Headline

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

Published

3 years ago

October 18, 2021

Editor

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

B-I-Z-A-R-R-E! Man Missing For 26 Years Found Alive In Neighbour’s House

Published

5 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

An Algerian man, Omar Bin Omran, who went missing at the age of 17, 26 years ago following an alleged kidnapping, has been found alive in his neighbour’s house.

According to Daily Mail on Wednesday, Omar was discovered in a hole in the ground within a sheep pen, concealed under stacks of hay.

Omar, one of nine children, disappeared in the city of Djelfa, Algeria, 26 years ago. His family believed he had been killed during the civil war that ravaged the nation in the 1990s and early 2000s.

According to reports, Omar was found less than 200 meters from his family’s home. A 61-year-old neighbour is now in police custody after Omar, now 45, was rescued on May 12.

Footage was shared on social media and broadcast on Algerian television networks of the moment that he was found in what appeared to be a hole in the ground, described by authorities as a sheep pen, within the home of his alleged captor.

The blurry video shows torchlights shining into a pit surrounded by hay as Omar furtively looks up, seemingly in shock at the search party surrounding him, with stray pieces of straw in his hair.

Other images have since been circulated of the bearded man emerging from the hole, thought to be a sheep pen, and of him as a teenager, sitting with a dog and with young children before he disappeared.

According to the Algerian newspaper El Khabar, his dog recognized his scent and stayed near where Omar was held. It was alleged that the captor poisoned the dog to ward the family off.

Omar went missing in 1998 while heading to a vocational school. He was found after the captor’s brother aired grievances on social media, reportedly over an inheritance dispute.

This led Omar’s family to search the neighbour’s house, where they found him. The captor attempted to flee but was restrained and arrested.

Tragically, Omar’s mother died in 2013 without knowing the fate of her son. Reports suggest Omar was informed of his mother’s death while in captivity.

A relative said on Facebook: ‘Thank god my cousin was found. Bin Imran Omar is in good health after 26 years of disappearance. Awaiting details of the case and investigations.’

Public prosecutors in Djelfa, a mountain city of around 500,000 people around 140 miles south of coastal capital Algiers, say Omar will receive psychological care after being rescued as they vowed to get him justice.

‘The Djelfa Attorney General’s Office informs the public that on May 12 at 8 pm local time, it found victim Omar B, aged 45, in the case of his neighbour, B.A., aged 61,’ they said in a statement.

A court official in Djelfa was quoted as saying: “Two days ago, on 12 May 2024, the Public Prosecutor’s Office received, through the regional department of the National Gendarmerie in El Jadid, a complaint against an anonymous person claiming that the complainant’s brother, Omar bin Omran, who has been missing for about 30 years, is in the house of one of his neighbours, inside a sheepfold.”

Following this report, the General Prosecutor of the Court of Idrisiya in the province of Djelfa ordered the National Gendarmerie to open an in-depth investigation and officers went to the house in question.

He added: “The Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered that the victim receive medical and psychological treatment, and the suspect will be presented to the Public Prosecutor’s Office immediately after the completion of the investigation.”

Officials have promised the ‘perpetrator of this heinous crime’ will be tried with ‘severity.’

The suspect, a civil servant, lived alone but was often seen buying enough food for two people. A neighbour recounted to Algerian TV station Bilad that Omar’s mother died without knowing her son was so close by.

Questions have arisen about why Omar did not call for help during his captivity. Some reports claim Omar said he was unable to call out because of a spell cast by his captor, while others suggest his psychological state may have prevented him from seeking help.

The case may be among the world’s longest-running kidnapping cases. Eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped in Meyers, California in 1991 and remained missing for over 18 years after she was captured by Phillip and Nancy Garrido.

Dugard was kept in depraved conditions and was subjected to extreme sexual abuse, having two children by Phillip Garrido, and later said she adapted to sympathising with her captors to survive.

Headline

FG, States, LGs Share N1.2tn In May

Published

6 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

The Federation Allocation Allocation Committee has disclosed that during the May 2024 meeting of the FAAC held in Abuja, N1.2tn from the April 2024 Federation Account Revenue was shared by the federal, states, and local governments.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Bawa Mokwa, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The document revealed that N1.2tn total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N284.71bn, distributable Value Added Tax revenue of N466.45bn, Electronic Money Transfer Levy revenue of N18.02bn, and Exchange Difference Revenue of N438.88bn.

Total revenue of N2.19tn was available in April 2024.

The total deduction for the cost of collection was N80.51bn; the total transfers, interventions, and refunds were N903.47bn.

Gross statutory revenue of N1.23tn was received for April 2024.

This was higher than the sum of N1.01bn received in March 2024 by N216.28bn.

