The kidnapped Dean of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey has been freed by his abductors.
Kattey, who was abducted along with his wife, Beatrice last week Friday along Aleto-Eleme in Eleme Local Government Area of River State, was freed on Saturday night.
His release was confirmed by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, who said the cleric was rescued by the police and other security forces.
Details later
Mr Feyi Agagu, the first son of the late Dr Olusegun Agagu, a former governor of Ondo State, on Saturday said his father was hypertensive.
NAN reports that Agagu, who returned from United States on Thursday, reportedly slumped in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was having a meeting with Ondo indigenes on Friday evening.
“He just had a medical examination, which showed that he had a little cholesterol, and was hypertensive.
“There is diabetics in our family, but it’s nothing major; it was just something he had been dealing with for the past 10 to 15 years. So, there was no inkling that something was about to happen,” Agagu said.
According to him, his mum has lost her best friend and her husband. He confirmed that his father passed away in Lagos on his way to St Nicholas Hospital.He added that his father had the usual illness that comes with age, “so there was no stand out cause for his passing”.
“He lived a simple but a fulfilled and happy life. He left amazing memories and fantastic legacies behind.
“I will miss the friendship, I will miss the advice; he was pretty much anything any wife, son or daughter could ask for in a father.”He was a mentor to many, a brother, a benefactor; I’m sure a lot of people will miss him,” he said.
Agagu said the family had just returned for their annual two and a half weeks family vacation and during that time his father showed no sign of illness.
“I guess when it’s time to go, when your maker comes to get you, when he brought you, he did not ask anybody, so he can take you when he sees fit,” he said.
He said that arrangements for the burial were yet to be made. In his response to the development, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former Governor of Osun State, said he was “grieved”.
“We met in politics and he remained a very nice senior colleague and when he came back two days ago, we talked about a meeting tonight,” Oyinlola said on Saturday.
He said that he would miss everything about his late colleague, who was the perfect gentleman, who always cared for the welfare of others.
“I asked him if he would be coming to Ibadan and he answered no, he then invited me to meet on Saturday in Lagos, unfortunately that was not to be,” he said.
Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, described the late Agagu as an unassuming, brilliant and hardworking governor, who served the nation meritoriously. (NAN)
A Superintendent of Police, Mr Folahan Ogunkoya died on Saturday died while an un-identified couple were critically injured when a car being driven by Ogunkoya collided with the couples’ jeep on Siun stretch of the Abeokuta – Sagamu road.
The Police officer until his death in auto – crash, was the head of the Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigeria Police Force(NPF), Ogun State Command.
It was learnt that he was travelling from Abeokuta to Ijebu-Ode for a social function, lost control and veered off into another lane before running into an on coming Toyota Prado Jeep few meters to DayWaterman College along Abeokuta – Sagamu road.
Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Ogun state Traffic Compliance Agency (TRACE), Mr Tunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the accident, said the deceased was driving in his ash coloured Honda car marked (LAGOS) MZ 717 AAA when he lost control of the wheel and crashed into another vehicle.
Witness said while the deceased’s car split into into three pieces with his remains thrown out of the wreckage while the Prado Toyota jeep carrying the couple caught fire following accident impact.
According to Akinbiyi, the couple have been taken to the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta for treatment while the remains of the deceased police boss was also taken to same Hospital.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, on Saturday married, Zarha, the daughter of a one-time FCT Minister, Mr Ibrahim Bunu.
The wedding “fatiha’’, which took place at the National Mosque, Abuja, was conducted by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Ustaz Musa Mohammed, who prayed for the success of the marriage.
Dignitaries at the wedding include Vice-President Namadi Sambo, two former Heads of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, the FCT Minister, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, and members of the National Assembly.
The reception, which was held at the ThisDay Dome in the city-centre, was attended by Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state, the Acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar, Senators Andy Uba and Paulinus Igwe.
Others dignitaries at the reception include the former Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, business moguls Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola as well as Chief Akin Oshuntokun, a former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Alhaji Adamu Bello, who spoke on behalf of the bride’s family, described the turnout for the marriage as “fantastic’’ and expressed gratitude to the Allah for the event.
