News

Suspension Of Judge: Adeleke Fails To Swear In Acting Judge

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2023

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke on Friday failed to swear in the newly appointed acting Chief Judge, Justice Olayinka Afolabi following the suspension of the substantive Chief Judge of the state, Justice Oyebola Ojo.

The Governor had on Thursday suspended Justice Ojo following the resolution of the House of Assembly that the CJ should step aside on the ground that it received a petition of corruption against her.

The Governor’s spokesperson Olawale Rasheed also stated that the appointed acting chief judge will be sworn in on Friday in order not to create a vacuum in the third arm of government.

However, journalists waited in the State Executive Lounge, the venue slated for the event since 10 am for the Deputy Governor’s arrival for the event.

Vanguard reports that as as at 4pm on Friday, neither the Deputy Governor, who had arrived at his office around 2 pm, nor Justice Olayinka Afolabi was at the Exco lounge for the swearing-in ceremony.

There is a short vacuum – Govt
Feelers inside the Governor’s office said the event had been postponed till Monday, However, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi stated that the swearing-in could not take place because the Deputy Governor just informed the National Judicial Council of the development and the State Government awaits their decision on the matter.

He acknowledged that a vacuum has been created at the third arm of government in the state because they are awaiting the verdict of the NJC.

“It is true a short vacuum has been created. This emanated from the fact that we are awaiting the verdict of the NJC on the matter. The woman has been asked to step aside and the process followed the provision of the constitution”, he said.

Meanwhile, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of The Osun Masterminds, TOM, described the House of Assembly’s “Step Aside” resolution as a display of “Youthful exuberance”.

Professor Wasiu Oyedokun, who spoke with journalists on Friday, disclosed that the Assembly has turned itself into a rubber stamp used by the executive to legitimise every illegality.

“It is scary to think that the current Osun State House of Assembly is acting with youthful exuberance. This will be antithetical to the huge responsibilities on their shoulders, to stabilize democratic governance in our dear State. The Assembly is expected to carry itself with more poise than this open display of sycophancy, impatience and stark ignorance of our laws and the limits of their powers as an Assembly”, it stated.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun state in a statement by its Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal described the removal of Justice Ojo as Chief Judge as illegal and vindictive, saying Governor Adeleke and his compromised House of Assembly acted beyond their authority by venturing into the illegal suspension of the state Chief Judge.

“It is disheartening to observe that Adeleke who had enjoyed the unfettered blessings of the judiciary in the past is now working against the judicial arm of government by abusing the court process and dragging the vital institution of the government in the mud”, it reads.

News

Film Premiere: Edo In Talks With Embassies To Promote Safe Migration —Agazuma

Published

3 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Government has opened talks with various embassies to establish modalities and strategies aimed at reducing or completely eliminating irregular migration, while promoting safe migration practices.

The Director General (DG) of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazuma, disclosed this during the premiere of the film “Cold Dishes” held in Benin City.

He emphasized the need for stakeholders to work together to end the scourge of irregular migration in Nigeria.

Agazuma, who was part of the audience that watched the movie, said the Edo State Government has made remarkable progress in tackling irregular migration.

He noted that the Monday Okpebholo-led administration has continued to deliver good governance to the people of the state.

According to him, the government is creating jobs, regularising teachers’ appointments, improving the educational system, and intensifying public enlightenment campaigns to educate citizens on the dangers of embarking on irregular migration.

He expressed appreciation to the governor for prioritising the issue of irregular migration and for working tirelessly to curb it in the state.

Agazuma described irregular migration as “dangerous and deadly,” and assured that the agency would continue to assist intending travelers on safe and legal travel options.

“We are discussing with embassies in Nigeria to help promote safe migration and ensure Nigeria is a VISA free nation as it will help reduce the process of embarking on illegal migration.

“For the film that has been premiered today, it talks about migration and irregular migration and the dangers surrounding it.
As an agency we are working to check traffickers in the State and we have a government that is accountable to it’s citizens, working to improve their lives”

“The last administration relegated Edo people bringing in consultants to do the job here but the Governor Monday Okpebholo led administration has changed the narrative creating the atmosphere for Edo people to fix Edo themselves,” he said.

