Metro

Oro Worshippers, Church Members Clash, Lagos Tailor Dies

Published

3 years ago

August 25, 2022

A clash between Oro traditional worshippers and worshippers at the Truth and The Spirit Prophetic Church has led to the death of a tailor, Akeem Adebisi, in the Oko-Oba area of Lagos State.

It was gathered that Akeem alongside other Oro worshippers were performing sacrament when they got to know that the church members were conducting a vigil.

The Oro worshippers, upon approaching the prophetess, Mercy Okocha, and her church members, reportedly instructed them to stop the vigil but they disagreed.

It was learnt that the disagreement caused an argument that degenerated into a clash between the Oro traditionalists and the church members who stood their ground on Tuesday.

During the clash, the church members allegedly stoned Akeem to death as some other persons involved in the fight sustained varying degrees of injury.

Our correspondent who visited the scene on Wednesday observed that the church had been deserted.

Property including fans, chairs, and instruments in the church were scattered.

Speaking with The PUNCH, a resident, who gave her name simply as Alhaja Sariyu, said an announcement was made for the Oro procession.

She said, “After the announcement, we went indoors very early only to wake up the following day to discover that there was apprehension everywhere.

“The Oro procession has been on for years. So, nobody expected that this particular one was going to be bloody. As a matter of fact, the church has been there for close to five years.”

A trader in the area, who declined to mention her name for security reasons, said the church led by Okocha was fond of conducting vigil every day, adding that it must be “the reason why the confrontation happened.”

An eyewitness, Jamiu Issa, who participated in the procession, alleged that members of the church instigated a mob action against his colleagues on their way back.

Issa said, “We hold our procession every August 22. Before we started our procession that night, we saw some members of the church outside around 10pm, and Akeem went to meet the woman (prophetess) to suspend their programme and instruct her members to go inside.

“So, when we started at midnight, we saw them again and chased them inside the church. Around 1am on our way back, we saw them again and they started throwing stones, bottles and coconuts at us.

“The prophetess asked her female members to go inside, while she and the male members attacked us. They smashed a coconut on Akeem’s face; he collapsed and started bleeding on the spot.

“We rushed him to about three hospitals but he was rejected. We were told he had lost a lot of blood. He died around 4am on our way to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.”

The PUNCH also visited Akeem’s father, Wasiu Adebisi, who had been distraught over the death of his son, said he got to know about the attack at midnight.

The 62 year-old said, “Akeem is my first male child. He is the one who always announces the preparation of the Oro festival in the town. When the incident happened, his colleagues rushed to call me in the middle of the night, and when I got there, I was told that they hit his head with a coconut.

“If they actually threw it at him from a distance, the impact would not have been that much. It looked like they held him and broke the coconut on his head. I could not bear the sight of him when I got there, I just returned home while his colleagues took him to hospital. It was in the morning that they told me that he died.”

The Baale of Gbirinmi, Oko Oba, Razaq Alawode, while condemning the attack, demanded justice for the deceased victim, adding that the police were invited to restore normalcy in the community.

“Even when the police came to arrest her, they were scared to enter the church. I was the one that led them inside the church where we found some strange spiritual items. We want the police to ensure that justice is served,” Alawode said.

Efforts by our correspondents to speak with a member of the church proved abortive.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the prophetess alongside nine members of the church had been arrested in connection to Akeem’s death.

“The prophetess, Mercy Okocha, 50, and nine other members of the church, have been arrested. The corpse was deposited in a mortuary for autopsy. An investigation is ongoing,” Hundeyin said.

However, in his remark, a lecturer in the Department of Religious and Peace Studies, Lagos State University, Professor Kabiru Paramole, told one of our correspondents that the incident was avoidable.

He lamented that the clash happened though both religious groups were chasing a common good for society.

Paramole said, “Religiously, what the Oro people were doing, according to them, was nothing but religion. They were being religious because they wanted to fortify their city from several calamities, pains and negativity happening in the society.

“The Christians too were also having a vigil to achieve the same purpose the Oro worshippers were after. I’m very sure that before any Oro comes out, especially in Lagos State, the news is always everywhere; everyone must stay indoors.

“I don’t know if the same kind of news went around the city this time around. If truly the news went around and the Christians still went ahead to hold their vigil, to me as a scholar of religious studies, that’s a wrong step taken by the Christians because they knew people might come towards where they were having the vigil. A clash would be expected in this kind of case.”

Paramole, however, said the clash would have been avoided if the Oro worshippers and church members explored the option of peaceful engagement.

Metro

Ondo: VP Mysteriously Disappears From Hotel After Attending Seminar

Published

13 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

Olaloye Olatunde, Vice Principal of Ipele Community High School, Owo, Ondo State, mysteriously disappeared from a hotel after attending a seminar in Akure, the state capital.

It was gathered that only his personal belongings were discovered inside the hotel room where he lodged for the seminar after his mysterious disappearance.

He reportedly travelled from Owo to Akure to attend a Child Labour Programme organised by Trace Project, Akure, in partnership with Charakids Foundation.

The victim’s wife, Mrs. Adenike Olaloye, said he called her after checking into a Hotel in Alagbaka, where all other participants lodged.

According to her “We spoke regularly until Wednesday.

“By Friday, his phone was no longer reachable. The seminar was supposed to end that day, but I never heard from him again.”

”I was the one who arranged his bag before he travelled. That same bag was what they later found in his hotel room. Sadly, they had already packed it out without telling me.”

Also, speaking of the ugly incident, Olaoyes elder brother, Zacheus Olaloye, said “When my brother’s wife called me that she hadn’t seen my brother, I went to the hotel.

“The staff initially told me that all participants had checked out.

“But later I discovered the bag they said was abandoned was my brother’s own, with his clothes and shoes still inside.”

Zacheus, a retired civil servant, lamented that “We tried to preview the footage, but nothing worked. Later, the management showed us a grainy video of a man walking out of the premises. But that wasn’t my brother. The figure wasn’t clear at all.”

He added, sadly, that neither the organisers of the seminar nor the hotel have reached out to the family formally after Olatunde disappeared.

“The matter was reported to the police by the family at the Zone 17 AIG office, before we were directed to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

“The hotel management has not called us, and the organisers have done nothing tangible to help us find my brother. We are the ones chasing everyone. They should help us.”

Speaking on the matter, the manager of the hotel, Mr. Kenneth Ekpeyong, and a staff, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Adebayo, said that all participants were well accounted for until Friday evening.

Ekpeyong said that “On August 24, 49 participants arrived, later increasing to 58. On Friday, we organised an Asun Night for them, as part of our hospitality package.

“Some left that night, while others checked out on Saturday,” Adebayo explained.

On her part, Mrs Adebayo said “one facilitator instructed the hotel to clear the belongings in Room 305, claiming the occupant had travelled to sign teachers’ salary vouchers.

“We used our master card to open the room, packed the bag, and documented it. Later we were told it was the vice principal’s bag.”

“From our CCTV, we saw him on Wednesday, and then again on Thursday morning, August 28, at exactly 6:17 a.m., when he walked out of the hotel and never returned. That is why the room was eventually opened.”

Contacted, the state police command spokesperson Ayanlade Olayinka, said that “the command has launched an investigation into the mystery surrounding his disappearance.

” The command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man’s sudden disappearance,

“We call on members of the public to provide any useful information that can assist us in unraveling the case.”

Ayanlade has however, assured members of the public that police detectives would unearth the mystery behind the disappearance of the Vice Principal.

Metro

NDLEA Destroys Over 18,000 KG Of Cannabis In Edo Forest

Published

13 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have destroyed over 18,000 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa in a single raid targeted at cannabis cultivators in the state.

Edo State State Commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju, while giving a brief on the recent dislodgement of the cannabis plantation cell, disclosed that the operation was carried out on September 11, 2025, at Ugbogui Forest, in Ovia South West Local Government Area of the State.

Ofoyeju, who warned that the ugly development constitutes a serious threat to food security in the state, said: “The massive cannabis farm destruction operation which was based on actionable intelligence is posing a serious threat to food security.

“If these forests can be utilised only for the cultivation of food and cash crops, the challenge of food shortage will be adequately addressed.”

“This operation obviously underscores the agency’s commitment to combatting drug cultivation in the State, thereby reinforcing our efforts to rid our communities of the dangers posed by illicit drugs.

“The Edo State Command has taken a bold step to cut off the illicit supply of cannabis with the destruction of a vast Cannabis sativa plantation spanning approximately 6.79 hectares, with an estimated yield of over 16,966 kilograms.

“At the farm, we successfully recovered one hundred and twelve bags of harvested and processed cannabis weighing 1,176 kilograms in the farm,” Mitchell stated.

“Four male suspects linked to the cannabis plantation were apprehended during the operation while taking refuge at their tents located within the farm. Three of them are from Akwa Ibom State, while one hails from Delta State. They have been identified as Ebenizer E. Wang, 48 years old, from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Oshare John, 45 years old, from Ughelli South, Delta State. Others are Emmanuel Monday, 29 years old, from Eket, Akwa Ibom State, and David Sunday, 30 years old, from Ugad, Akwa Ibom State.”

The NDLEA commander, while stating that investigations are underway, said the suspects are expected to face charges in court soon.

Ofoyeju, who urged members of the public to continue providing intelligence to assist in the fight against drug-related crimes, stated that the NDLEA remains vigilant in promoting public health and safety.

Metro

Edo Police Recover N300, 000 Extorted By Officers, To Discipline Culprit

Published

14 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Police Command on Monday said it has recovered N300, 000 extorted from a furniture maker
by the officers attached to the Oba Market Area Command, Benin City.

This was contained in a statement signed by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, and made available to newsmen in Benin on Monday.

Yamu disclosed that officers involved in the extortion have been detained, adding that they would face disciplinary procedures in accordance with the extant regulations of the Nigeria Police Force.

The statement reads, “The Edo State Police Command wishes to inform the public that it has taken decisive action following a video circulated on social media by an influencer in Edo State alleging the extortion of the sum ₦300,000 from a furniture maker by some officers attached to Oba Market Area Command, Benin City.

“The officers involved have been promptly identified, the money has been fully recovered and returned to the victim, while the said officers have been detained and are to face disciplinary procedures in accordance with the extant regulations of the Nigeria Police Force.

“In addition, stern administrative measures have been taken against the Oba Market Area Command to ensure professionalism, discipline, and respect for the rights of citizens in the discharge of their duties.”

Yamu on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, urged members of the public to report any unprofessional conduct by officers and men of the command to the Public Complaints Bureau or the Complaints Response Unit through 08150999335 and
08100389992.

He added, “The Command assures the good people of Edo State that it remains committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability in service delivery.”