airport Security Police, with assistance from the INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), the Federal Intelligence Secretariat (FIS), and INTERPOL Brazil.

The Silver Notice project, piloted in January 2025, enables member countries to share intelligence on the location and recovery of illicitly acquired assets linked to transnational crime.

Although details of the victims and total financial losses remain undisclosed, the operation is part of a broader international crackdown on cyber-enabled fraud schemes traced to West African syndicates.

Nigeria has been a focal point of similar investigations. In December 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the arrest of 792 suspects — including foreign nationals — linked to a crypto-romance fraud ring operating from Lagos.

The syndicate reportedly targeted victims in the Americas and Europe through social media and messaging platforms, promising relationships and fake investment opportunities before defrauding them.

INTERPOL said further investigations into Ikechukwu’s activities are ongoing, with cooperation expected between Argentine authorities, Nigerian law enforcement, and other international partners involved in Operation Jackal.

Always ask who coin these words, who to benefit from such words

Headline

Eswatini Jails 10 Africans Deported From US

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2025

Editor

The African kingdom of Eswatini said it received and jailed 10 more deportees from the United States on Monday as part of a US scheme to expel undocumented migrants.

Eswatini took in a first group of five men in July, with Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan also accepting US deportees in recent months in a programme criticised by rights groups.

The tiny southern African nation agreed in May to accept up to 160 deportees in exchange for $5.1 million to “build its border and migration management capacity”, according to a deal signed with the United States and seen by AFP.

Its correctional services department said in a statement Monday it “confirms the arrival of ten (10) third country nationals from the United States of America”.

It did not give details but said they had been “securely accommodated in one of the country’s correctional facilities” and the government would “facilitate their orderly repatriation”.

A US-based attorney representing some of the deportees said the new group included “three Vietnamese, one Filipino, one Cambodian”.

The lawyer, Tin Thanh Nguyen, represents two of the Vietnamese nationals who arrived Monday.

“One of my clients … tried to assert a reasonable fear of harm being deported to Eswatini, but ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ignored him and put him on the plane anyways,” he told AFP.

He also represents a Vietnamese and a Laotian who were part of the first group which also included nationals from Cuba, Jamaica and Yemen.

– ‘Legal black hole’ –

The deal that Eswatini signed with the United States on May 14 says that the US deportees may include third country nationals “with criminal backgrounds and/or who are designated suspected terrorists”.

Washington said the first group of men had been convicted of crimes in the United States, including child rape and murder, but their lawyers told AFP that all five had long finished serving their sentences.

Eswatini jailed them in its maximum security Matsapha Correctional Centre which is notorious for holding political prisoners and for overcrowding.

One of them, a 62-year-old Jamaican who had reportedly completed a sentence for murder in the United States, was sent back to his country around two weeks ago.

Nguyen said Eswatini was a “legal black hole” and the deportees were denied legal counsel.

His two clients had been detained since mid-July without a charge, he said.

“I cannot call them. I cannot email them. I cannot communicate through local counsel because the Eswatini government blocks all attorney access,” he told AFP.

Lawyers and civil society groups in Eswatini have gone to court to challenge the legality of the detentions.

A local lawyer on Friday won a court ruling allowing him to visit the four men still detained, but the government immediately appealed, suspending the ruling.

US President Donald Trump has overseen a drastic expansion of the practice of deporting people to countries other than their nation of origin, notably by sending hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

But rights experts have warned the deportations risk breaking international law by sending people to nations where they face the risk of torture, abduction and other abuses.

Human Rights Watch last month urged African governments to refuse to accept US deportees and to terminate deals already in effect, saying they violated global rights law.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and landlocked by neighbours South Africa and Mozambique, has been led by King Mswati III since 1986 and his government has been accused of human rights violations.

Headline

Russian Strikes Kill Five In Ukraine, Cause Power Outages

Published

3 days ago

October 5, 2025

Editor

Russian strikes Sunday on Ukraine killed five people and badly damaged energy infrastructure, temporarily severing power supplies to tens of thousands and prompting neighbouring Poland put ground defence on high alert.

Russia has stepped up strikes on energy networks, increasing fears Moscow would resume its widespread campaign of attacks on power facilities, which have plunged millions into darkness in past winters.

Russian forces fired 496 drones and 53 missiles at Ukraine, the majority of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.

“Sadly, five people were killed. My sincere condolences to everyone who lost loved ones to this terror,” Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Strikes killed four people near Lviv, which lies in western Ukraine and is hundreds of kilometers from the front line, and has been largely spared the attacks that have hit cities further east.

“Near Lviv, an entire family of four was killed in their home, including a teenage girl,” Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.

Emergency services released photos showing firefighters battling flames in a destroyed building, and helping elderly residents to safety.
Attacks also killed one person in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and wounded people near the eastern front, local authorities said.
“Russians once again targeted our infrastructure -– everything that ensures normal life for our people,” Zelensky said.

The strikes cut power to over 110,000 subscribers across several regions, Ukraine’s emergency services said, with the hardest hit being Zaporizhzhia.

– ‘Gas, heat and light’ –
Overnight, more than 73,000 people in Zaporizhzhia were left without electricity, regional head Ivan Fedorov said, though power had been partially restored by the afternoon.

Ukraine’s state-run gas company Naftogaz network also reported damage to its network.
“These maniacal terrorist strikes are aimed solely at one thing — depriving Ukrainians of gas, heat, and light,” Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi said in a statement.

The Russian army said it launched an attack “against enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine and gas and energy infrastructure facilities that ensured their operation.”

Russian attacks have also rattled Ukraine’s European allies after a spate of alleged Russian airspace violations into Europe.

NATO boosted its defences along its eastern borders throughout the month as it accused Moscow of testing the alliance’s air defences with drone incursions into several members and by flying military jets in Estonian airspace.

Overnight Poland’s armed forces said on X that they had mobilised planes and put ground defences on high alert to secure the country’s airspace, especially in areas close to Ukraine.

Ukraine also said Russia was intensifying a campaign of air strikes on its railway network in an attempt to isolate frontline communities ahead of winter.

Russia launched drones at two passenger trains in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region on Saturday, killing one person and wounding dozens, according to Ukrainian officials.