The Nation Newspaper

Tag: death

  • Life after death

    In LUKE 16:19 says: “There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.” In verses 22-23, Jesus says the rich man died and was buried. And in hell, the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in torments. While in torments of hell, he remembered his five brothers and prayed that Abraham, who was in Paradise with Lazarus, should send Lazarus to his father’s house that he might witness to them so that they also would not come into hell. Abraham made the rich man to know that, it was an impossible thing to do.

    In Luke 16:26: Abraham told the rich man, who found himself  in hell that between Paradise and hell, there is a great gulf fixed, hence the souls of those in hell cannot cross over into Paradise and vice versa.

    This word of truth, spoken by Abraham, is also a contradiction of Purgatory, which is the doctrine of Satan. Hebrews 9:27 states it was appointed unto the rich man once to die and after this the judgment of hell.

    And it was also appointed unto poor Lazarus, once to die and after death he was carried by the angels of God into Abraham’s bosom.  The soul of Lazarus is already in perfect peace in heaven, while the soul of the rich man is troubled because of the torment of hell.

    The prayer of any clergyman will never change the destination of the soul of man after death. Neither can it make any soul, cross over from hell to heaven, or vice-versa. Hell was originally prepared for the devil and his fallen angels as written in Matthew 25:41.

    But it has enlarged itself to accommodate the wicked and those nations who forget God as Psalms 9:17 states. Amongst the people of God are found many wicked men, amongst whom are also found workers of iniquity. They will say to the Lord, in that day, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name, have we not cast out devils, and in thy name, have we not done many wonderful works? (Jeremiah 5:26; Matthew 7:22)

    The souls of these workers of iniquity, even if they are men of God, will not rest in perfect peace after death because they have been resisting the Holy Ghost by not obeying the doctrines of Christ, especially the doctrine of separation.

    Jesus said in Luke 6:46 “AND WHY CALL ME, LORD, LORD, AND DO NOT THE THINGS WHICH I SAY?” And the most important thing amongst all other things that Jesus is saying to the people of God is that they should NOT love the world and the things that are in the world because He has chosen them out of the world as 1 JOHN 2:15-16 and JOHN 17:16 state.

    Death comes like a thief in the night. Therefore repent NOW, before it is too late.

    George is a member of Christian Gospel Church (The Truth Centre) on 4, Christian Gospel Avenue Beside Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu,  Benin City, Edo State.

  • Suspect stabs friend to death

    An Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court has remanded a 51-year-old man, Rasaki Banjo, in Ikoyi Prison, following his arraignment for allegedly stabbing his friend to death with a broken bottle.

    Magistrate A.O. Salawu ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

    She adjourned till May 6.

    Prosecuting Inspector Maria Dauda said the defendant committed the offence on March 24, at 8pm, at 3, Babayemi Street, Oworonshoki, Lagos.

    She alleged that the defendant stabbed his friend, Enitan Apangbon, 45, on the neck with a broken bottle during a fight.

  • Controversy over death, burial of entertainment icon Benson

    •I learnt of incident on Facebook, says widow  •Son: my dad died of kidney, heart failure

    Controversial has trailed the death and alleged plan to secretly bury entertainment icon and founder of defunct Faze 2 Night Club, Yaba, Lagos Prince Soji Benson.

    The family is enmeshed in accusations.

    Benson, the eldest son of First Republic Minister Otunba TOS Benson, died on February 12 while on a 10-day visit to his son, Oye, at their Apapa, Lagos, home.

    The deceased, who lived in Ikorodu with his wife, Gloria, it was gathered, had violent marks on his body when his corpse was first seen by family members last Friday.

    The Nation learnt that an argument ensued between Mrs. Benson and her stepsons- Oye and Lanre- who allegedly went to the General Hospital, Lagos mortuary, where they initially deposited their father’s body, to take it for funeral without informing the family.

    It was gathered that the parties had disagreed over hurried plans to bury the deceased, during which Gloria allegedly uncovered a grave at their Ikorodu home where her stepsons wanted to bury their father.

    A source told our correspondent that it took the intervention of the deceased’s siblings before his body was retrieved from his sons and embargoed in the mortuary.

    It was learnt that someone had contacted the deceased’s cousin, Tony Benson that he was found by the roadside in Apapa where he allegedly tripped and fell, prompting Tony to call his father.

    Besides last Friday’s attempt at the General Hospital, The Nation gathered that the deceased’s sons again attempted to bury him on Wednesday after allegedly taking the body forcefully from the mortuary, but were stopped by the police following complaints by the family.

