Headline

Apostle Suleman: Police Weigh Multiple Pointers To Assassination Attempt

Published

3 years ago

October 29, 2022

Some security insights have been provided on the recent attempted assassination of a frontline Edo-based cleric, Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Fire Ministries

The convoy of the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM) Auchi, Apostle Suleman was last Friday attacked by unknown gunmen along the Benin Auchi Road, Edo State.

The cleric was said to be heading to Edo State after a foreign trip to Tanzania when the gunmen opened fire on his convoy.

Six persons, including policemen and Suleman’s drivers were said to have been killed during the attack.

The cleric, who described the incident as an assassination attempt, alluded to “certain things” happening since 2017.

This appeared to be a reference to the various sex scandals involving him.

He was quoted as saying “Since 2017, there are certain things that have been happening that I have been quiet about. There are things people don’t know, even though one or two people, along the line, took advantage of that to just come out and say one or two things.”

Suleman further explained that he is speaking up because they’ve done a lot and discovered that he is still moving on and have now decided to make an attempt on his life.

What transpired in 2017

In 2017, Suleman may have had multiple issues ranging from controversial preaching to political issues and a host of others

But one incident that was prominent was the issue of Stephanie Otobo, a Canadian based Nigerian singer, who accused the man of God of impregnating and dumping her.

Otobo had alleged that they were in a romantic relationship and had travelled far and wide. She also alleged that the cleric promised to marry her.

She had also claimed that she had no knowledge the apostle was married because he concealed his marital status from her.

In a petition through her lawyer, Festus Keyamo, Otobo whose stage name is Kimora, alleged that the romantic affair began in Canada in the year 2015. She also accused Suleman of illegal procurement of abortion, threat to life, and attempted murder.

Otobo further released an image of Suleman in an alleged romantic chat with her, but the cleric denied and described the photograph as fake and photoshopped.

At one point, Stephanie made a u-turn and apologised to the pastor at his church, saying she was paid to defame the pastor.

According to the Singer, some “very strong and powerful politicians and pastors” deceived her, and she succumbed to the manipulation because they told her it would help her career.

However, in 2022 Otobo returned with a fresh allegation that she went to apostle Suleman’s church to apologise under duress.

Otobo narrated that she was tired of the court processes and stress and also claimed that the cleric’s media aide, Phrank Shuaibu, had approached and promised her that the case would be settled if she made the open confession.

Herdsmen Criticism

Apostle Suleman has been a fierce critic of the killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen in parts of the country.

He had also in the past instructed his security aides to kill any Fulani herdsman who comes around his church premises after he claimed that someone had informed him of the plot to attack his church.

Many have been killed in the past during clashes between the cattle-herding Fulani indigenes and some communities that practice a mix of farming and cattle rearing. The clashes are due to disputes centred around land use.

Halima Abubakar’s sex scandal

Again, in September 2022 the self acclaimed prophet was involved in yet another sex scandal.

Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar admitted to having a sexual relationship with Apostle Suleman.

Halima opened up on her affair with the cleric after reports emerged on social media that Suleman had an affair with a host of Nigerian actresses including Georgina Onuoha, Queen Nwokoye, Shan George, and Vivian Metchie.

Suleman had in reaction to the viral post described the list as an unrealistic litany of names curated to bring him down, However in a surprising twist, Halima Abubakar took to her Instagram to call him out.

The actress who was subjected to heavy criticism claimed that she only agreed to date him at the time because he told her he had separated from his wife.

He, however, filed a suit through his lawyer, accusing the actress who is currently battling an undisclosed ailment of defamation, blackmail and publishing demeaning statements about him.

Shortly after she told the cleric that they will meet in court, the actress announced that she had quit acting to ‘rejuvenate and continue healing’.

Killing of Suspected attacker

The Apostle’s allegation that some persons were after his life may have been justified after he raised the alarm that one of the gunmen who attacked his convoy was killed by the police to cover up some people.

Suleman, while condemning the killing, slammed the police for killing the arrested prime suspect.

According to him, the suspect who was captured alive was hurriedly killed in order to frustrate investigation and erase all evidence that could lead to the arrest of his attackers.

But, in reaction, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, directed the withdrawal of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Auchi Police Station, Ayodele Suleiman.

