Metro

Anxiety In Osun Community Over Monarch’s Disappearance

Published

8 months ago

February 15, 2025

Editor

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

Retired Principal kidnapped In Edo, Abductors Demand N70m

Published

4 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly kidnapped a retired headmaster identified as Mr. Eliaser Olorunloju near a Fulani settlement in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

The incident was said to have occurred between Sasaro and Ayetoro, along the dilapidated Igarra- Uneme-Nekhua – Ibillo Road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.

Olorunloiu was said to be going back to Ugboshi-ele from Igarra, the headquarters of the local government where he was said to have gone to make photocopies of documents ahead of his son’s resumption at a tertiary institution.

It was gathered on Monday that his abductors have reportedly contacted the family and were demanding N70 million.

Confirming the incident, the Director of Operations and Strategy, Concerned Minds Initiative of Akoko-Edo (CMIA), Comrade Victor Arogunyo said “The incident occurred around Aiyetoro–Somorika Junction, close to a Fulani settlement on the Ibillo–Uneme–Nekhua–Igarra Road. This is another sad reminder that Akoko-Edo is under siege.

“In the last few months, this is about the fight kidnapping that is taking place on the same spot, close to that camp which is less than five minutes trekking away from there. The government must do something about this. I called his traditional ruler and he said they called on Sunday evening demanding N70 million.”

He identified bad roads, criminal herders, poor funding of security, low morale among vigilantes and hunters, and weak prosecution of arrested suspects as key factors fueling insecurity across the entire Edo North axis.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Yamu could not be reached as at the time of this report.

Metro

Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies

Published

23 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Rivers State Police Command said its operatives have busted a child trafficking syndicate that manipulates young mothers and vulnerable pregnant women, steals their babies, and sells them to waiting buyers.

The police said the four-member syndicate is led by an ex-convict identified as Blessing Jack, who had previously been arrested, tried, and imprisoned in Calabar, Cross River State, for a similar offence.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday and sent to newsmen.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, said Blessing, aged 54, was arrested by men of the Command’s C4i Intelligence Unit on October 9 in Igwuruta, near Port Harcourt, following a discreet probe into the activities of the syndicate.

She said Blessing’s arrest led to the location of her other three female partners, who were consequently taken into custody.

The statement read, “The Rivers State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in its investigation into the activities of a child trafficking syndicate in the state, with the arrest of several suspects.

“The syndicate, allegedly led by one Blessing Jack, a 54-year-old female resident of Timber Road, Igwuruta, Port Harcourt, exploits vulnerable young mothers, stealing and selling their newborn babies for significant financial gains.

“On October 9, 2025, at about 1500hrs, operatives of the Command attached to the C4i Intelligence Unit, through technically aided policing, arrested Blessing Jack at Igwuruta in Port Harcourt.

“A conversation between Blessing Jack and one Marley Oburu ‘m’ revealed the syndicate’s modus operandi. She discussed a recent incident where her associate had taken a woman’s baby, claiming the baby had died, but had been paid the sum of ₦2,000,000 for the transaction.”

She continued, “The transaction suggested that Blessing and her associates use fake scans and manipulate vulnerable pregnant women to obtain their babies.

“Other suspects arrested include: Chinonso Raymond, a 30-year-old male of Igwuruta, Port Harcourt; Chinyere Okorie, a 32-year-old female of Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port Harcourt; and Nkechi Nwankwo, a 50-year-old female of Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port Harcourt.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that Blessing Jack had previously been imprisoned in Calabar for three years for child trafficking, highlighting her long-standing involvement in the illicit business.”

The state police image maker said all the suspects voluntarily confessed to the crime, detailing their individual roles.

“Suspects are currently in police custody, while an in-depth investigation has been launched to arrest other members of the syndicate and dismantle the network,” Iringe-Koko stated further.

The State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the operatives for their diligence in investigating and apprehending the suspects, saying the Command will continue to work tirelessly to protect vulnerable individuals and combat human trafficking in the state.

CP Adepoju appealed to members of the public to report any information that may aid in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases, saying, “Together, we can build a safer and more secure society for all.”

Rivers State Police Command, in September, said its operatives have arrested three suspected kidnappers who allegedly killed two of their victims after collecting a total ransom of N10.4m.

Earlier in August, the Command said its men busted an armed robbery/kidnapping syndicate terrorising residents of Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of the state, and its environs.

Metro

BREAKING: Lagos Re-arraigns Kidnapper Evans Over Police Officers’ Killing

Published

1 day ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Lagos State Government on Monday re-arraigned convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans.

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja is hearing the case of the murder of two police officers by the billionaire kidnapper.

He and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, were arraigned before Justice A. O. Ogala on a five-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Details later…