Metro

Anxiety In Osun Community Over Monarch’s Disappearance

Published

7 months ago

February 15, 2025

There’s palpable fear and anxiety in Ipetumodu community, Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State, over the sudden disappearance of the town’s monarch, Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede.

Oba Oloyede, a United States of America-based accountant and information system expert, was appointed Apetu in July 2019.

He succeeded Oba James Adegoke, who died on November 26, 2017.

According to The PUNCH, the royal father had been regularly shuttling between Nigeria and his base in the US since his installation.

However, since March 2024, when he left his domain, he has not been seen, fueling speculations about his whereabouts.

While some of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of attack said Oloyede was indisposed and was recuperating in the US, many others believed the monarch was facing a fraud trial.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a chief in Ipetumodu, said many of his colleagues, including the Oosa of Ipetumodu, who is next in line to Apetu, had stopped going to the palace.

He said, “It’s been close to a year now that we have not seen our king in the town.”

The chief noted that Oloyede was also missing critical community events.

“Last December, we were told he would come back to town before January ended, but it’s now February and we haven’t seen him. It was the IPU Chairman, Joba Akinjogbe, that spoke on behalf of the king during this year’s Christian annual prayer.

“But on the day of the prayer, we saw someone that looked like our monarch on screen through a projector. But we didn’t see his face. He told the gathering that he was not in prison and promised to come back by January ending.

“In 2024, we were told he was sick, but since then, we have not seen him in town, and nobody knows where he is,” he added.

The chief lamented that before the monarch disappeared, he demolished the “ancient palace” and promised to build a modern one.

“He was not living in the palace. He was staying at his private residence. We told him then that it was not proper to demolish the entire palace. But now, the entire old palace has been demolished even in his absence. The court was also demolished.

“Some chiefs, led by the Asalu, Sunday Adedeji, are still going to the palace to hold meetings. But the Oosa, who is the second in command to the king, and four others, including myself, are no longer going there for meetings.

“During the last event when the king was projected on screen, a lot of residents said that it was fake and insisted that the only thing they wanted was for the king to come back to the town,” he added.

A reliable source close to the palace said three major festivals – Odun Egungun (masquerade festival), Odun Edi (Edi festival), and Ota Aaje (Obatala festival) were not graced by the Apetu.

The king’s absence from the festivals reportedly created panic in the town.

“It was the king’s wife who represented him and this is against our culture,” the source said. “It is an abomination for the masquerade to bow to a woman.”

“The king and the Aaje deity are supposed to see each other in a year during the Ota Aaje festival but he was not there. It is a popular belief that the deity gave birth to all the Ipetumodu’s princes. Even the king didn’t attend Ipetumodu Day.”

Meanwhile, a member of a royal family who did not want his name in print for fear of attack claimed that the king’s wife had been running the community as a regent.

The prince said, “Residents are asking the chiefs about the whereabouts of Oba Oloyede, but the chiefs have not given them any genuine reply. They keep saying he is doing business abroad while some are saying he is sick.

“Our monarch came to Ipetumodu last year in March, but since he left then, we have not seen him in town. Although he doesn’t stay long in Ipetumodu before travelling, this one is the longest that he has not come to the town since he was crowned king in 2019.

“But we saw it online that the king and one Oluwasanmi were involved in a COVID-19 fund scam in America and the American government has indicted him.

“It was also reported that the government has seized all his property and he was not allowed to travel out of the country.”

Metro

NDLEA Arrests Lady Smuggling Drugs Inside Butt Pads, Phone Chargers

Published

24 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported two new methods of drug concealment as part of its ongoing efforts to combat trafficking ahead of the festive season, dubbed “Detty December.”

In a post on his X handle on Sunday morning, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced the arrest of two individuals and the seizure of their drug consignments.

He shared two videos illustrating the sophisticated concealment methods used by the suspects.

According to Babafemi, one of the videos shows a lady who was caught with drugs hidden inside her butt pad underwear.

The second video reveals a separate seizure where a suspect attempted to smuggle drugs concealed within phone chargers.

