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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

Fake Labubu Dolls Worth Millions Seized In London Raid Amid Growing Safety Fears

Published

10 hours ago

August 3, 2025

Editor

Thousands of fake Labubu dolls believed to be worth millions of pounds have been seized at an industrial estate on the outskirts of London following a major crackdown led by Trading Standards and law enforcement agencies.

The operation, which followed weeks of investigation, traced the fake merchandise from a corner shop in Swansea, south Wales, to a warehouse complex in London.

Officers discovered rooms stacked floor-to-ceiling with fake goods, but it was the imitation Labubu dolls at the centre of a viral TikTok craze that drew the most concern.

The dolls, produced by popular toy company Pop Mart, have surged in global demand, with some genuine pieces retailing for up to £80. The popularity of the brand helped the company double its revenue to £1.33 billion last year, according to Forbes. However, authorities say the boom has also attracted criminal enterprises looking to profit from the trend through counterfeit production.

“The head comes off. The feet pull off. The eyes aren’t glued in,” said Rhys Harries, a Trading Standards officer, while examining one of the seized dolls. “These are clear choking hazards.”

Using a plastic tool modelled after a child’s throat, Harries demonstrated how easily parts of the fake dolls could become life-threatening. “These parts would get stuck and potentially cause choking,” he warned.

The scale of the operation was alarming. Border Force officials say they have intercepted hundreds of thousands of fake Labubu dolls at UK ports in recent months, with many traced back to manufacturers in China, Hong Kong, and Turkey.

In one case, a mother from Caerphilly, Jade, recounted how fake Labubu dolls she bought for her six-year-old son Harri’s birthday began falling apart within hours. “The hook came off and ended up in his mouth,” she said. “Luckily he was old enough to spit it out and tell me.”

Despite knowing the dolls were fakes, Jade said she bought them due to the high cost of the original ones and peer pressure from other children. She got the knock-offs for just over £10 each.

Authorities say the rush to cash in on the craze has led to the use of substandard and potentially dangerous materials, including toxic plastics. Kate Caffery, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement at the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, said counterfeiting is the second most lucrative source of criminal income worldwide, after drug trafficking.

“There’s a complete disregard for safety,” Caffery said. “They’re made from anything from the inferior to the outright dangerous.”

TikTok collector and plush toy enthusiast Meg Goldberger, 27, said she struggled to find genuine dolls due to scalpers bulk-buying authentic stock and reselling them at inflated prices. “They sell out in seconds,” she said. “Some resellers are using bots to buy hundreds at once.”

Investigators found invoice books showing the dolls were destined for locations across the UK. Some of the seized dolls will be used as evidence, while the rest will be stored in a secure location before being recycled or destroyed.

Pop Mart has been contacted for comment on the counterfeit issue, which authorities say is now a national concern.

Headline

Young Catholics Converge On Rome For Pope Leo’s Vigil

Published

1 day ago

August 2, 2025

Editor

Thousands of young Catholics began assembling Saturday for an evening prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV, the culmination of a week-long pilgrimage and a key event in the Jubilee holy year that is expected to draw up to a million people.

The “Jubilee of Youth” — when the Vatican invites Catholics aged 18 to 35 to the seat of the global Church’s power — has seen young pilgrims from around the world flood Rome, waving flags, singing or praying in groups.

It comes nearly three months after Leo, 69, the first American pontiff, began his papacy, and 25 years after the last such massive youth gathering in Rome under Poland’s Pope John Paul II.

On Saturday morning, thousands of young pilgrims had already gathered at the vast open space in Rome’s eastern Tor Vergata neighbourhood where the pope will lead the vigil, the ground already dotted with blankets and mattresses.

Elsewhere in the Eternal City, numerous groups of young people were seen preparing to set off for the venue.

On the plaza outside the Basilica of St John Lateran, they filled water bottles, applied suncream and checked bags of food and snacks — ready to spend the next 24 hours surrounded by a swarm of people and then sleep under the stars.

Victoria Perez, who carried a Spanish flag, could not contain her excitement at seeing “the Pope up close.

“It’s the first time I’m going to see him, and I can’t wait,” the 21-year-old told AFP, excited to experience the “night of prayers under the stars”.

French pilgrim, Quentin Remaury, 26, said he had been inspired by the late Pope Francis’s rousing message to youth during a 2016 visit to Krakow, Poland.

“Pope Francis told us to ‘get off your couches,’ and that really gave me a boost,” he said.

– ‘What is his message?’ –

Since the youth jubilee began on Monday, attendees have participated in various Church-planned events throughout the city.

On Friday, approximately 1,000 priests were on hand to take confession at Circus Maximus, one of Rome’s top tourist spots.

Some 200 white gazebos lined the hippodrome where chariot races were once held, and youths lined up to speak to priests in 10 different languages.

Of the many languages heard on the streets of the Italian capital this week, Spanish seemed to dominate. The Vatican has said that more than 146 countries were represented, and it expects up to a million people to attend the vigil.

The pilgrimage is taking place as economic uncertainty and anxiety over climate change rise among the under-30s, with many saying they were curious to hear the Church’s position on global warming, wars and economic inequalities.

Samarei Semos, 29, said she had travelled three days from her native Belize to get to Rome.

“We are still trying to understand his leadership,” she said of the new pope, adding she hoped he would have a strong say about “third world countries”.

As Parisian student Alice Berry exclaimed, “What does he have to say to us? What is his message for young people?”

– Raising voices –

The youth pilgrimage also comes amid global alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and more than three years of war in Ukraine.

The Vatican has praised young Catholics who managed to travel to Rome from war-scarred countries, with Pope Leo saying the voices of the world’s youth “will be heard to the end of the earth”.

In an unprecedented move, Leo hosted a mass on Tuesday for Catholic social media influencers, signalling the Vatican’s openness to supporting the Internet-savvy youth.

More than 4,300 volunteers will be working the event to welcome the young pilgrims, along with over 1,000 police, according to organisers.

Roman authorities have tightened security in the city — which has seen an unprecedented number of people, with both tourists and pilgrims inundating the city.

AFP

Headline

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Kill Three In Russia

Published

1 day ago

August 2, 2025

Editor

Ukrainian drone strikes killed three people and wounded two others overnight in western Russia, regional governors said on Saturday.

One woman was killed and two other people were wounded in an attack on an enterprise in Penza, the region’s governor, Oleg Melnichenko, wrote on Telegram.

An elderly man was killed inside a house that caught fire due to falling drone debris in the Samara region, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev posted on Telegram.

In the Rostov region, a guard at an industrial facility was killed after a drone attack and a fire in one of the site’s buildings, acting Rostov governor Yuri Sliusar said.

“The military repelled a massive air attack during the night,” destroying drones over seven districts, Sliusar posted on Telegram.

Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems had destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory — 34 over the Rostov region — in a nearly nine-hour period, from Friday night to Saturday morning.

In Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, overnight Russian drone attacks left three people wounded, governor Sergiy Lysak wrote on Telegram.

Several buildings, homes and cars were damaged, he said.

Russian forces have claimed advances in Dnipropetrovsk, recently announcing the capture of two villages there, part of Moscow’s accelerated capture of territory in July, according to AFP’s analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

Kyiv denies any Russian presence in the Dnipropetrovsk area.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire in the more than three-year conflict, said Friday that he wanted peace but that his demands for ending Moscow’s military offensive were “unchanged”.

Those demands include that Ukraine abandon territory and end ambitions to join NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, said only Putin could end the war and renewed his call for a meeting between the two leaders.

“The United States has proposed this. Ukraine has supported it. What is needed is Russia’s readiness,” he wrote on X.

AFP