Bello urged the couple to live according to Islamic tenets for the success of the marriage.
In his remark, Oshuntokun also noted that the large turnout was a reflection of the goodwill which the I-G had from all the nooks and crannies of the country. (NAN)
Ondo state and its people were thrown into mourning on Saturday following the death of the former governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu.
Residents particularly in Akure,the state capital and Ikale land in Okitipupa where the former political hailed from discussed the incident in hushed tones.
Specifically, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has described his death as a rude shock.
Scores of PDP members stormed the party secretariat located at Oyemekun road in Akure to mourn the former governor as early as 8.am
A condolence register was opened in his honour for members of the PDP and other sympathisers to comment on his death.
The State Chairman of the party, Ebenezer Alabi, described the death of former Governor Agagu as a rude shock and a great loss to Nigeria as a country.
The PDP chairman said that the party would miss his advice and great contribution to the PDP at the National level. Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko has expressed great shock and disbelief at the news of the death of former Governor Of the state, Dr Olusegun Agagu.
In a statement by the State’s Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, Dr Mimiko described the death as most unfortunate and hard to believe.
The statement read and I quote “This news, to say the least, is most shocking and very hard to believe. It is most unfortunate and indeed a great loss.” The brief statement read.
Mimiko prayed God to give the family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss.
The defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), who eulogized Agagu on his achievements during his tenure as the governor of the state said death is a necessary end.
Akeredolu, in a statement issued by him said he was devastated by the news of Agagu’s death.
The statement reads, “Dr Agagu’s tenure as Governor in Ondo State witnessed several significant strides. Many of us are living witnesses to the great achievements recorded under this sound academic and politician. Many of our rural areas were opened up in a manner hitherto unimaginable. The riverine communities effectively got re integrated into the state.
“The visionary leader, whose administration arguably ranks next to the unforgettable golden era of the state under the sage, Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, was also reputed for politics without bitterness. He was urbane, resouceful, genial and frank. There are indelible imprints of his tenure in virtually every nook and cranny of the state. Most of the buildings standing in public schools in the state bear eloquent testimony to his vision. It is
regrettable that he passed on at this time when his invaluable input is badly needed in the state.
“Death is a necessary end. It will come at the appointed time. Certain passages are, however, remarkable. It is true that the death of any person diminishes mankind. When a man of quality like Dr. Olusegun Kokumo Agagu departs, the vacuum created becomes more pronounced.
“I send my heart-felt condolences to the immediate family of our departed leader. I must also commiserate with the people of Ondo State for the unwanted visits of this morbid messenger with attendant losses. This death coming after the transition of Omo Ekun, Wunmi Adegbonmire, is one too many for our state”.
Also, a former governorship candidate of defunct Action Congress (AC) in 2007 general election, Prince Ademola Adegoroye said the state has lost is meticulous governor since its creation.
He described the deceased as a superb administrator prudent.
His words, “I rarely slept all night after hearing the devastating news of Dr.Agagu’s demise. Superb Administrator , Prudent Manager of resources and highly cerebral technocrat.Ondo State has lost probably, its most painstaking, and meticulous governor since its creation.
“He had integrity and fulfilled his promises and commitments to others, worked hard and played hard. In the coming days, I hope to express myself fully on my personal knowledge and experiences of this departed gentleman.
” I commiserate with Auntie Funke and the kids on this untimely incident. May the good lord bless and accept Dr. Segun Agagu’s soul”.
Akure lawyer and Rights Activist, Charles Titiloye described him as “a man that mean many things to many people”.
Titiloye said “To us in the human rights community, we respect him for his tolerance of criticism and opposition to policies of his Government. He bears no grudge for your criticism but try to make amendment where possible.
“He sees intellectual as partners while in government and have deep respect for professionals. He shapes his government policy on Ideas and did not deceive or pretend on the direction of policy his Government. He may not be fast in taking decisions but very calculating and is indeed a respectable gentleman”.
President Goodluck Jonathan will meet with key investors in agriculture, power and infrastructure during an event at the New York Stock Exchange on September 23.
The Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye, stated this in a statement made available to the North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He also said a team of Nigerian ministers, led by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, would be in Washington on September 20 to further underscore the positive changes the government had made.
Adefuye said that investors would be provided with information on the steps that the government had been taking to attract foreign investments in the areas of agriculture, power and infrastructure.
According to him, the country has performed better than many countries since the global economic crisis of 2009.
He noted that the country still enjoyed a 6.1 per cent Gross Domestic Product growth rate in spite of a drop in the price of oil, its major export.
“Nigeria maintains single-digit inflation at around 8.6 per cent and is expanding both trade and investment in other sectors outside of the oil industry, particularly in agriculture and infrastructure.
“Both Nigeria’s banking sector and stock exchange have helped bolster confidence in Nigeria among global financial circles.
“Nigeria has come a long way since 2011 in encouraging, developing and implementing better policies in the sectors in which the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) notes that we need to do more,’’ Adefuye said.
He added that the percentage improvements in trade volume, in direct investment and in agriculture and infrastructure development might be considered small in the global economy.
Former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has mourned the death of Dr. Olusegun Agagu, former governor of Ondo State who died in Lagos on Friday.
In a press statement, Tinubu said Agagu’s death is a blow to the renewed struggle to bring sanity back into our body politic.
“I received with utmost shock and sadness the news of the death of former Governor Olusegun Agagu. Once again the cold hands of death have snatched an illustrious man of great character and devotion to country. Agagu was a good man, a bridge builder who never let the bitterness of defeat or politiical disagreements rob him of his patriotic spirit”.
Asiwaju described Agagu as a man with a noble heart and a politician who placed national interest above self interest.
” Over the years since he exited power, he has worked tirelessly traversing Ondo State, Lagos and the whole country seeking to forge a new democratic front for his people. His death will slow down this new movement but certain that others will pick up from where he stopped “. Tinubu stated.
In condoling with the people of Ondo State and Agagu’s immediate and extended family, Tinubu urged politicians and other public office holders to always remember the day of reckoning, when according to him, only their records will speak for them, in their dealings with the public.
He said Agagu had completed his tour of duty on earth, and had gone back to his creator, adding that it behoved the living who are also in public office to make the society better than they met it.
While condoling with the Agagus and the late governor’s political associates, he prayed that the courage to bear the great loss would not leave them now, adding that God receive the soul of the dead and grant him eternal rest.
Mr Martyn Day, the lawyer representing Bodo community of Rivers in settlement negotiation with Shell, said on Saturday that his clients had rejected an offer made by the oil company.
Day is a senior partner at the London-based Leigh Day law firm while Bodo is in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers.
No fewer than 15,000 claimants from the community had been negotiating with Shell over a massive oil spill which affected the area in 2008.
Day said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt that the community unanimously rejected an offer for compensation from the oil company.
He said Shell’s offer to pay N300,000 per fishing family affected by the spill was rejected.
Day said Bodo community described Shell’s offer as “derisory and insulting”.
“Most members of Bodo community unanimously rejected an offer for compensation from oil company Shell, calling the amount derisory and insulting at the conclusion of talks between their lawyers and the energy giant in Port Harcourt.
“The negotiation ended on Sept. 13,’’ he said.
Day said claimants from Bodo were interested in being paid a fair amount for the losses caused by the 2008 spill in their area.
“The amount offered for most claimants equated to two to three years net lost earnings whereas the creek has already been out of action for five years.
“It may well be another 20 years to 25 years before it is up and running properly again.
“I was not at all surprised to see the community walk out of the talks once they heard what Shell was offering,’’ he said.
Reacting to the development in a statement in Port Harcout, Mr Precious Okolobo, Shell’s spokesman, said the company could not reach an agreement with the community for compensation.
“We haven’t reached agreement on compensation, which is disappointing.
“Nonetheless, we’re pleased to have made progress in relation to clean up.
“SPDC and the Bodo community have both committed their full support to the clean up process currently in progress with the support of Bert Ronhaar, the former Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria.
“We have also proposed a series of interim measures to get clean up started as soon as possible,’’ he said.
Okolobo said the company took part in the negotiations to achieve two objectives:
“To make a generous offer of compensation to those who have suffered hardship as a result of the two highly regrettable operational spills in 2008.
