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BREAKING: Court Sacks Edo Council Chairman, Declares Petitioner Chairman

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A Benin High Court on Friday, March 20, sacked Victor Emuankhagbon as the elected executive chairman of Esan South- East local government area.

The removal was sequel to a petition filed by Peter Aguele against the conduct of January 24, 2018 local government primary election that produced the ousted chairman as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recall that in January 24, 2018, APC conducted primary elections to elect chairmen and councillors for the state local government elections in the state.

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The elections were conducted March 3, 2018 by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission ( EDSIEC).

Peter Aguele and Victor Emuankhagbon are both members of APC in the state.

In the petition, Aguele, argued that he was duly elected as the party’s candidate through direct primary while the ousted chairman argued that he emerged the candidate on consensus.

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In his judgment, the presiding judge, Daniel Okungbowa, held that the petitioner is the rightful candidate of the party for the election, having emerged through direct primary.

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He, however, ordered that the respondent should stop parading himself as the chairman of the council, and that he should refund all the monies so far paid to him while in office as chairman of the council in the last two years to the treasury of the council.

He also ordered that the petitioner should be paid all the mony and entitlements due to him since 2018 as the rightful candidate and the elected chairman of the council.

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Reacting to the judgment, Peter Aguele, the now declared chairman of the council commended the judiciary for being the last hope of the common man.

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Aguele, however, dedicated the victory to the people of Esan South-East local government and members of APC in the state and the local government.

In his reactions, Charity Aiguobarueghian, Esq, counsel to the ousted chairman, said his client will challenged the judgment at the court of Appeal.

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While commending the court for the judgment, he however noted that there was miscarriage of justice as the petitioner was unable to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.

On his part, Nelson Irehovbude, from Dele Igbinedion chambers, commended the court for a well considered and delivered judgment.

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Irehovbude, said by the virtue of the court judgment, Peter Aguele is now the substantive chairman of the council.

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“The fact of the case was that the respondents claimed that there was a consensus during the local government primary election which took place on January 24, 2018.

“And we said no that the emergency of a party candidate was by direct primary election, and that direct primary election was actually conducted which produced Peter Aguele, and that he was the substantive chairman, voted for and won the local government election.

“The court declarations are in line with our petition, that the first defendant (APC) should be restrained from parading the third defendant which is Victor Emuankhagbon as the chairman elect of the council.

“And now the court has granted the restraining order, and declared Peter Aguele, as the substantive chairman of the council”, he added.

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Some council chairmen who were in the court in solidarity with the sacked chairman, however, left the court disappointed and unhappy.

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VIDEO: Hundreds Of Abandoned Ikoyi Towers Illegal Occupants Get 48-hour Eviction Notice

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The Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources has issued a 48-hour eviction notice to illegal occupants of the Ikoyi Towers in the Lagos Island area of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this during an inspection of the estate on Saturday.

In a post on X.com, Wahab stated that hundreds of undocumented residents were seen in the premises, which lacked sanitary provisions.

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He added that they pose security and environmental threats to the state, hence the eviction notice.

Wahab wrote, “Abandoned Ikoyi Towers which we observed were housing illegal occupants posing a security threat to the environment and a nuisance to the state.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Woman, Baby Involved In Lagos Car Accident

“An undocumented number of persons running into hundreds were seen on the premises with no sanitary provisions and whose daily activities could not be ascertained.

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“They have been given a 48-hour vacation notice to leave the area.”

The commissioner further stated that the team also conducted an inspection to assess the enforcement of Osborne under bridge after the illegal structures harbouring several people were removed.”

Recall that  on Wednesday that the state government discovered 86 partitioned rooms under the Dolphin Estate Bridge in Ikoyi, where tenants were said to be paying N250,000 per annum for the makeshift apartment.

Watch video below courtesy The PUNCH

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5-year-old Girl Allegedly Defiled, Mother Demands Justice

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A woman, Rita Ebirim, has demanded justice following the alleged defilement of her five-year-old daughter by her brother-in-law in Lagos.

