The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ado-Ekiti

  • Ekiti Poly workers protest, demand removal of Rector

    Ekiti Poly workers protest, demand removal of Rector

    The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti was on Monday shut down by protest staged by all workers’ union who demanded the removal of the Rector, Dr. Taiwo Akande, accusing her of embezzling a sum of N350 million unremitted cooperative funds.

    The protesting workers who blocked the main entrance to the polytechnic to prevent access to the campus also accused the rector of illegal pension deductions from contract staff benefits “in flagrant disregard of the Polytechnic financial regulations.

    The protest which commenced at 7.00 am was organised by the institution’s branches of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

    Union leaders who addressed journalists and staff members also accused Mrs. Akande of autocratic tendencies, favouritism and nepotism in staff promotions saying the Polytechnic would remain closed until the rector is cleared of allegations of corruption by the Federal
    Government.

    The ASUP Chairman, Mr. Tunji Owoeye called on Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau to order the Rector to step aside to allow unfettered investigation into the allegations of corruption levelled against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
    Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC).

    ASUP boss further demanded Mrs. Akande’s sack for alleged “non-implementation of CONTISS 15 as directed by FG, non-remittance of staff contributions to cooperative societies, deduction of pension from contract and casual workers, non-refund of pension deduction, highhandedness in policy implementation, award of contracts without following due process and  over-employment.

    He said, “The entire Polytechnic Community is tired of her administration and her leadership style. Several times she has tried to polarize institution and de-unionize us using different devices including divide and rule and tribal sentiments.

    “Most recent is the use of new workers against the old which accounted for why she over-bloated the system with frivolous employments.

    “As we speak now, CONTISS 15 is operational in all the Polytechnics in this country, except Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti. She cajoled us in October, 2013, promising to start when the finances improve, but only to turn around and told us there was no such plan for us”.

    Corroborating Owoeye, NASU chief Adekunle Adeniyi accused the Rector of placing workers of the same cadre in different grade levels based on fraternity with her, saying this had promoted acrimony among the workers.

    He said, “We want the Federal Government to set up an investigation panel to investigate the activities of the current management. Pending that time, we appeal to the Minister of Education to suspend Dr Akande to prevent the investigations from being impeded.”

    Mrs. Akande refuted all the allegations levelled against her by workers of having a hidden agenda advising them to wait for the outcome of the EFCC and ICPC investigations where they had petitioned on her alleged involvement in fraud.

    Speaking through the Deputy Registrar (Information and Protocol), Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu the Rector, who said her administration has been transparent  in all its financial dealings, accused the workers of pursuing parochial and selfish agenda.

    She accused the workers of acting arbitrarily by not following due process before embarking on indefinite strike urging them to toe the line of civility and embrace dialogue rather than confrontation that could affect the relative peace and co-existence in the institution.

  • ‘No cultural revolution, no national resolution’

    ‘No cultural revolution, no national resolution’

    Former Deputy Editor, ‘The Guardian’, Mr Ben Tomoloju, who has just turned 6o, recalls how his alma mater, Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti, shaped him. Chinasa Ekekwe reports

    Friends, relations and colleagues of Ben Tomoloju, playwright, journalist, culture communicator, activist and director gathered at the Afe Babalola Hall of the University of Lagos, in honour for his 60th birthday celebration. There was a lecture and presentation of Tomoloju’s three books.  One of Tomoloju’s  mentors, Prof Niyi Osundare chaired the lecture. Prof Tony Afejuku delivered the lecture titled: Thoughts on the Nigerian media in a deadly season. Tomoloju’s is former Deputy Editor of The Guardian.

    The three-day birthday celebration, which started penultimate Friday also featured dance drama presentation, Art forum and poetry performances at the Freedom Park, Lagos.

    Interestingly, the Sunday feast at Freedom Park, Lagos was full of nostalgia and reminiscences for the celebrator, whose plays such as Jankariwo and Flowers’ introspect were put on stage. During the Art Forum session, Tomoloju observed that one great advantages of designers of the nation’s educational polices was the liberalism that was entrenched into such policies. He said it created room for diversification of skills and very profound and deep moral thrust.

