News
Court Dismisses N8.5bn Fraud Case Against Ex-NIMASA DG

The Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged and acquitted the former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, from an alleged 8.5 billion Naira fraud case.
Justice Ayokunle Faji, on Monday, cleared Akpobolokemi and an employee of NIMASA, Josphine Otuaga, of the 22-count charge of conspiracy, conversion, and stealing (by fraudulent conversion) brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The judge, while delivering a ruling on a no-case submission filed by the defendants, held that the EFCC failed to establish sufficient evidence in the case against the duo.
However, the court ordered the former Commander of the Joint Task Force, JTF, Operation Pulo Shield, Major-General Emmanuel Atewe (rtd) and an employee of NIMASA, Kime Engonzu, to open their defence.
Akpobolokemi had, in a no-case submission filed by his lawyer, Joseph Nwobike, SAN, asked the court for an acquittal without having him present a defence.
READ ALSO: Terrorists Kill 2 Army Officers, 4 Soldiers In Niger State Ambush
The defense counsel had also argued that the prosecution, with all its witnesses and evidence tendered while making its case, failed to link his client to the alleged crimes.
In his ruling, Justice Faji held that none of the witnesses called by the Prosecution led any shred of evidence linking the first defendant and the fourth defendant to the offences they were charged with.
The court held that having regard to the totality of evidence led by the prosecution failed to provide any credible evidence linking the first defendant with the commission of the alleged crimes against him in Counts 1-11 of the first amended charge and established a prima facie case against him warranting him to enter upon his defence.
Justice Faji, therefore, held that if there was no sufficient evidence linking the accused with the statutory elements and ingredients, a court of trial must, as a matter of law, discharge him.
News
Former Oyo Police Commissioner Is Dead

A Former Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Abiodun Odude is dead.
The shocking news of his death was shared by the Chairman, Ibadan branch of Government College, GCI Old Boys Association, Akin Orowale on the Association’s platform.
Abiodun Odude, an old boy of GCI, served as Oyo CP between 2017 and 2019.
In the meantime, reactions have continued to trail the death of Odude.
READ ALSO:Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Is Dead
A former Director General, Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA), and GCI OBA stalwart, Dr Yinka Adepoju posted this on platform.
“Hmmm, another deep cut in the GCI Old Boys Association and Boys of 71 Set in particular!
“May the Soul of Biodun rest in peace as l pray that the Lord comforts all members of this Great 71Set and his entire family members, ‘Yinka Adepoju @71, 2356# Grierson”
“So sad to lose such a personality NOW. But what can we do? Nothing absolutely than to wish him eternal rest and divine consolation to the loved ones left behind, particularly his immediate family and GCIOBA,” another old boy, who is an Ibadan based politician, Mr Adeniyi Adeoti said.
The late Odude served in the Intelligence Department, Zone 2, Lagos State as Deputy Commissioner of Police, CID, Panti, Yaba; he was Commissioner of Police, Administration; Department of Finance and Admin., Force Headquarters, Abuja.
News
Lagos Govt Gives Computer Village Traders Ultimatum To Relocate To Katangowa

The Lagos State Government has given traders at the popular Computer Village in Ikeja an 18-month deadline to move to a new permanent site at Katangowa, in the Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement with market leaders and traders on Tuesday.
According to him, the state government has provided the necessary infrastructure and facilities at the Katangowa site to ensure a conducive business environment once the relocation takes effect.
READ ALSO:Lagos Begins Monitoring As Schools Resume
“The government wants your cooperation to ensure the relocation comes to pass. The time is now. We have to make the project a reality. The relocation period is 18 months,” Oki said.
He explained that Computer Village currently sits on land originally designated as a residential area, which over time was converted into a bustling commercial hub without formal approval from the government.
Oki also revealed that plans to move traders from Ikeja to Katangowa have been in the works since 2006 but were stalled due to delays in completing the new site.
READ ALSO:Police Reveal Cause Of Death Of Bodies Found On Lagos Riverbank
Emphasizing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to inclusive governance, he noted that the stakeholders’ meeting was convened to carry traders along in the government’s plans.
“The governor is passionate about infrastructure development and the welfare of Lagosians. Katangowa has been designated as the permanent site for this market. It sits on 15 hectares of land, well-planned and strategically located near essential resources for your businesses.
“The present location in Ikeja was never meant to serve as a trading hub. What we are offering at Katangowa is a structured market environment that supports growth while addressing environmental and urban planning concerns. We want to work with you and jointly plan this relocation,” Oki said.
News
Ooni’s Palace Slams Oluwo Over ‘Ife Not Yoruba Origin’ Claim

The palace of the Ooni of Ife on Tuesday slammed the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, over his claim that Ile-Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba people.
Reacting to the comments, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the statement, saying, “No reasonable person will react to Oluwo’s comments.”
Oba Akanbi, known for his controversial views, had in a video posted on his Facebook page while conferring a chieftaincy title in his palace, insisted that “Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.”
Flanked by his chiefs, the Iwo monarch argued that the language spoken in Ile-Ife — widely regarded as the cradle of the Yoruba race — differed from mainstream Yoruba. He also questioned the use of certain expressions.
READ ALSO:Ife Not Origin Of Yoruba Race, Says Oluwo
“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare.
“Ife people will always say Olofin. If you ask them the meaning, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace. But in Yoruba, that is Alaafin. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.
“I am the Arole Olodumare because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented,” he said, stressing his determination to preserve his version of history.
Debates over the origin of the Yoruba and the authority of monarchs to confer titles have long been contentious.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan
In August, The PUNCH reported a similar face-off between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, over the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland, allegedly conferred on Ibadan businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi by the Ooni.
The Alaafin, through his media aide Bode Durojaiye, insisted no traditional ruler other than him had the authority to bestow a title covering the entire Yorubaland. He issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title or “face the consequences.”
In response, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum, saying the monarch had chosen to leave the issue “in the court of public opinion.”
“We cannot dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. We leave the matter to the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated. Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. No press release, please. Forty-eight hours, my foot!” he wrote on Facebook.
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