Headline

Two Princes At War Over Chieftaincy Stool In Ondo

Published

4 years ago

October 24, 2021

A seeming crisis is brewing in Akure, the Ondo state capital as two Princes are laying claim to the chieftaincy stool of lralepo of lsinkan.

One of them Prince Adeyeye Henry Gbenga was appointed by the paramount traditional ruler, the Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi while the other, Prince Olugbenga Ojo was reportedly selected after an election in Akure on October 21, this year ahead of four other princes.

However, the Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladelusi speaking through Senior high Chief Segun Adedipe, the Elemo of Akure Kingdom disowned Prince Gbenga Ojo as the lralepo of lsinkan.

Oba Aladelusi while presenting High Chief Adeyeye Henry Gbenga to Akure Community as new Quarter Chief of Isikan described as a joke and illegal, the selection of Prince Olugbenga Ojo as the new Iralepo of Isikan.

He said he had approved the appointment of Adeyeye Henry Gbenga on the 4th of October, 2021.

“The appointment of the new Iralepo of Isikan, therefore, remains the prerogative of the Deji as no other person or institution(s) could exercise such either directly or through proxies.”

According to him the appointment of Adeyeye was based on favourable consideration and the unanimous decision of Aruwolasi Iralepo family of Isikan in Akure.

The monarch said, “It is important to re-emphasize that the late Iralepo of Isikan was a Quarter Chief and an active member of the Deji in-council until his death following the approval of his inclusion alongside the Osolo of Isolo, High Chief Edward Adejoyegbe Adewole by the Deji of Akure on 8th June 2020.

“It is pertinent to clarify that the new Iralepo of Isikan is being installed as a Quarter Chief and the Head of Isikan Community in Akure and not a Traditional Ruler.

“You might have heard of the rumour flying around on the purported nomination of an Iralepo other than the one appointed by His Imperial Majesty who is empowered both traditionally and legally to make such appointment.

“The Palace wishes to urge you and the general public to disregard the move by some individuals who want to make it look as if there is a crisis.

“It is a mere joke taken too far as it has no place in the eyes of the law. It can only exist within the figment of the imagination of those behind such moves.

“With all sense of modesty, there is no ambiguity on the status of the Iralepo of ISIkan and Osolo of Isolo in Akure as the Court of Appeal in his judgment dated 6th March 2012 with the suitcase CA/B/ 129/2005 had laid it to rest.

“In the lead judgment of Justice Chinwe Eugenia Iyizoba, he affirmed that “they cannot be granted a status of an Oba without the sanction of the Deji of Akure Kingdom”.

“Justice Kudirat Montonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun and Justice Moore A.A Adumein also affirmed the same.

“We wish to state emphatically without any iota of contradictions that there is no crisis on the installation of new Iralepo of Isikan as the Deji remains the only appointing and consenting authority for the appointment of Minor Chiefs, Olus, Baales and Olojas in all Akure Land.”

However, reacting, Prince Gbenga Ojo described what happened in the Deji of Akureland palace as a joke taking too far.

Ojo said ” Never in history has Deji of Akure installed Iralepo of Isinkan.”

According to him ” My selection as Iralepo followed due process. The selection exercise was monitored by officials of Akure South Local government and I came first with seven votes.

He appealed to the people of Isinkan not ”to be distracted or be provoked by the joke coming from the palace of the Deji.”

(VANGUARD)

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

Headline

Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

Headline

Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP