Imoleayo Ezekiel Adeniran, the Registrar of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) in Ondo State, was found murdered at his private residence in Akure in the early hours of Thursday, a police source confirmed to The Nation.
The tragic incident occurred in the “Olopa to Di Woli” area along Ondo Road, plunging the local community and the university into shock and confusion.
In a statement confirming his death, the university authorities described Adeniran’s sudden passing as deeply shocking and a great loss to the institution.
“The devastating news (of Adeniran) has thrown the university into mourning, as it was shocking!
“He was still at his duty post on Monday, 14th July, 2025. At the time of writing this statement, the cause of his death is yet to be ascertained,”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his immediate family and the entire University community in this trying moment. May God repose his sou,” Isaac Oluyi, a spokesman for the institution, said.
But a police source said that Adeniran was allegedly attacked and forcefully poisoned by unknown assailants at his residence in Akure.
He revealed that the university Registrar had stepped out to investigate a strange noise on his roof when he was accosted by the assailants who emerged from a nearby bush.
“The assailants allegedly overpowered him and administered an oral liquid substance suspected to be poison before fleeing the scene,” the source said.
According to him, Adeniran was later found lying unconscious in the compound and was rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead by a medical officer.
He added that the corpse of Adeniran had been deposited at Divine Haven Mortuary, Akure, while detectives have visited the crime scene for further investigation.
“But the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Akure for investigation,” the source further said.
Confirming the death of Adeniran in a phone chat, the spokesman for the Ondo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade told The Nation that it was a case of assassination.
Ayanlade said the police are now after the perpetrators of the ‘murder’, saying the case would not be swept under the carpet.
“The man died in the early hours of yesterday (Thursday), and I can confirm to you that this was reported at Fanibi Divisional Police Station.
“We are doing everything possible to unravel circumstances surrounding this case. I mean, we are after those responsible for this case.
“I can confirm to you that the man was killed. From the information I had at my disposal, two men came out of the bush, and they forced a substance into his mouth,” he said.
The deceased assumed office as the third substantive Registrar of UNIMED on the 6th January, 2025 until his gruesome killing on Thursday.
The Edo State Police Command has arrested 95 suspected cultists and recovered multiple firearms and ammunition during a week-long operation targeting cult-related violence in the Benin metropolis.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu, disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.
Yamu said operatives of the command also seized two locally made pistols, a single-barrel shotgun, and 24 live cartridges during intelligence-led raids.
According to him, the suspects are alleged members of the Maphites, Eiye, and Aye confraternities, which authorities say are responsible for recent cult supremacy killings in the state.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Monday Agbonika, warned youths against joining unlawful societies.
He noted that the commissioner urged parents to monitor their children’s activities.
“These groups destroy futures and end lives, both of members and innocent citizens,” he said.
Of the 95 suspects, he said that 64 had been charged to court, and remanded in custodian center, while investigations continued on the remaining cases.
The command’s spokesperson assured residents of Edo of continued efforts to dismantle cult networks and restore public safety.
The paternity of two-year-old twins is causing ripples in the life of a Lagos ‘couple’ as the mother of the babies says her husband is not their biological father, adding that they belong to an unnamed man she had an extra-marital affair with, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.
Wasiu Akinbode wore a pensive look penultimate week. Accompanied by his mother and his aunty, he could not freely expressed the troubling heartache that has turned him into ‘refugee’ in the last few weeks.
When he finally summoned courage to reveal his plight, it turned out to be an emotional and mental torture he has endured since his wife told him he was not the biological father of their two-year-old set of twins.
Akinbode said: ‘’I was living with my wife, Aishat Abidemi, in Agege area of Lagos State before we relocated to Omi Ata area of Abule Egba shortly after we started raising our children.
“We had three children before the arrival of a set of twins about two years ago. But she recently broke my heart by telling me that I am not the father of our twin kids.
“She said the babies belong to another man despite the fact that we are still living together as a couple.
‘’We live together as a couple. It was in my own house she became pregnant and I took care of her while her pregnancy lasted and during her child delivery in a hospital.
“I even buried the babies’ placenta, because I know that I impregnated her.
