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Outrage Greets Plan To Turban Sultan In Edo

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Plans by some Shuwa Arabs, an ethnic group from Borno, to crown Idris Adanno as the Sultan of Shuwa Arab of Edo State, has been received with outrage across the state.

According to an invite circulated online, the coronation ceremony is slated to hold on Saturday, 21 August, 2021, at Rialto Hotel, Eyaen, a suburb of Benin City.

Prominent Benin youths who reacted on Facebook, condemned the planned coronation of a Sultan within the Kingdom.

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But unknown to many in the state, the Shehu of Borno on 4 August this year, turbaned Adam Harun and gave him the same title.

Benin people are now just being aware of the latest move, which is indicative of a schism in the Shuwa Arab community in the state.

In his reaction, the President of Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM), Elder Curtis Eghosa Ugbo, said Benin indigenes will do whatever it will take to resist what he described as “evil act” by persons who are bent on fomenting trouble.

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“This will never happen in Benin kingdom, we are Benin,” Ugbo added.

The Coordinator-General of Great Benin Descendants (GBD), Imasuen Izoduwa said the organization would meet and lock up the hotel-venue of the coronation, for allowing “such nonsense” in the land.

READ ALSO:Edo Market Women Tasked On COVID-19 Vaccination

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“We will meet later today so we can lock up that hotel by tomorrow or next for allowing such nonsense in our land. Enough is enough, I will no longer take any of this in our Kingdom,” he said.

Also reacting, Comrade Amos Ehinomen Uagbor said: “Is this obtainable elsewhere ? We should now have OBA and Sultan in Edo state ? Infact, the venue should be sealed`’.

Efforts to reach mobile phones numbers on the card for a reaction failed, as calls made to them failed to connect.

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Also, Iduriase, the owner of the proposed hotel for the coronation has also distanced himself from the event.

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Edo Police Kill Two Suspected Kidnappers In Gun Duel

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Operatives of the Edo State Police Command neutralised two suspected kidnappers in a gun duel in Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area on September 30.

The command’s spokesperson, Moses Yamu, confirmed this on Wednesday in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin.

According to Yamu, other suspects escaped with varying degrees of injury in the course of the gun battle, while guns and mobile phones were recovered from the scene.

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READ ALSO:Edo Activist In Police Net Over Alleged Assault On Abure

He said, “On 30th September, 2025 at about 09:50hrs, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Amedokhian Tactical Division, in synergy with local Hunters and the Vigilante group, led by SP Peter Ogah, embarked on a bush combing operation along the railway track leading to Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area.

“During the operation, the team encountered a gang of suspected kidnappers who opened fire on the operatives. In the ensuing gun duel, two of the suspects were neutralised, while others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.

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“One AK-47 rifle with breech number 4148, 33 rounds of live ammunition, and two mobile phones were recovered at the scene. The neutralised suspects were immediately taken to the hospital where they were confirmed dead.”

READ ALSO:Police Rescue Mother, Baby, Five Others From Kidnappers In Kwara

The command’s imagemaker also disclosed that on the same date, operatives of the same Tactical Division recovered an English-made double-barreled shotgun with breech number 03273286 and two live cartridges in the forest around Idumogun community in Ukoni area of Esan South East LGA during a bush combing operation.

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He said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the gallantry of the operatives, hunters, and vigilante groups for their swift response and synergy in combating crime.

Agbonika assured members of the public that the Command remains resolute in its commitment to rid the State of criminal elements.

He urged members of the public to support the command’s Community Safety Partnership initiative and informal policing efforts in ensuring a safer Edo State.

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20 Feared Dead In Kogi Boat Mishap

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At least 20 people have been confirmed dead following a boat accident that occurred on Tuesday evening in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The incident, which happened around 4:30 p.m. on September 30, involved a boat conveying traders and residents from the Onugwa community to Ilushi market before it capsized on the River Niger.

An eyewitness, James Otoga, a farmer in the area, said the boat was fully loaded with passengers heading to the market ahead of the October 1st Independence Day celebration.