    “‘Christ School, Ado-Ekiti (my alma mater) has a romantic appeal even till now because it is located on the hill. From the main gate to the theatre, there is an ascending of a gradual slope surrounded by mango trees by the left and right hand sides. Right at the tip of the hill, there is an ark made of concrete with a garden of shrubs. There is also the art gallery shielding the theatre designed like the roman theatre.

    “Then, students like Niyi Osundare and Moyo Ogundipe were my seniors, but the interesting thing in the school was that the age grade was similar in every class. Admission was not just for anybody. For example, if admission was for 12 and 13 years old, the school will stick to it. Like when Osundare was in Upper Six, I was in form one. All these inspired me. It was so much that Osundare won the first prize of the senior category for the Western States poetry contest in 1968 while I came second in the junior category for the poster designing,” Tomoloju recalled his  Christ School days.

    Prof. Osundare, according to Tomoloju, was the ‘head of table’ in the dining hall. “In fact, he taught me how to use the cutlery,” he added.

    He continued: “Also, back then we just pick a piece of paper and scribble something down and the house will present them during the inter-house drama competition. The works were more like test by our teachers to see if we could do it like our masters. And so you would not know that you have written something that would be preserved in the history books.

    “The first play I wrote was The Son of a Witch and Sweet Poison in 1971 followed by The Walnut. Interestingly, The Walnut was the kind of total theatre. It predicted the Flowers Introspect. I believe in the ideology that informs a statement which also sometimes influenced the kind of style you adopt.

    “In those days, we spend 50k per day for food and you will eat to satisfaction. The younger generation needs to know this so as to analyse how bad things have gone in the country.”

    Monuments and art structures, he noted, have been abused and destroyed, describing such act as charlatanism in high places. According to him, ‘intellectualism is of the highest value in social development and “so we have to train the younger generation so that we can hand over the industry to them”.

    He noted that having produced skilled and talented artists, it is important for the government to create an enabling environment such as neighbourhood theatres for them to practice.

    “Take for instance, the late reggae legend, Bob Marley and the late Afrobeat legend, Fela. They were revolutionary artists of the highest possible political dimension. Their songs were the most popular all over the world in their time and so the artists should be able to accept the politics practised in his time. I tried twice to be in the House of Representatives. Some artists should be involved in politics for the centrality of culture to the cause of nationhood. Artists should go there and transform the nation culturally with authority. If we know how to get it right, there will be a change, but without cultural revolution there cannot be a national resolution.

    There is a disconnect between intellectualism and popularism. But, I believe that there is so much complacency within the academia and theories are being propounded without trying them. In Nigeria, we never had articulate proletariat and a revolution will not happen in Nigeria. We had a test case in the ‘Ali Must Go’ campaign in the 70s. Unfortunately, we have been reaping anarchy because rather than produce vanguards, we produced vandals.

    “I knew right from time that Marxism theory cannot work in Nigeria. The old Soviet Union were highly educated and would discuss philosophers from Aristotle to Karl Marx. So, revolution cannot work in Nigeria except the minds of the masses are cultivated, without it, anarchy will be the order of the day,” he said.

    Oba Gbenga Sonuga described Tomoloju as a complete cultural communicator. “Before Ben Tomoloju, one could hardly find articles about culture in the newspapers. Now, one of the most outstanding things I remembered that he did was going to the National Theatre to see a play, Ori and writing a superb and insightful article ‘clearing the ritual thoughts on it,” he noted.

  • Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, 59-63 at 50

    Christ School, Ado-Ekiti, 59-63 at 50

    In tandem with the School’s new development plan, the set had, first of all, contacted the principal to identify its most urgent need which turned out to be a bore hole to serve the kitchen and the school clinic which do not have a running water of their own.