The distraught mother, who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, explained that her estranged husband had filed a divorce on August 2, 2022, and while waiting for the trial, she was ordered by the court to allow the father to have access to their daughter.

Ebirim explained that her daughter was defiled during her second visit to her father by his brother.

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She said, “One day in February last year, he came to pick her up for the first time in the morning and returned her in the evening. That day I sensed that something was wrong with my girl and I voiced my suspicion to my lawyer but he waved it off.

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“The next time, he came to take her to visit him and she returned to me at night beyond the speculated time. Later, when I wanted to bathe her, she started crying, pushing my hands away, that I shouldn’t touch her ‘there’.

“When I asked her who touched her there she told me her uncle touched her.

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Ebirim said when she called her daughter’s father, he said he didn’t do anything to her and immediately told her to take the girl to the hospital “knowing full well that it was late at night”.

“I took her to two hospitals and after she was examined, the doctors said she had bruises on her private parts, that she had been sexually molested,” she added.

READ ALSO: Father Defiles 12-year-old Daughter

Suspect remanded for allegedly defiling three-year-old daughter
Sunday Special learned that the case was reported to the Ketu police station and also the Lagos State Sexual and Domestic Violence Agency.

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“Although the suspect was arrested, he was later released on bail, and up till now, we are still awaiting a hearing in court. The case has needlessly dragged on and it feels that justice is elusive,” Ebirim added.

Giving an update on the case, the Executive Secretary of the DSVA, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, in a chat with our correspondent, disclosed that a forensic interview had been conducted for the child and that the case had been referred to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

She said, “The agency received a report of an alleged case of defilement on February 20, 2023, against one X. It was alleged that Mr O has allegedly abused her sexually during her visit to Mr O.”

READ ALSO: Court Remands Man For Alleged Defilement Of 7-year-old Girl

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Vivour-Adeniyi further said the agency immediately referred the case officially to the Ketu divisional police station on the same day.

“The case was also referred to State CID, Panti, on February 21, 2023, where investigations were conducted with all parties involved. Two officers from the agency were also assigned to support the survivors’ mother at the police station.

“The agency subsequently referred the case to Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre for a forensic interview to be conducted. The forensic interview was successfully conducted in April 2023. The case file was forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice,” she added.
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VIDEO: Woman, Baby Involved In Lagos Car Accident

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A woman, her toddler and a motorcyclist popularly known as Okada rider were reportedly involved in a car accident on the Festac Link Bridge in the Ammuo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State on Saturday night.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday night around 11:00pm.

Joshua Davids, who witnessed the accident, said, “What really happened at Amuwo Link Bridge, tonight’s accident, is that the car, the driver hit a woman and a baby on her back. So actually, they have rushed the woman and the baby to the hospital.

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“The driver is safe because there is an airbag. There is protection for him in the car. So he is safe now and he has already rushed the woman and her baby to the hospital.

When asked about the Okada rider, he said, “They have also rushed him to the hospital. The three of them are unconscious. I was walking down from the back, from the backside. I was also coming from Festac, so I saw everything that happened. He also almost hit me.”

David, who showed his injury in a video, added, “I have to save myself. I have to. If not, what would I be saying by now? I thank God for my life. Thank God. Thank you very much.”

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Another witness who spoke anonymously to our reporter said, “I was on my way home, I had a loud sound coming from the top of the bridge. I rushed down and saw a woman with her toddler on the ground. The bike rider seemed unconscious.

Narrating what might have happened that led to the crash, he said, “The vehicle had double-crossed his lane and jumped into the other lane coming towards Festac and had hit the Okada rider, and the Okada rider was carrying a woman and her toddler.

“She had injuries on her legs I asked her where she felt pain, and she said her head mostly. The driver who drove the car was okay and rushed the victims to the hospital.”

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The police had yet to reach the venue of the incident as of the time of filing this report.

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Details later…

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