‘’Sometime in October 2024 when we had a misunderstanding, she told me that I was not the father of our twins; a boy and a girl.
“I thought that she tried to use the paternity thing to get back at me because of our quarrels.
“The shock from what she told me made me to have an accident, because I was driving and on top speed when she told me on the phone that I was not the father of the babies.
“When I got home that night, I sat her down and spoke with her to desist from unnecessary quarrels over petty issues.
“But she said she was tired of me and that I should give her some time to sort herself out.
“She later apologised and said she concocted the paternity story to destabilise me for quarrelling with her.
‘’Then in February this year, she repeated the claim that I was not the father of the babies when we had another row.
“She started misbehaving at home shortly after she started worshipping in a white garment church her mother attends.
“Initially, I warned her against attending the church, because she was a member of an evangelical church, but she would not listen.
“Before long, she said she received an honourary appointment in the church. So she would abandon the home and welfare of our children to stay for days in the church under the guise of some ambiguous programmes.
‘’Our latest quarrel started after she left home for Mowe, Ogun State for a spiritual cleansing on a certain Saturday.
“She told me she would return the next day, but she did not.
“I called her on the phone and she disrespectfully said she would not return home on that day, citing the fact that she had an errand to run for her mother.
“I then told her not to return to my house, because I found her action disrespectful and suspicious.
‘’Our first child is 11 years old. She is a JSS 1 student, and others including the twins are also in school.
“She was younger when we got married, and I enrolled her for apprenticeship in hairdressing, sponsored her graduation, bought equipment for her and got her a shop for her salon business.
“After her latest denial of my paternity of the babies, she took me to the human rights section of the Oke Odo Police Division and the policemen there told her to take the matter easy, but she refused.
“Instead, she transferred the matter to the Area P Command at Ipaja where we were asked to return on Wednesday with the children who are now living with my parents after she abandoned our home.
‘’When I reported her to her parents, they asked me to ignore her action and comments and find a means of settling the quarrel with her.
“Now, she would not want to wait till the time given to us to return to the police command with the babies and the man she claimed is their biological father.
“Instead, she had been using some policemen from the Area Command to harass and intimidate me.
“Policemen have been coming to my house and I have since fled from my home for my life.’’
Akinbode’s mother, who is also visibly disturbed by the development, said she warned her son about Abidemi’s attitude from the outset to no avail.
She said: ‘’In October last year, I warned my son to be careful with his wife after she refused to stop attending a white garment church.
“She would fight her husband with a knife, and their quarrels were becoming disturbing. At a point I had to visit her church to report her misbehavior to the pastor.
“My son has been married to Abidemi for more than 10 years, and his life should not be jeorpardised by a paternity yarn his wife has been spinning.
“I urge the public to come to the aid of my son and salvage him from the grip of his wife who is prepared to make his life miserable.”
Akinbode’s aunt, Mrs. Rukayat Kareem, said: ’’Kazeem’s (Akinbode’s) wife has never hidden her despicable lifestyle since they started life as a couple.
“I tried to intervene but she rebuked and reprimanded me on the phone. She stood her ground and restated that the twin babies belong to a man she has refused to reveal his name.
‘’When I asked her to reveal who exactly is the father of the babies so that we can carry out DNA test to determine who their real father is, she said the matter had gone beyond a DNA test, asking if we have the kind of money needed to sponsor the test.
“She said our miserable life would not allow us to provide the kind of money needed for a DNA test.
‘’She also told me that she could no longer cope with my brother’s poor finances and that she wanted to move on with her life.
“I pleaded and pleaded with her to rethink her actions for the sake of her children but she refused.
“She refused to produce the man she claimed is the father of the babies on Monday last week while she has been going around harassing my brother with policemen.
‘’’She again promised that the real father of the babies would come to the station on April 30, but she did not wait for the day before using policemen to harass Wasiu, lying that he abducted the babies and should be arrested.
“She has also gone to Wasiu’s mother’s residence to cause a stir and threatened the innocent woman who had sleepless nights at the hospital when the babies were sick and admitted for treatment.
“This matter has taken a toll on Wasiu’s health. Wasiu is sickly now. He used to be chubby but his health has deteriorated since the turn of event in his marriage.
“We urge the public to assist us in saving our son from this debacle, because we do not want to lose him.’’
In a telephone conversation with our reporter, Abidemi insisted Wasiu is not the father of the babies. She said the twins actually belong to a man whose identity she would not disclose.
Although she admitted that having children for another man while she was still living with Wasiu is not good, she explained that her husband pushed her into having an extra-marital affair.
She said: ‘’He (Akinbode) is not my husband. We just lived together as partners because we were not properly married.
“He impregnated me when I was 17 and he has been maltreating me ever since.
“Although he sponsored my apprenticeship as hairdresser, bought equipment for me and also got me a shop for my salon, he has suffered a reversal of fortune in his job as a mechanic and driver.
“He used to give money for my upkeep amid his occupational woes, but he no longer lives up to his responsibilities at home.
“However, it is instructive to say that he did not formalise our relationship by seeking my hand in marriage in the tradition of Yoruba to date.
“Therefore, I cannot be considered as his wife. I am only his partner and mother of his two eldest children; eleven and eight years old respectively.’’
She also denied the allegation that she attacked Akinbode with a knife, saying: ‘’I did not use a knife to attack him.
“I decided to change my church from evangelical to white garment church because of the nature of my spiritual problem.
“I should have left him after we had our first child, but people prevailed on me to stay with him and we had two more children.
“But he was no longer taking care of me like before. Instead, he maltreated me.
“Along the line, I met a man who was helping me and giving me money for upkeep, including feeding, and he did not know that I was living with another man as wife or partner.
“I got pregnant for the man and I was afraid to tell Wasiu (Akinbode) that I had an extra-marital affair with another man while we were still living together.”
The 29-year-old mother of four said she decided to report the matter to the police following the insistence of the unnamed father of the babies to have their custody.
‘’Although I know that what I did by having an intercourse with another man to the extent that it led to pregnancy and babies is shameful, Wasiu (Akinbode) pushed me into it by refusing to take care of me and my children.
“I have told him before that he is not the father of the twins, but I lacked the courage to sustain the narrative.
“The other children are his but not the twins. This time around, I summoned the courage to assert that he was not responsible for the pregnancy of the twin babies because the real father is demanding custody of the babies.
“I have told Wasiu’s parents and family members that I am prepared to submit the children for DNA test.
“Hence, I reported him to the Oke-Odo Police Division after he took the babies away from me and relocated them to his parents’ residence.
“When the matter did not have any headway at the police station, I transferred the case to the Area P Command at Ipaja, Lagos.
“He said that he would collect millions of naira if the babies were not confirmed as truly his.
“At the Area Command, we were asked to return on Wednesday April 23 and that he should produce the babies while their real father too should show up.
“But I sensed that he was not ready to comply with the arrangement hence the reason policemen have been visiting his residence to make him comply before the date.’’
Two suspected kidnappers of a Nigerian Navy (NN) Lt. Cynthia Akor have been arrested by operatives of the Naval Unit, Abuja.
The suspects identified as Buhari Adamu and Samaila Usman were arrested alongside an accomplice, Mu’Awiya Belo, around the hills at Masaka in Nasarawa State.
Lt. Akor was kidnapped on March 21 with her sister and another civilian by armed criminals who invaded Maman Vatsa Estate Gate, blocked Mpape Road, and opened fire on moving vehicles.
Two days after her abduction, joint security operation freed Akor and the other victims in the Karu area of Abuja, money and other exhibits recovered just as some relatives of the kidnappers were taken into custody as bait to get them out of their hiding place.
As investigations into the incident progressed, two of the suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Naval Unit, Abuja and were handed over to the FCT Police Command on Wednesday.
The Nation gathered that exhibits recovered from them included four mobile phones, four Automatic Teller Machine (ATMA) cards of different banks, a motorcycle, a wristwatch, among others.
Commander of the unit, Commodore Oluseyi Oladipo, said their arrest was possible because of the collaboration between security services in the FCT.