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READ ALSO:Fresh Boat Accident Kills 29 In Niger

“The boat was fully loaded with our people going to the market. Only five survivors have been rescued so far, while 20 bodies have been recovered. Many more are still missing beneath the river,” he said.

Otoga added that some mourners who had attended a burial in Onugwa and were returning to Ilushi were also among the victims. The exact number of passengers on board could not be immediately confirmed.

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Chairman of Ibaji Local Government, Hon. Ugeh Emmanuel, described the tragedy as the worst boat accident in the area’s history.

READ ALSO:Spain Cancels $825m Israel Arms Deal Over Gaza

As I speak with you, no one can authoritatively state the actual number of casualties, and we cannot even ascertain the number of people on board from their departure point. The mishap occurred before the boat reached Ilushi. Most of the victims were on their way to celebrate October 1st as is the community’s tradition,” Emmanuel said.

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The accident adds to a series of fatal boat mishaps recorded in Kogi, Niger, and other riverine states over the past year.

Efforts to reach the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebanji, and the agency’s Assistant General Manager (Corporate Affairs), Suleiman Makama, were unsuccessful as their phones could not be reached.

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Court Remands NURTW Official In Correctional Centre Over Tricyclist’s Death

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A Lagos Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ebute Meta yesterday ordered the remand of a National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) official, Samsideen Oladiti, also known as Shamelon, at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre over the death of a tricyclist in Lagos. Oladiti was arraigned before the court on a three-count charge for the first time since his arrest by the Lagos State Police Command.

The 55-year-old NURTW official allegedly attacked a dispatch rider, Omale Samuel, on September 17, 2025, at about 3:00 p.m. on Lagos Island, using a helmet and his fists to inflict serious injuries. The victim was rushed to hospital, placed on oxygen, and is still receiving treatment.

The following day, at about 11:00 a.m., police said another complaint was lodged against Oladiti in connection with an incident on August 28, 2025. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly used a metallic ring to repeatedly strike one Imam Ramon on the head and face, leaving him with severe injuries. Despite medical intervention, Ramon was confirmed dead by a doctor on September 17. His body has since been deposited in a mortuary for autopsy.

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READ ALSO:Police Detain Lagos NURTW Leader For Killing Resident

Oladiti appeared before Chief Magistrate A. O. Akinde at Court 2, Ebute Meta, wearing a hooded black top and trousers, a face mask, and holding Islamic prayer beads. He stood in the dock as the three-count charge was read to him in English. He was called into the dock at 10:38 a.m. and exited at 10:53 a.m. after the magistrate ordered his remand at the correctional centre until October 28, 2025.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Shamusideen Oladiti, on August 27, 2025, at about 10:00 a.m., at Lewis Street, Lagos Island, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did unlawfully beat Imam Ramon with fist blows all over his body, causing him harm. He was rushed to Lagos Island General Hospital, Marina, Lagos, where he later died, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. ”

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Second-in-Command, Legal, Lagos State Police Command, Anthony Iyeye, said: “The case is a capital offence. Since he could not take a plea, the file will be duplicated and taken to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.”

When asked about the accomplices seen in a video of the incident, he said: “We have only been able to apprehend the one we charged, but the police are still looking for others.”

READ ALSO:Crisis Looms As NURTW Passes Vote Of No Confidence On Ex-president Baruwa

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Also speaking, Uthman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Human Rights Committee said: “We were briefed by the family of the deceased to watch their brief. The court reviewed the file and determined that a prima facie case has been established against the defendant.”

Speaking at the court premises, the assaulted dispatch rider, Omale Samuel, said: “I was on the other side of the road to carry goods and I climbed on my bike to leave when he came to me saying that I was blocking the road and that dispatch riders are stubborn. He dragged my helmet and started using it to hit me. Others came and said, ‘Don’t you know Shamelon?’ And they started beating me.

They pushed me down and called the police to arrest me.

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“I was taken to the police station and they realised that they could not keep me there because of my condition. I woke up three hours later and a police officer told me that I was placed on oxygen. I was told to return to the station the next day. I got there and saw a crowd of people and I was told he had been arrested.

“I haven’t been able to work since September 14, 2024, and I have been living off people. I want justice. I want the court to give me justice.”

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