    At a glorious 2014 Reunion& Home Coming event hosted by both the 59-63 / 70-74 sets from Friday, 23rd to Sunday, 25th October, 2014, my set (59-63) put together an absolutely unforgettable re-union that will long linger in our memories. It was, first and foremost, an opportunity for massive Thanksgiving to the good Lord who has kept us safe these many years; and having been weaned, from tender ages on Christ, there was no shortage of gratitude to God. And how exhilarating it was, jubilantly singing together again the school song: Christ is our corner stone (Songs of Praise 464) in those, once wondrously sonorous voices, now going croaky. The husky voices were, however, invigorated by those of the much younger 70-74 members and current students. Where I sat, directly in front of Oga Dele Falegan, (Oga being our patented way of addressing seniors no matter the age difference) former Director of Research, Central Bank of Nigeria, it was easy to affirm beautiful singing  as one of our major  attributes at The School from the beautiful way he sang. It was simply exhilarating and spiritually uplifting.

    Our own segment of  events  had kicked off the evening of Friday, 23 October at a sumptuous ASUN (roasted goat meat) night hosted by Dr Oye Adegbite,  FCA, and his dazzling wife, at their sprawling country home in the Government Reserved Area of the state capital. What a night of camaraderie and reminiscences! What a night to remember! We were particularly honoured by the presence of two great icons of The School.  First, Chief F. A.  Daramola, our highly revered teacher, and father of Hon Bimbo Daramola, who at 87 chooses to personally drive himself around.  Be not surprised, he is The School’s most venerated games master after the unmatchable Chief R. A Ogunlade of blessed memory. The other was Chief (Dr) JGO Adegbite, School goal keeper, senior prefect and, the first Registrar of the Ekiti State University who, coincidentally, is our host’s uterine brother.

    He was obviously the night’s hero as he regaled us with joke after joke. Wande Adebiyi, aka Flamengo, and incidentally another School goal keeper, was, however, not far behind. Yours truly relived the idiosyncrasies of one of our most loved teachers, the late Mr J O Iluku. And, of course, one of our own, the Venerable Jide Iyiola, said the prayers. In the meantime, Biodun Adu, Consultant Gynaecologist, far away from his London base, kept phoning in to share in the joy of the occasion. It was a night to remember.

    But looking back now, it is funny, if not surprising, that none of us that night remembered to recall that  song, weaved around a mythical Asian king, and  with which all students of our time, but  now unfortunately discontinued, were socially welcomed into the life-long family of CHRIST’S SCHOOL at  an archetypical BULLYING event.  Bullying  has been described as  the use of force, threat, or coercion,  to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others, and has occasioned suicides in places like the U.S, but not this thoroughly enjoyable one which  requires some elucidation especially for the sake of readers not already conversant with it.

    Midway into this  unforgettable night, at their very first attendance at  a socials event  in the school, new students are filed out on the expansive bowel  of the  QUADRANGLE, to be taught what is simply described as a song. The song, you are told, is about a king named O WATANA, OF SIAM, who is presented in much more mythical terms. You are soon engrossed in this fascinating new song which you soon start singing rather exuberantly, dancing in circles. That, however, is until you see your seniors, now a hilarious audience, singing back and pointing fingers at you.

    What they are singing now is what you get when you fully spelt out the king’s name which is O WHAT AN ASS I AM but which they now pluralise and turn to: O what asses you are, O what asses you are, O what an ass! Boy, you can only imagine the look on the new students’ faces but it is a night you will forever remember.

    The next day’s events took off a little behind schedule as a result of the state’s environmental exercise. So to the school’s Alumni Hall we headed an hour later at 11 am to kick start the 2014 REUNION & HOME COMING EVENT proper with a lecture on MY VISION OF CHRIST’S SCHOOL BY YEAR 2033, the Guest Lecturer being another iconic alumnus, Mr Kehinde Ojo, the immediate past Ekiti  State Commissioner of Education who is, unarguably, a man of many firsts.