“It is to be noted that in spite of the commendable efforts of the Armed Forces, Police and other security agencies, the FCT is still confronted by the threats of kidnapping, “one chance” abductions and car theft among others.
Commodore Oladipo noted how a joint rescue was conducted when information was received about the officer’s kidnap, adding that the operation supported by human and technical intelligence, led to the release of the victims on March 23.
He said: “Thereafter, follow up operations led to the arrest of two suspects and an accomplice. The suspects have since confessed to their involvement in kidnapping, cattle rustling and other vices.
“Accordingly, the suspects and the related exhibits have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force FCT Command for further investigation and prosecution.
“Naval Unit Abuja remains committed to actualising the vision of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral EI Ogalla, which is a highly motivated Naval Force capable of shaping security outcomes in Nigeria’s maritime domain, including land-based engagements.
“We are also deeply appreciative of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, for his leading in enhancing security for the development of the FCT.
“The Base will continue to operate in partnership with other security agencies to keep the FCT safe and secure.”
A Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square yesterday heard the testimony from Chidinma Ojukwu, the prime suspect in the murder of Super TV CEO, Michael Usifo Ataga.
Ojukwu, a 300-level, Mass Communication student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is facing trial for the alleged offence alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri.
She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside Quadri and her sister, Egbuchu. Chidinma was arraigned on October 12, 2021, on a nine-count charge preferred against her.
Ojukwu told the court how she discovered Ataga’s body in a Lekki short-let apartment on June 15, 2021.
Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya, Ojukwu said she had gone out to buy food and juice. On her return, she knocked on the door but got no response. She then pushed it open and was confronted by a gruesome sight, blood on the floor and Ataga lying dead in a pool of it.
“I dropped everything and rushed to him,” she said, adding that his eyes were half-shut and he had no pulse.
Led in evidence by her lawyer, Mr. Onwuka Egwu, Chidinma detailed her relationship with Ataga, which began in November 2020.
They met through a mutual friend, Fiyin, who was dating Ataga’s friend, James. She described Ataga as kind and supportive, claiming he had paid her school fees and supported her cosmetics business.
She said Ataga told her he was from Edo State, lived in Victoria Garden City, and was in the media industry, and had three children with his estranged wife who lived in Abuja.
According to Chidinma, Ataga called her on June 13, 2021, saying his birthday was that week and invited her to spend time with him before heading to Abuja for a family celebration. Due to renovations at his VGC home, he suggested getting a hotel or apartment in Lekki, where he had meetings.
She eventually found a short-let apartment at 19 Adewale Street, off Ologolo Road, Lekki, which Ataga approved. They met there that evening, went out to eat at Ango Villa Restaurant, picked up wine, then returned to the apartment to drink, eat, and smoke.
On June 14, 2021 they woke up late, and Ataga asked her to contact her supplier for loud (cannabis) and rohypnol. She said he sent her N15,000 for that and later N25,000 for food. She was out for about two hours buying meals due to COVID-related delays.
On June 15, 2021, she said Ataga again requested more loudly, but asked her to pay since he couldn’t transfer funds. He also gave her money to buy food and juice. After struggling to reach him due to an issue with the okro soup she was to buy, she returned to the apartment and found him dead.
“I saw blood stains, pushed the door open, and saw Michael on the floor, covered in blood. I checked for a pulse and there was none.”
In panic, she wiped the blood off herself, changed clothes, and packed her things, including a brown envelope containing Ataga’s bank statements, ID cards, and documents belonging to one Mary Johnson. She also took some jewelry and left the apartment in a cab.
The case was adjourned to April 28, for continuation of trial.
Kano State Police Command has arrested 157 criminal suspects for various crimes in the last four weeks, the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said yesterday.
Of those arrested 24 are robbers, 14 drug dealers, seven motor vehicle thieves, five motorcycle thieves, 28 thieves and 79 thugs (Yan Daba).
Among the weapons recovered are two English pistols, 19 fabricated revolver rifles, a fabricated pistol, 117 cartridges, six expended cartridges and 11 ammunition.