    They and their guests were said to have worn black T-shirts with their father’s picture imprinted on them when policemen from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, on the instruction of Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu, stopped them.

    While the body was retrieved from the vehicle they used, it was learnt that the mourners allegedly proceeded with an empty casket to the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos for funeral rites.

    Narrating the incident to our correspondent, the source said: “They said he tripped and fell. That is very suspicious. How did they know who to call? It was as if he was beaten and he collapsed. The son did not carry him to somewhere close. So they called a cousin of his, who called his dad.

    “It could not have been a problem if the place they took him, two days after he died, had agreed to issue a death certificate. The doctor there said he could not write a death certificate because when he was brought to him, he was in a coma and he needed the coma report.

    “His son (Oye) then started fighting with his aunties and uncles that they were the ones who killed him. He said he wanted to bury his father in Ikorodu. He started digging the grave.

    “Instead of them to call the elders and hold a meeting, they did not do that. They have been insulting people.

    “We thought this whole issue has been sorted, with the family directing that Prince Benson’s body should not be given to his sons. The family was making burial plans, only for someone to call on Wednesday that the boys had picked the body from the mortuary and were going to bury him without telling anyone.

    “The family immediately contacted the police and the vehicle carrying the body was intercepted. The body was retrieved from them with the help of the police. It looked badly mutilated. It is in police custody.

    “The boys were still going to Ikorodu to bury an empty casket, but their guests did not follow them. I don’t know what happened thereafter. His sons are in their 30s. They have been acting really suspicious. I don’t know if the family has property disputes.

    “Whatever the matter, the deceased deserves a decent funeral. He was a good man; he helped a lot of people. They should not bring shame to him in death.”

    Benson’s widow told our reporter that she learnt about her husband’s death on Facebook. She said there were violent marks on his body when she first saw him.

    Said she: “I don’t even understand what is happening. I did not know my husband had died. I learnt about it after it had been posted on Facebook. My husband visited his son at Apapa, Lagos, he died at Apapa. They didn’t allow me to see his body until March 1 when I learnt Oye had gone to take the body for funeral.

    “Before that day, I discovered a grave being dug by Oye at Ikorodu and I objected to the place. I told him my husband deserved to be given a befitting funeral, he should not be dumped at a dunghill just like anybody.

    “They continued to dig the grave and I protested by jumping inside the grave. That was when they stopped. I reported to the police at Shagamu Road and they came, saw the place and advised us to hold a family meeting to resolve the matter.

    “They wanted to bury my husband without my consent. I have no issues with my stepsons. This is why I’m surprised at these happenings. I was not there when my husband died because he was at Apapa where he had gone to visit his son. They did not even tell me he had died.

    “When they wanted to bury their father, I reported the matter to one of my brothers-in-law, who stopped them.

    “I don’t know why he (Oye) did not even want anyone to be involved in my husband’s funeral. They (Oye and his brother, Lanre) just wanted to bury their father quickly for reasons best known to them. It was last Friday that I saw my husband’s body for the first time.

    “When I saw the body, I noticed that he was beaten to death. The son was making it look like I was the one who wanted to bury him, until I jumped into the grave, took a picture of myself and sent it to the family.

    “My husband was in hospital but I was not aware. When I went to my husband’s family house at Apapa, Oye had already called my husband’s lawyer. They were holding a meeting. I knocked for more than 20 minutes, he refused to answer. It was when he realised I would not leave that he came down and ordered me out of my husband’s house. Then, I did not know if anything had happened, maybe, my husband was in hospital then.”

    But Oye denied the allegations. He said his father died of heart and kidney failure.

    He told our correspondent on the phone that he was being wrongly accused of killing his father, denying that there were violent marks on him.

    Oye said: “This is not true. As you are talking now, my father’s burial is going on at the Vaults and Gardens in Ikoyi, Lagos. The family members are there. I am not there because I am at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba where they have kept me.

    “They accused me of killing my father, but autopsy report said he died of kidney and heart failure. There were no violent marks on his body. It is untrue that my brother and I wanted to secretly bury him. It is not true that the police intercepted us while taking his body to Ikorodu. We were asked to bring his body to the police and we did.

    “The autopsy report will be out by 2pm today (Thursday). I don’t know where Lanre is at the moment.”

    The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of SCIID, Yetunde Longe, denied that Oye was in her custody.

    She said: “Nobody is in our custody. We don’t have a suspect in that case.”

    Police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), told our correspondent that Benson’s body was in the mortuary and investigation was on. He refused to answer further questions on how the police got the body, insisting that investigation was being conducted on the matter.

    Oti had confirmed that Mrs. Benson reported at Shagamu Road Division that she was not satisfied with the place her husband’s family had earmarked for his burial, saying it was unbefitting.

    He said: “Mrs. Gloria Benson reported at Shagamu Road Police Station that she wasn’t satisfied with the place her late husband’s family earmarked for his burial. She considered it unbefitting for a man from such a prominent family.

    “Following her report, the Divisional Police Officer invited the family to his office and advised that they should resolve their dispute. He told them that it is not the duty of the police to decide burial site, but that of the family.

    “However, during their discussion, one of the parties levelled an allegation against others; thus the DPO said since the new issue introduced in the dialogue happened in Apapa, Apapa Police Station is better placed to handle it, being the police station in charge of the area where the alleged offence was committed.

    “At the end, the parties left the police station without a rancour, promising to maintain peace and abide by the DPO’s advice.”

     

  • Death toll in Rivers Christmas day tanker fire rises to six

    Death toll in the early morning fire at the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Phase 4, Port Harcourt in Rivers State, has risen to six.

    A petrol tanker allegedly suffered a brake failure at Rumuola junction, about 1.30 am on December 25, and spilled its content on the road.

    The spill surged into a canal. It caught fire, engulfing makeshift houses around the canal.

    A woman and her two children were burnt to death in their sleep; their charred bodies recovered later in the day.

    Read also: IMF: Lagos will grow by 4% to $136b in 2019

    Family sources said they were from Baabee in Khana Local Government. Five victims were rushed to Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH).

    The Nation learnt three died yesterday evening, with the families alleging poor attention by hospital workers.

    Relatives of surviving victims threatened to withdraw their kith and kin for better care.

    They accused the management of demanding outrageous fees before attending to victims.

    Commissioner for Health Prof. Chikere could not be reached last night.

    Police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni, who could not confirm the three that died in hospital, said efforts were on to arrest the driver.

     

  • Offa robbery: Reps to investigate death of key suspect

    The House of Representatives is to investigative the circumstances surrounding the death of Michael Adikwu, a key suspect in the Offa, Kwara State, bank robbery.

    The incident, which occurred seven months ago, claimed many lives.

    The Committee on Police Affairs, Human Rights and Justice mandated to carry out the investigation, is expected to uncover the issues and answer questions as to when the suspect died, how he died, why the police denied the facts of his death, at what point the police leadership discovered the death of the suspect and why the police are covering up the facts.

    The committee is also expected to unravel issues of human rights abuse, extrajudicial killings and manipulation of criminal investigation by the police.

    Read also: Offa Bank Robbery: How prime suspect died – Police

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Zakari Mohammad (PDP, Kwara), who noted how shocking was the disclosure by the police that Adikwu, the principal suspect in the bank robbery in Offa, Kwara State, which occurred on Aprii 5, is dead.

    He said: “The police initially confirmed to the Attorney- General of Kwara State through the Police Public Relations Officer, Moshood Jimoh, that the principal suspect was alive and in custody and was helping the police in the investigations of the robbery that led to the killing of 22 people and recovery of firearms that were carted away.

    “Of concern, however, is that it took the police so long to make the disclosure about the death of the principal suspect after denying its veracity as was reported in the media.

    “It is equally worrisome that there have been inconsistencies in the various statements by the police and a possible cover up of this extra-judicial killing with the aim of tarnishing the image of some innocent individuals for political purposes.

    “It is common knowledge that it is the constitutional duty of this hallowed chamber to take action wherever such level of irresponsibility and recklessness of an important law enforcement agency such as the Police have arisen in the course of investigations into a vicious crime.”

     

  • APC loses Two House of Reps members

    Two All Progressive Congress (APC) members of the House of Representatives have resigned their membership of the ruling  party with one defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The lawmakers announced their resignations in two separate letters to the green chambers, which were read on the floor of the house on Wednesday by the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara.

    Rep. Babatubde Kolawale, representing Akoko North East/West Federal Constituency in Ondo, in his letter, announced that he was defecting to the PDP.

    Read Also: ‘Deceased Kwara APC members die for emancipation of state’

    However, Rep. Mukaila Kazzim, representing Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/ Odeda Federal Constituency of Ogun, did not state the party he would join.