    A member of the school football team, he was Senior Prefect and later, principal. A state merit award winner, he was one of the first set of school principals to be appointed Tutor-General by the Ekiti State government. He was therefore the ideal person to envision The School as it turns 100 in 2033. And didn’t he make a wonderful job of it! This, however, was after the Chairman of the event, our teacher and now Acting Vice Chancellor of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Professor Femi Ajisafe, has called for the observation of a minute’s silence in memory of our dear classmates who have joined the Saints Triumphant. May the good Lord continue to rest them and uphold those they left behind. Amen.

    Chief Daramola, Professor Ajisafe and  Mr Ojo were later presented with plaques in appreciation of their support.

    This was followed by the inauguration of projects. In tandem with the School’s new development plan, the set had, first of all,  contacted the principal to identify its most urgent need which turned out to be a bore hole to serve the kitchen and the school clinic which do not have a running water of their own. This we agreed to do, thus solving a problem that has existed like forever and it was commissioned by Chief Daramola in the presence of the principal, his  immediate predecessor, and  a rapturous kitchen staff,  some students and members of staff. As it turned out, the bore hole will now also serve the school chapel. In addition, we donated 5000 customised exercise books to the students.

    The last event for the day was the dinner hosted by the 70/74 set to which our set had been graciously invited and what a night of good food, wine and camaraderie, at the Fountain Hotel, Ado-Ekiti.

    We all punctually assembled the following morning at the School Chapel for the Anniversary Service which, for us, was a debt repaid us by the school.

    How so?

    Way back in December ’63, believing that the set was too troublesome,  the  Principal, Canon L.D Mason, had promptly sent us home directly after our School Certificate exams without allowing us have the luxury of the usual send forth service to which  every set looked  forward to. This service, therefore, mentally took us back fifty one years; and how throatily we all sang trying to re enact those days of angelic voices. The sermon was taken by one of our most humane and revered teachers, and later university lecturer, The Very Revd John Olu Aina.

    As we look forward, trusting Christ, whose name we bear, to our 60th  anniversary, we all agree that this has turned out to be a wonderful occasion at which many of us were seeing again, for the very  first time, since that December day in ’63. We therefore thank God for His grace upon our lives as we say the School Prayer again:

    Grant O Lord

    That Christ’s School may be a Christian School

    Not in name only

    But, in deed, and in truth

    For the sake of Christ

    Whose name we bear

    This short recap will not be complete without expressing the set’s deep appreciation to both our Chairman, Adegboyega Adepitan, and our indefatigable Secretary, Oyeniyi Allen Alebiosu, both of who literally abandoned their personal chores to ensure we had a glorious outing. And our hearty appreciation goes to the elders and all who made it a worthwhile outing. Thank you all and God bless.

  • Tension in Ado-Ekiti as police warn trouble-makers

    Tension in Ado-Ekiti as police warn trouble-makers

    There was tension yesterday  in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, following reports that some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were planning a reprisal over last Thursday night’s killing of the union’s former chair, Mr. Omolafe Aderiye.

    Factions within the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) also went on a free-for-all at Ajilosun area of the state capital over the harassment of their immediate past state chairman Mr. Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, whose property was burnt.

    Many residents stayed indoors. Churches recorded low attendance.

    Policemen stationed in strategic places subjected motorists to interrogation at checkpoints. Pedestrians were routinely frisked.

    Police Commissioner Taiwo Lakanu said he got report that some hoodlums were planning more attacks.

    He warned those who he described as having no legitimate business in Ekiti to “stay clear or face the full weight of the law”.

    A statement signed by police spokesman Victor Babayemi, said: “The police have placed their men on red alert to prevent these bandits from carrying out their nefarious activities anywhere in the state.

    “The Commissioner of Police, CP Taiwo Lakanu , has ordered the deployment of adequate manpower to embark on extensive vehicle and foot patrols on nooks and crannies of the state.  He has directed that policemen should henceforth embark on thorough searching of vehicles and pedestrians so as to forestall importation of dangerous weapons.

    “In view of the current happenings in the state, the Commissioner of Police wishes to warn that any person or group of persons that have no lawful business in the state should stay clear. He warned that the full weight of the law will be visited on any individual or group fomenting, inciting, aiding or abetting the commission of crime in any part of the state.”

  • Rector calls for release of detained students, others

    Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Dr Theresa Akande, has appealed to the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Frederick Lakanu, to release some students and residents of the Erinfun Community arrested during Saturday’s protest against month old power outage and lack of portable water.

    The Rector joined by the Institution’s students’ body had absolved the students of complicity in the unrest which halted commercial activities and vehicular movements for nearly two hours around Erifun.

    It would be recalled that purported students of the School numbering almost a hundred had on Saturday massed on the Ado-Ijan Ekiti main road as early as 7 am and, joined by residents around the area, barricaded the road and halted vehicular movements for nearly two hours.

    Although no life was reported lost, it took the intervention of anti-riot police squad to disperse the protesters and free the road for an almost one kilometre line up of captive motorists on both sides of the road, a development which led to the arrest of nearly forty students and members of the Erinfun community populated mainly by the Ebira.

    At a press conference in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state jointly addressed yesterday by Dr. Akande and the President, Students’ Union Government of the institution, Mr Ajibola Oladapo, explained many innocent students and staff of the Polytechnic were arrested and detained by the police during what they called “An indiscriminate arrest”.

    Akande lamented the influx of miscreants into the Erinfun community which had allegedly heightened insecurity around the area.

    Dr. Akande said: “Some of the students who were dismissed from other schools had been settling there and this made it to look as if our students were involved. Those who partook in the protest were majorly miscreants from other schools and residents in the Ebira Community.”

    On the alleged attack on Aare Afe, Ajibola had said: “As peace-loving students, we are particularly appalled at such acts of barbarism, especially against a revered personality like Chief Afe Babalola’ status. It is worthy to note that the management of this institution, which also suffers from the same fate, have been doing all that is humanly possible to provide basic amenities on the polytechnic campus.

    “We deeply appreciate this and thus we had no cause to complain of lack of power supply or water or go on demonstration over same”, he said.

    Ajibola equally appreciated the police for their efforts in bringing the development under control, urging them to order the release of students and other persons wrongly arrested during protest.

  • Wanted twins dad’s body found in Ado-Ekiti bush

    The police in Ekiti State  have discovered the body of a man identified simply as Kola in a bush around Okela-State Housing in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Kola, according to the police, was wanted  for allegedly  strangulating his wife, Titilayo, to death last Saturday. He disappeared with their  newborn twins.

    The incident happened in  their one-room apartment located at no 23, Temidire Street, Ajowa, Ado-Ekiti.

    According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Ekiti Police Command, Mr. Victor Babayemi, Kola’s body was found in the bush following a manhunt for him on Saturday.

    The statement reads: “The police found the body of Kola, the husband of the late Titilayo, murdered and dumped in a canal at Oke-Ila in Ado-Ekiti. The twins are yet to be found. Investigation was in top gear to find the twins as well as the killers of the couple.”

    A source said the late Kola must have fallen victim to  ritualists who forcefully took the twins from him and killed him to cover their track.

    The souce explained: “Kola must have supported them (the ritualists) in some way by accepting to deliver his set of twins, killing his own wife to cover his tracks but, from the way things are looking, his other members applied a reverse gear and killed him, taking charge of the twins .”

  • Photo: Call to duty

    Photo: Call to duty

  • Blackout imminent in Akure, Ado-Ekiti

    Blackout imminent in Akure, Ado-Ekiti

    •Transmission Company of Nigeria cries out for help

    Electricity consumers in Akure, Ondo State and Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State could face total blackout from the Osogbo region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), following a fire that engulfed a major transformer that supplies the two cities and two other major cities in Osun State.