Agazuma further revealed that the agency has continued to rescue Edo indigenes from the hands of traffickers, including those who have been held in captivity for years in their search for greener pastures.

He called on citizens to shun irregular migration and ensure that they only travel through legal means to avoid falling prey to traffickers.

“Our work and focus as an agency is bringing the world to Edo. The administration of Monday Okpebholo is bringing good governance to Edo and in the long run eliminating irregular migration.”

A lead actor in the premiered film “Cold Dishes” and an Edo indigene, Osas Ighodalo, also expressed appreciation to Okpebholo for creating an enabling environment for the entertainment industry to thrive.

“Edo State is taking the lead in the fight against irregular migration and the government has continued to support all efforts to eliminate the scourge. I thank the Edo State government and the migration agency for standing with our returnees and rehabilitating them. The film is a call on all Stakeholders to do more,” she said.

News

Forceful Entering Into State-owned Property In Edo Risks Jail

Published

3 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has signed law prescribing 10 years Imprisonment for anyone who violently or forcefully enters into state-owned property.

The governor also assented to, law prescribing five years imprisonment for anyone who is involved in an unauthorized sale or transfer of government property without the governor’s consent.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Benin.

Itua in the statement quoted the governor as emphasizing that the “new legal framework is a clear demonstration of his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, impunity, and misuse of government property.”

The governor’s CPS said the law also prescribed stringent penalty for professionals who aid or abet illegal land transactions involving state property.

The statement partly reads: “The Edo State Public Property Protection Law, 2025, establishes the Edo State Public Property Protection Committee, a statutory body mandated to oversee, safeguard, and recover all public properties belonging to the State. The law empowers the committee to prevent unauthorized occupation, vandalism, encroachment, alienation, or destruction of public assets.

“Under the new law, the committee shall have the authority to identify, inspect, seal, and recover encroached public properties, investigate disputes, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to ensure strict compliance. It also empowers the committee to initiate legal actions through the Ministry of Justice against any individual or entity found in contravention of the provisions of the law.

“Public assets belong to the people of Edo State, not individuals. This law ensures that no one, no matter how highly placed, can appropriate public property for private gain,” he said.

“The law prescribes stringent penalties for violations. Unauthorized sale or transfer of government property without the governor’s consent now attracts a five-year prison term, while violent or forceful entry into state-owned property could lead to up to ten years’ imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.

“Professionals who aid or abet illegal land transactions involving state property will also face sanctions, including prosecution and referral to their professional bodies for disciplinary action.

“Additionally, false petitions or fraudulent claims relating to government lands will attract severe penalties to deter abuse of process.”

News

Immigration Seizes Senator Natasha’s Passport At Airport

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP/Kogi Central) has cried out that Nigerian immigration officers seized her passport at an airport, preventing her from travelling abroad.

Over the weekend, Akpoti-Uduaghan celebrated her second anniversary in the Senate by commissioning projects in Kogi Central.

The lawmaker went live on Instagram at the airport as she questioned immigration officials over the alleged confiscation of her passport.

In a video obtained on Tuesday, she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of giving the order for her passport to be seized.

She described the action as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a gross violation of her fundamental rights.

“Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said in the video.

“This same thing happened before when I was stopped from travelling even though I had committed no offence, and there was no court order restricting me. The last time this happened, the officer in charge told me that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by granting interviews to international media.”

According to the senator, it was only after the intervention of a certain influential person that her passport was released the last time such an incident occurred.

“Godswill Akpabio has instructed the Controller General of Customs to withhold my passport. This is wrong,” the lawmaker said.

She claimed that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all cases in the court filed by the Federal Government against her.

My invitation to Akpabio, other colleagues procedural, not personal, Natasha clarifies
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s passport was later released by the immigration officials.

The Kogi legislator was involved in a high-profile dispute with Akpabio in February over seat reallocation in the Senate, which escalated into her six-month suspension, effective March 6, 2025.

She, however, resumed her duties on September 24, 2025.