There is heightened security in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, in anticipation of the judgment to be delivered by the Osun gubernatorial election petition tribunal.

The tribunal secretariat had on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, announced that judgment on the petition filed by Adegboyega Oyetola and the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) against the victory of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been slated for Friday, January 27, 2023.

Heavily-armed policemen and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) were stationed at the Osun Secretariat of the APC, the SWAGA campaign office, the Adegboyega Oyetola campaign office and the Imole House campaign office of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Also, heavily-armed security personnel were stationed at the Osun State High Court, the venue of the tribunal seating.

The road leading from the Service Lameco area to the Osun High Court has been heavily cordoned off, while from Oke-Fia has also been blocked.

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However, residents in the capital were observed going about their normal routine, with the only cause for concern among commuters being the lingering fuel scarcity.

The tribunal is expected to commence seating at 9 am on Friday.

Recall that Adegboyega Oyetola is challenging Ademola Adeleke on two grounds; Adeleke’s educational qualification and the issue of over-voting during the July 16 governorship election.

Experts handling gender-based violence (GBV) in Nigeria have charged authorities to stop paying lip service to the crime and begin to match words with punitive actions to deter perpetrators.

Dr Offiong Enang, the executive director of Gender And Development Action, (GADA) on Thursday in Calabar during a three-day event disclosed that feeling sympathetic towards GBV survivors was not enough.

The three-day training of Gender desk officers in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in Cross River was organised by the Coalition for the Promotion of Gender Justice, CPGJ.

Enang said: “Government agencies, Civil Society Organisations and every Nigerian must make noise with facts and vote resources for this fight; we need to stop behaving as if GBV is for other people when it is everywhere around us.

“If perpetrators see that people are doing nothing other than just feeling sympathetic, they will continue but when people respond by carrying out some activities, then the perpetrators would be afraid.”

Speaking further, she said Nigeria should tell itself the truth as it concerns GBV even as she demanded that real data of GBV be put out in the public domain for everyone to see that the malaise was high in the nation.

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On her part, Mrs Victoria Emah-Emah, Executive Director, Neighborhood Carewell Foundation, said for the GBV fight to be effective, proper case management including referrals is imperative.

She urged different groups to carry out proper referrals of cases.

She said: “Different persons and groups have different competencies, no one can provide all the services required by a survivor.

“There is need for partnership to ensure effective care of a survivor from psychosocial to medical, legal, protective and all other support required.”

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arrested the former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde, on Thursday in Abuja.

According to a statement on Thursday by the Commission’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, Prof. Ojerinde’s re-arrest followed a warrant issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja.

He is expected to face a team of investigators over new evidence uncovered in relation to his ongoing trial for diversion of funds while he was a public officer.

ICPC operatives uncovered two accounts opened in the names of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International Schools Ltd into which funds were diverted using fictitious names of students.

The Commission had on the 12th December, 2022, invited the former JAMB Registrar for questioning over the new evidence but he wrote through his solicitor requesting for 14 days grace to enable him honour the invitation. Ojerinde, however, refused to honour the invitation as undertaken by his counsel after the expiration of the 14 days on 27th December, 2022.

In the course of its ongoing investigation, the Commission unearthed new evidence that suggests that Ojerinde is the sole signatory to various bank accounts operated in the name of Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Sapati International School Ltd. Ojerinde allegedly operated those accounts using false identities and forged documents in the names of Joshua Olakulehin Olaniran and Akanbi Lamidi respectively. He also allegedly used another false identity, Adeniyi Banji, to operate a separate account in the name of Standout Institutes Ltd.

The ICPC has recovered the cheque books of the companies’ accounts from Ojerinde, who has been taken into custody at the headquarters of the Commission.

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The Commission may likely prosecute the former registrar before a court of competent jurisdiction for offences bothering on forgery of documents, stolen identity, money laundering and concealment of gratification if the new evidence is confirmed.

Ojerinde is currently being prosecuted by the Commission at the Federal High Court Abuja and Federal High Court Minna on an 18-count charge bordering on abuse of office and fraud to the tune of about N10 billion while serving as heads of two government agencies, the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.

He had allegedly conferred corrupt advantages upon himself at different times while being Head of JAMB and NECO, thereby violating Sections 19, 24, 25 (1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and Section 1 (1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006.