    The 4TI 150MVA transformer which got burnt on March 7, this year is yet to be repaired or replaced, a development that had adversely affected power supply to not just the two cities, but also Ilesa and Ile-Ife in Osun state.

    And to avert a major blackout in most of the Southwest states under its jurisdiction, the Osogbo TCN, which is also strategic to transmitting power to some other parts of the country, including some neighbouring countries has called for increased funding and overhauling of its ageing equipment, some of which had been in use since 1968.

    Speaking recently during a facility tour of the company’s operation by the governing board, the General Manager (Technical), Vincent Aligwara said, adequate funding had become necessary to avoid system collapse

    According to him, the Osogbo transmission region like other regions is facing a myriad of challenges, including paucity of fund, aging 132KV lines, lack of operational vehicles and most recently, replacement of the 4T1 150MVA transformer that got burnt at Osogbo. The transformer is yet to be replaced, a development he lamented had adversely affected power supply to areas like Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Ondo, Ife and Ilesa.

    The General Manager said that the company’s corporate headquarters was making arrangement to use another transformer earlier earmarked for reinforcement to replace the burnt one to make the station return to the status quo before the March 7 incident.

    Reeling out some of the other problems confronting the region, Aligwara said: “Some of our 132KV lines were constructed long time ago. In this regards, Osogbo-Akure and Ayede-Sagamu are mostly affected. These lines are not loaded optimally and as result can snap. The Osogbo-Akure line is more critical because it supplies two state capital cities – Akure (Ondo State) and Ado-Ekiti (Ekiti State). Work centres and sub-regions under Osogbo region lack healthy vehicles to effectively meet up with the increasing challenges of maintaining the sub-station equipment and transmission line patrol. We have been on minimal funding for a very long time. Our funding is not based on the present economic realities and no business can thrive when economic indices are ignored. A typical example is the unstable fuel crisis. Within Osogbo region, a litre of PMS sells for between N110 and N140”.

    The chairman of TCN Osogbo region’s Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies, Comrade Samuel Alade, and secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees in Osogbo region, Comrade Mudasiru Adeniyi, implored the board to intervene and address some of the challenges facing the company.

    Responding, the leader of the visiting team, Prof. Peter Akpe, who is the chairman of the TCN board, assured that their complaints would receive urgent attention. He said that the board recently met and discussed the challenges of the company with the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, assuring that in the next two weeks they would be able to access fund to effect a positive change in the power sector.

    The Osogbo region has two sub-regions – Ayede (Oyo State) and Osogbo (Osun State), as well as two work centres – Omotoso (Ondo State) and Ganmo (Kwara State).

    The region, which falls within the grid triangle of Benin, Osogbo and Lagos, no doubt, is critical to the national grid. The stability of the grid, to a large extent, depends on the security of this axis and Osogbo region sits at its centre.