“To make progress in relation to clean up,’’ he said. (NAN)
Senate President David Mark on Saturday mourned the death of former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Agagu, whom he described as a dependable ally.
Mark said in a condolence message that the former minister was a trust worthy and mature politician who played politics without bitterness.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, Mark noted that the deceased neither pretended nor shied away from saying the truth no matter the circumstances.
“As a minister, Agagu distinguished himself as a goal-geter. As the then executive governor of Ondo, he recorded impressive outing as a performing governor.
“As a political leader he gave his people a sense of belonging,” Mark said.
The senate president pointed out that Agagu would be remembered as a political leader who brought his people into the mainstream politics of Nigeria without compromising their interests.
He sympathised with the government and people of Ondo, especially the bereaved family, saying that Nigeria had lost one of her best politicians.
Similarly, the Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in its condolence message said the deceased had made positive contributions as a leader and teacher.
Chairman of the branch, Taiwo Taiwo, told NAN in Lagos that Agagu had made positive impact in the lives of many Nigerians when he lectured at the University of Ibadan (UI).
Taiwo said: “It is a very great loss and may his soul rest in peace. As governor of Ondo state, he made his mark and did his best towards impacting the state positively.
“He was very known in his profession as a geologist and he taught many students at the UI.”
Also, a human rights activist, Fred Agbaje, said Agagu had brought his intellectual prowess into politics.
“One can only commiserate with his family. He brought his intellectual background on politics.
“He never saw politics as a game of do or die. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.
In his tribute, Mr Wale Ogunade, President, Voters Awareness Initiative, an NGO, said Agagu’s demise should serve as a lesson to all politicians.
“He too has come, he has played his part and he is gone. I just want to pray that God will grant him eternal rest.
“The only lesson here is that whenever you have an opportunity to serve humanity, do it right because you will go back to your maker one day,” Ogunade said.
In Ibadan, Mr Tokunbo Ajasin, son of late Michael Ajasin, leader of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), told NAN on phone that the news of the exit of Agagu came to him as shock.
“I am still in shock over the death of Dr Agagu, whose news of his sudden death filtered in,” he said, adding that the deceased was his personal friend.
Mr Gbenga Alegbeleye, Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC) and former chairman House of Representatives Committee of Sports, also described the death of Agagu as a rude shock.
“The news of his exit is shocking to me. He was a good leader, a brilliant man and I know that everybody will miss him,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Bashiru Olanrewaju, the Oyo state NLC Chairman, said Nigeria has lost a brilliant and intelligent man.
“We have lost a brilliant man and his record at Geology Department of University of Ibadan is there for any body to see,” he said.
He added that Agagu’s exit would create a vacuum in the nation’s academic community.
Mr Akin Abinuomo, a former chairman, Akoko South/East Local Government Council of Ondo state during Agagu’s tenure, said the deceased was a good leader whose death would be felt by the PDP in the state.
“Dr Agagu was a brilliant man, good leader of the people and motivator for the party in that part of the country.” he said.
He noted that Agagu’s death would affect the fortune of the party in the state, saying “he was a rock of Gibraltar to PDP in Ondo state”.
NAN reports that Agagu, a former minister of Aviation and that of Power and Steel, slumped and died on Friday at his Ikoyi home barely 20 hours after he returned from a trip to the U.S. (NAN)
Abductors of Iyase N’ Udo in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, HRH Patrick Igbinudu, are demanding N10m from his subjects to secure his release.
HRH Igbinudu is the first traditional ruler to be abducted in Edo State.
He was abducted by four armed men inside his palace on Thursday at about 8:15pm and whisked through a river.
Sources confirmed to the Nation that the kidnappers made contact on Saturday night demanding N100m and it was negotiated down to N10m.
It was gathered that the community leaders are making effort to raise the money to secure release of their king.
A top ranking chief in the community, Chief Francis Osas Ihama, the Ihama of Udo told the Nation they would not have any problem with anybody if their king is release unconditionally.
Chief Francis described the abduction as a big blow to their community and the entire Bini race.
“We have not seen a thing like this. Removing the head is a big blow to us, ” he said.