Yaro said the decision was taken to unravel the circumstances that led to the death of one of the surviving members of the gang.

However, sources say it is difficult to pinpoint the actual source of the attack on Apostle Suleman because of the multiple crises or battles he has engaged in the recent past.

Asked if Apostle Suleman’s public condemnation of the incessant killings by herdsmen across the country may have led to the assassination attempt on the cleric, an Abuja security expert, Dr. Abigail Uwanta, said the situation should not be completely seen that way.

According to her, “As a security monitoring expert, I will not look at it that way. Our major problem here in Nigeria is that cases are not being properly investigated to come to reasonable conclusions. Once something like this happens, we say thank God the victim survived and that’s it. Even the police and other security agencies would not take it upon themselves to get to the end of the matter. I think this is why people resort to speculation.

”In this particular case anything is possible. It could be terrorists, it could be someone who wants him out of the way. Him as an individual, it’s not everything he does that comes to public notice. Who knows where he goes and the people he meets there. He may have stepped on someone’s toes. That’s why I said anything is possible. It would be wrong but not totally out of place to link it to Fulani herdsmen.”

DAILY POST reports that as of the time of this report, the police are yet to make their findings public.

Headline

US Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Mocked Kirk’s Assassination

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

The United States has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly mocked or celebrated the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The State Department said the decision followed an internal review of social media posts deemed “offensive and contrary to U.S. values,” adding that the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and a strong ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead during a political rally on 10 September.

His killing drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, with many describing the act as a targeted attack on free speech.

According to U.S. authorities, at least six individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, and Germany had their visas revoked after making comments online that celebrated Kirk’s murder or insulted his supporters.

Examples cited by officials included posts calling Kirk a racist who deserved it, and messages mocking grieving Americans.

“We will not tolerate foreigners who promote or celebrate acts of violence against U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The move underscores Washington’s growing use of immigration powers to respond to online behaviour perceived as threatening or disrespectful towards the country.

The Department said it continues to monitor social media content for evidence of incitement or endorsement of violence.
Civil liberties advocates, however, have questioned the decision, arguing that revoking visas for social media comments could set a worrying precedent.

Officials maintained that the visa cancellations were lawful, limited in scope, and aimed at protecting national integrity.

“Freedom of speech does not extend to foreigners seeking the privilege of entry while glorifying violence,” the spokesperson added.

The United States has increased visa scrutiny in recent years, requiring applicants to disclose social media handles and online activity.

The policy, officials say, is designed to prevent extremist sympathisers or those expressing hostility towards the country from entering its borders

Headline

Israeli PM Netanyahu Back In Court For Graft Trial

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020.

The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal.

It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases.

His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump’s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot.

During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.

Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases.

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”

The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.

Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel’s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

AFP

Headline

FULL LIST: US Set To Carry Out Four Executions This Week

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

A Florida man convicted of murdering two women he hired for sex was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday, one of four executions to be carried out in the United States this week.

Samuel Smithers, 72, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1996 killings of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach in Tampa. They had been beaten and strangled and their bodies were found in a pond.

Smithers was executed at a Florida state prison at 6:15 pm (2215 GMT), the 14th execution in the southern state this year.

Another convicted murderer was also put to death by lethal injection in the midwestern state of Missouri on Tuesday.

The execution of Lance Shockley, 48, was carried out at 6:13 pm (2313 GMT) for the 2005 murder of a police sergeant, Carl Graham.

Graham was gunned down in an ambush at his home. The officer had been investigating a fatal car accident involving Shockley at the time.

Shockley maintained his innocence but his appeals were rejected by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe rejected his clemency request on Monday.

Two other executions are scheduled this week.

Charles Crawford, 59, is to be put to death by lethal injection in Mississippi on Wednesday for the 1994 rape and murder of Kristy Ray, a 20-year-old college student.

Richard Djerf, 55, is to be executed by lethal injection in Arizona on Friday for the brutal 1993 murders of four members of a Phoenix family.

In a letter last month apologizing for the crime, Djerf said he was ready to die and would not seek clemency.

“If I can’t find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have?” he wrote.

There have been 37 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2013, when 39 inmates were put to death.

Florida has carried out the most executions with 14, followed by Texas with five and South Carolina and Alabama with four.

Thirty-one of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and four by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and, on his first day in office, called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”