Other weapons recovered included 57 cutlasses, 71 sharp knives, 15 sharp irons (Dan Bida), seven scissors, two axes and a bow, among others.
Items recovered included two motor vehicles, two tricycles, three motorcycles, consignments of tramadol tablets worth N150 million, six cartons of Ampicillin tablets, 22 bottles of suck and die and 69 sachets and 260 pieces of exol tablets.
Bakori, who assumed duty on March 17, said, after obtaining briefs on the security in Kano, it became necessary to address pervasive issues of notorious thugs (Fadan Daba), drug abuse (Kwaya), armed robbery and other violent crimes.
“Over the past four weeks, the command intensified intelligence-led joint operations, round-the-clock visibility patrols and initiated strategic partnerships with community members.
“The proactive and collaborative efforts are yielding positive results and of the successes recorded are the breakthroughs that led to the dismantling of criminal networks that specialized in smuggling of firearms into the state.
“In order to ensure peace continues to prevail in the state, we have planned to conduct a series of community-based engagements and intelligence-led operations at strategic locations in the State with a view to prevent crimes and maintain law and order,” Bakori said, encouraging residents to cooperate with the police.
The Police in Ekiti State yesterday arraigned 50-year-old Ladan Abubakar before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court over alleged unlawful cattle grazing.
The defendant of no fixed address is standing trial on a one-count charge of unlawful grazing of cattle.
The police prosecutor, Insp. Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on April 1 at about 07:30am at Ewu-Ekiti.
The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old man, Umar Sule, for allegedly raping and impregnating his 17-year-old biological daughter in Kurmi Ado village, Ganjuwa Local Government Area.
Spokesman of the Command, SP Ahmed Wakil, confirmed the arrest, stating that the command acted promptly upon receiving the report.
According to him, “Upon receipt of the report, a team of detectives was assigned to conduct a discreet investigation and arrest the accused.
Wakil said that during interrogation, the defendant willingly admitted his wrongdoing, adding that a medical report revealed the suspect had molested her on different occasions, culminating in her three-month-old pregnancy.
Wakil further disclosed that the victim, during her interview with the police, confirmed her father’s confession.
She narrated that the abuse occurred while her mother was away visiting her family in Burra village, Ningi Local Government Area.
Her father allegedly took advantage of the mother’s absence to repeatedly rape her.
“Upon the return of her mother, she observed that the girl was pregnant and asked her who was responsible. The victim then revealed that it was her biological father,” Wakil added.
He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, had directed that the case be charged to court after the completion of investigation.
• Three armed robbers killed, 21 AK-47 rifles recovered
Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has rescued 17 victims who were abducted on March 3 at Sarkin Pawa, Niger State.
They are Williams Ubadia (15), Samuel Ezekiel (15), Duza Ezekiel (13), Ishaku Ishaya (12), Sunday Ezekiel (8), Jessy Friday (6), Rebecca Ezekiel (32), Jummai Ishaya (32), Terriza Friday (30).
Others are Alice Ezekiel (35), Victoria Ishaya (32), Blessing Ezekiel (20), Gloria Ubadia (13), Gift Ubadia (10), Charity Ezekiel (9), Alheri Ishaya (5), and, Favour Ezekiel (1).
The police said they had been taken to the Police Clinic in Kaduna for treatment.
In a statement yesterday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police Olumuyiwa Adejobi said on April 9, operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), rescued the victims.
On the same day, he added, operatives intercepted a commercial Volkswagen Sharan at the Kawo Central Motor Park in Kaduna and discovered 21 AK-47 rifles in the vehicle.
A suspect, Jamilu Suleiman, a27, resident in Rafin Guza, Kaduna, was arrested. He said he was instructed by a union member to deliver the firearms to someone in Kaduna.
Also, Adeyobi added, on the same day, too, the Police Command got distress call that Doggi Farm on Kaduna–Abuja Expressway was being robbed.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Tafa Division mobilised a patrol team to the scene and engaged a gang of about 30 armed robbers, who had invaded the premises, in a gun battle. Two of the robbers were killed, while others fled.
Two of them who were injured were apprehended and taken to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Memorial Hospital, Sabon Wuse, but one of them died.