“With the spate of ongoing arrests and seizures by @ndlea_nigeria at some major entry points, it’s obvious the race and desperation for Detty December are already in overdrive,” Babafemi wrote.

He urged law-abiding citizens to “stay vigilant and careful.”

Metro

Two Dead, Four Injured In DICON Factory Explosion

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2025

Editor

Two people, including a military officer, were killed and four others critically injured on Saturday following an explosion at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) factory in the Kurmin Gwari area of Kaduna.

The blast, reportedly from gunpowder used in arms production, occurred during a weekend shift, shaking nearby buildings and sending residents into panic.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion killed the officer and a civilian worker instantly, while four other workers sustained severe injuries.

The injured were first taken to St. Gerard Catholic Hospital, Kakuri, before being evacuated by military ambulance to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital for further treatment.

Sympathizers and relatives of the victims thronged the hospital, with many weeping.

DICON management has yet to release an official statement on the incident at the time of filing this report.

Metro

Police Detain Lagos NURTW Leader For Killing Resident

Published

2 days ago

September 20, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a top official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state, Samsideen Oladiti, over allegations of murder and the brutal assault of a dispatch rider.

It was that gathered that the 55-year-old man, popularly known as ‘Shamelon’, was linked to two violent crimes on Lagos Island; one involving murder and the other, assault which caused harm to the victim.

In a statement by the deputy spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command on X, Babaseyi Oluseyi, said the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, had responded to a protest at the Sandgrouse Market, where they arrested the suspect in connection with murder and assault.

He wrote, “Following news of the death, sympathisers of the deceased mobilised and staged a violent protest at the suspect’s office in Sandgrouse Market, Lagos Island, setting two motorcycles belonging to the suspect ablaze and causing unrest in the area.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Olohundare Jimoh, personally led police personnel to the scene.

“He swiftly restored calm, prevented further breakdown of law and order, and assured residents that the suspect is in custody and will be promptly prosecuted after investigations are concluded.”

Oluseyi stated that the NURTW official had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

He stated, “The suspect is currently in the custody of the SCID, Panti-Yaba, for discreet investigation.”

Explaining the murder and assault, the deputy spokesperson stated, “On 17th September 2025 at about 3:00pm, the suspect allegedly attacked a dispatch rider on Lagos Island, using a helmet and fists to inflict serious bodily injury (on him). The victim (dispatch rider) was rushed to hospital, placed on oxygen, and is currently receiving medical treatment.”

In August, police reported that the suspect had also assaulted a man who later died.

Oluseyi narrated, “On 18th September 2025, at about 11:00 am, another complaint was lodged against the same suspect in connection with an incident that occurred on 28th August 2025.

“During the altercation, the suspect allegedly used a metallic ring to repeatedly strike a man on the head and face, inflicting severe injuries. Despite medical intervention, the victim was confirmed dead by a doctor on 17th September 2025. His body has since been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.”

The police appealed to residents, assuring them that justice would be duly served.

She wrote, “The Lagos State Police Command wishes to assure members of the public that justice will be diligently pursued in all the cases against the suspect.

“Jimoh further appeals to residents to remain calm, law-abiding, and not to take the law into their own hands. He enjoins them to cooperate fully with the police in the ongoing investigations.”

Meanwhile, the state chairman of NURTW, Mustapha Adekunle, popularly known as Sego has dissociated the union from the actions of Oladiti, stressing that the “NURTW does not condone violence or any unlawful activity.”

Adekunle, in a statement on Friday, noted that while he once trusted Oladiti’s loyalty, the incident had left him “bitter and disappointed.”

He urged security agencies to conduct a thorough and impartial probe, assuring that if found guilty, the suspect would also face the union’s internal disciplinary measures after the legal process is concluded.

“I urge law enforcement officers to carry out a thorough and impartial investigation to ensure justice is served.

“Once the legal process is complete, he will also face the union’s internal disciplinary procedures. As I have always stated, the NURTW does not condone violence or any unlawful acts,” Adekunle said.

He warned members of the union against any form of lawlessness, stressing that loyalty or closeness to him would not shield anyone from the consequences of being lawless.