The gross revenue available from the value-added tax in April 2024 was N500.92bn. This was lower than the N549.69bn available in March 2024 by N48.77bn.

From the N1.2tn in total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received a total sum of N390.41bn, the state governments received N403.40bn, and the local government councils received N293.81bn.

A total sum of N120.450bn (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared with the benefiting states as derivation revenue.

On the N284.716bn distributable statutory revenue, the communiqué stated that the Federal Government received N112.14bn, the state governments received N56.88bn, and the local governments received N43.855bn. The sum of N71.83bn (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared with the benefiting states as derivation revenue.

The Federal Government received N69.96bn, the state governments received N233.22bn, and the local governments received N163.26bn from the N466.45bn distributable value-added tax revenue.

A total sum of N2.704bn was received by the FG from the N18.024bn Electronic Money Transfer Levy. The state governments received N9.012bn, and the local governments received N6.30bn.

The Federal Government received N205.59bn from the N438.88bn Exchange Difference revenue. The state governments received N104.27bn, and the local governments received N80.39bn. The sum of N48.62bn (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared with the benefiting states as derivation revenue.

According to the communiqué, in April 2024, oil and gas royalties, company income tax, excise duty, petroleum profit tax, electronic money transfer levies, and CET levies increased significantly, while import duty and value-added tax recorded considerable decreases.

The FAAC noted that the balance in the Excess Crude Account remained at $473,754.57.

Headline

Harry & Meghan: Outrage As UK Journalist Says Nigerians Are Nazis

Published

7 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A British journalist, Christopher Wilson, sparked outrage among many Nigerians with a now-deleted tweet.

In the tweet, Wilson compared Nigerians to Nazis for welcoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to Nigeria, igniting widespread condemnation.

The three-day visit of Prince Harry and Meghan to Nigeria attracted significant attention and reactions worldwide.

“Desperate to show his wife they were still ‘royal’ in the eyes of the world, the Duke of Windsor took Wallis on a tour of Germany in 1937. Nigeria’s human rights record is not far short of Nazi Germany’s,” Wilson posted on Tuesday.

Wilson, author of ‘A Greater Love: Charles and Camilla,’ was referring to Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who became the wife of King Edward VIII.

Edward VIII, Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle, abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Simpson.

The monarch’s decision to marry Simpson, a divorcée, triggered a constitutional crisis, leading to Edward’s abdication from the throne in December 1936.

After their marriage, they became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The couple travelled extensively, and notably, they visited Adolf Hitler at his Berghof retreat in Bavaria, Nazi Germany, in October 1937.

Markle, an American divorcee, married Prince Harry in 2018.

However, the couple announced their decision to step back from their royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, United States. Despite their move, they retained their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

When confronted for comparing Nigeria to Nazi Germany, Wilson referenced a 2023 report from the United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.

The report he cited highlights human rights abuses in Nigeria, including extrajudicial killings, torture, harsh prison conditions and arbitrary arrests, among others.

The post sparked criticism and backlash from Nigerians and netizens.

On X.com, @wukster2, who tweets anonymously, wrote, “How did we become Nazis @TheWislon? You are so triggered by Harry and Meghan that you have resorted to comparing Nigeria to Nazi Germany. Meghan Markle’s power over mediocre white men and women needs to be studied. We need a global conference.”

A tweep, Faith Harvest, who identifies as @harvest_fa77000 on X, wrote, “Desperate? Nah, there is no comparison. Try as they may to liken Meghan to Wallis Simpson, Meghan is no Wallis and Harry is certainly not an abdicated king with sympathies to Hitler, and as far as human rights records, Christopher Wilson needs to read up on his own history!”

On Arise TV’s The Morning Show, journalist, Rufai Oseni, also voiced his criticism.

“These people are racist. This is the height of racism. He’s just so jealous because Harry and Megan came to Nigeria and they got relevance and it’s in your face it’s going to hurt you to the very end. I hope that this racism eats your bile up and it continues to eat you because we can’t continue this way. How would you relate them to what happened in Nazi Germany?

“The scenarios are different very different. These people came for a worthy cause in Nigeria which is the Invictus game, to be able to support veterans. Harry has built a brand with this Invictus game that goes around the world and has supported a lot of veterans and that’s something worth celebrating but because of the hatred and the bile that you have against this guy just let him be,” Oseni said.

Glow Lee, who tweets as @GlowanneLee, said, “Christopher Wilson is a royalist journalist critical of Meghan from the beginning and has just compared Nigeria to Nazi Germany. This is the mentality of the hard-core royalist. If they can say these things on Twitter, what would they say off it?”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the capital city of Abuja last Friday and were pictured at a range of engagements over the weekend.

The official purpose of the trip was to celebrate the Invictus Games, Harry’s tournament for wounded soldiers in Nigeria.