  • Boy’s killing by police sparks protest in Ado-Ekiti

    Boy’s killing by police sparks protest in Ado-Ekiti

    A police team of the Special Anti-Robbery Squard (SARS) has been blamed for the death of a young boy, Oluwaseun Awoyemi, in the Ojumose area of Ado-Ekiti, capital of the State. The incident reportedly followed the invasion of the house where the deceased was staying with his grandmother by a gang of four armed officers who claimed to be looking for someone who had allegedly assaulted another boy in the area. Oluwaseun, who was said to be observing a siesta in his room at the time, was dragged outside and dealt some several blows before he was shot by two officers who later took his corpse away and deposited same at the State University Teaching Hospital. When The Nation visited the scene of the incident yesterday morning, thick dried blood covered the room, while sympathisers stood in groups discussing the incident. A survivor of the attack, Mrs. Lucia Afolayan, told The Nation that the four uniformed men came to the house around noon, noting that the policemen shot the victim in the scrotum and chest, killing him instantly. Mrs. Lucia, who claimed to be approaching seventy years, explained she came from her house in another area of the capital to Oja Bisi to buy some food stuffs, noting, “hardly had I settled down to talk with my sister, the victim’s grandmother, when the four of them came, shouting “where is the stupid boy, where is the stupid boy.” Continuing, she said: “They entered the first room where the boy was lying and grabbed his trousers with the belt, brought him outside and started beating him. When he was able to free himself, he ran into another room. I followed them and appealed that he should follow them. One of the two officers who came into the room shot him, the bullet also hit my arm. Immediately he fell and died.” Confirming the account, grandmother of the deceased, Mrs. Abigael Awoyemi, explained that a neighbor, known as Baba White, had earlier came to the house around 9 am, seeking to see the boy who was said to have beaten his son. She said: “We were all around and we came begging him to be calm. The two of them fighting were even said to be friends. But the man kept shouting ‘where is the boy?’. The boy, Taye, came out and said it was him. “Despite our appeals, Baba White still beat Taiye before he accepted our pleadings. After, he left and we thought it had ended there. Surprisingly, he came back with four police officers, all of them with guns. They pointed the guns at us and were going from room to room looking for the boy said to have beaten someone. “They met my son where he was lying after taking his food. They dragged him out and beat him. He was able to free himself and ran into another room. My sister went into that room with him, begging that he should follow them. While she was doing that, they went into the room and killed Oluwaseun. He was my only dream. What can I do?” She called on the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi to support the family to bring the perpetrators of the killing to book. The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr. Victor Babayemi, while confirming the incident, said it was the deceased that first made attempt to kill the police before the latter “played a smart one by first pulling the trigger.” According to Babayemi, the police had come to the house when they “received a distress call from someone that he was robbed in the area”, adding, “when they got there, the police cordoned off the area and saw Seun and other boys who were suspected of having committed the robbery. “So, when the police had identified the house, they went after the boys. Immediately they saw the police, they rushed inside, and in the course of searching the rooms, Seun, who was holding a dane gun, jumped from the ceiling into a room. But unknown to him, a policeman was already in the room and when he wanted to pull the trigger, the police then opened fire on him.” He, however, assured that investigations were on to get to the roots of the incident, assuring that “whoever was found complicit would be dealt with.” Findings by The Nation revealed that Baba White, the man who allegedly invited the policemen, was being held at the State Police Headquartres and was assisting in the investigations. Meanwhile, the killing sparked protests in the area, as friends and family of the victim claimed that the police killed him without any justified cause. The aggrieved youths, said to number about 30, reportedly wielded dangerous weapons, including cutlasses, bottles and stones, and made bonfires around areas like Ojumose and Okesa, disrupting the free flow of vehicles in the area. About three vehicles were also seen occupied by detachments of police officers, who were possibly deployed to keep guard around the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

  • Ekiti guber poll: Landlords hike rents in Ado-Ekiti

    HOUSE rents have gone up by as much as 50 per cent in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, as more political parties rush to open operational offices ahead of June 21, 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State. The development is coming barely 72 hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released guidelines as well as timetable for the poll. Investigation conducted in Ado-Ekiti by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), showed that mostly affected by the sudden increase are houses located in conspicuous places, especially those directly facing the roads. The rent for a three-bedroom flat which formerly cost between N70 000 and N80 000 per annum, has gone up to between N150 000 and N250 000 per annum depending on the location and type of building. An employee of one of the political aspirants, who pleaded anonymity, said that his boss was asked to pay N250 000 for a threebedroom apartment. “After agreeing to pay this amount, the landlord requested for two years rent failure of which my boss will forfeit the offer to another aspirant,” he said. A landlord, Adeniyi Salman whose house is located on the high brow Ajilosun area of the city, said that he jacked up his rent to make up for the ‘huge’ sum he used to renovate the building recently. Two weeks ago, few political parties and aspirants existed in the state, but the number of political parties that indicated interest to partake in the election had risen to 10. The parties are: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP). Others are Alliance for Democratic (AD), National Conscience Party (NCP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), All Peoples Party (APP) and National Democratic Party (NDP).