    In the letters, both lawmakers made references to irreconcilable issues relating to the party primaries as part of the reasons for the resignation and defection.

    Kazzim stated that “god-fatherism” played a vital role in the emergence of candidates to represent the party in the 2019 general elections.

    He said that the phenomenon was not only undemocratic but against relevant sections of the Constitution.

    The legislators said after due consultations with their constituents, it was time for them to part ways with the APC.

    NAN

  • Four family members die, after `Amala’ meal

    Four members of a family in Ilorin were feared dead after the consumption of `Amala’ meal, suspected to be poisonous.

    lt was reported that four others who took from the meal, had also been hospitalised at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).

    The incident happened at Magaji-Ogo community behind Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, in Ilorin West Local Government Area.

    A source told  our reporter that the victims took the meal on Sunday night before three of them were found dead the following morning.

    According to him, the fourth casualty, who was the head of the family, died on Wednesday.

    “Those feared dead are the family head, his sister and two children, while those recuperating in the hospital are the mother and three other children.

    “The corpses of the deceased had been buried in accordance with Islamic rite. They were eight that took the meal.

    “Though we are not sure yet of the cause of death, the meal was taken alongside amphibian and there is a suspicion that they died of poisoning.

    “Officials from the state Ministry of Health were in the community to take samples of the meal for test but nothing was yet to be said of the findings,’’ the source said.

    Read Also: Court remands Togolese cook for employer’s death

    The family, our reporter learnt, is an extension of the District Head of Adewole, popularly known as Alangua Adewole in Ilorin.

    Meanwhile, Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode, Di rector, Public Health and Disease Control in the state Ministry of Health, confirmed the incident.

    He, however, said that the ministry was yet to identify the cause of the “ugly and unfortunate occurrence.”

    Fakayode told  our reporter that samples from the meal were taken for laboratory investigation, which would be out within the next 24 hours.

    “As it stands, it is difficult to say the cause until the result is out.

    “However, we are definite that it is food poison because of the symptoms, but we are not sure of the food item that is culpable.

    “We learnt they took these amphibian that they hawk around with it. So we are not sure if it is the source of the death because some of them are poisonous.

    “Though we have not identified the culprit in terms of whether it is organism or chemical, definitely, it is a symptom of food poison.

    “But our suspicion is the amphibian. It could be preservatives that were used on the items that were used for the meal,’’ he said.

    When a  our correspondent sought confirmation of the Police in Kwara on the incident, its spokesman, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, said the command was not aware of the incident.

  • 2019: INEC uncovers 1,224 death persons in Adamawa register

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has detected 1,224 dead persons’ names in its Adamawa voters’ register for the 2019 general elections.

    Mr Kassim Gaidam, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, disclosed this during the opening of a two-day workshop for North East Zonal lmplementers on election monitoring and support, holding in Yola on Thursday.

    Gaidam said that the statistic was uncovered during the recent display of voters’ register for claims and objections.
    The commissioner said that the exercise was successfully conducted across the state.

    He explained that during the exercise, the commission recorded 2,113 claims and out of the 1,588 objections, 1,224 were reported death.
    The commissioner noted that during the exercise, 38,658 Permanent Voter Cards were collected across the state.

    Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, said that the election monitoring and support centre was one of the significant tools used by the commission in planning, monitoring and implementation of support provision to field officers for credible conduct of the elections.

    Yakubu, who was represented by his Special Assistant, Prof. Muhammed Kuna, said that the commission would use all resources at its disposal to ensure fair and free conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    Read Also: 2019 Delta Council boss sues for peaceful electioneering

    He explained that the workshop was to strengthen the commission’s capacities to monitor the mechanisms and activities put in place for smooth conduct of the 2019 general elections, among objectives.

    Also speaking, Mr Samson Fadare, the representative of European Centre for Electoral Support, said the EU was proud to support INEC’s laudable initiative that sought to ensure free, fair and smooth conduct of elections.

    “It will be recalled that European Centre for Electoral Support supported the conduct of the election monitoring support implementer workshops for the off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun in 2017 and 2018, among others,” Fadare said.

    He noted that the workshop was the second of its kind designed for zonal implementers and would be organised across the six geopolitical zones to educate and familiarise the functionaries of the commission across the nation.

    It was reported that the workshop was organised by INEC and supported by European Union.

    Five out of the six INEC resident electoral commissioners from North East with their top management staff were participants, excluding Bauchi State.

  • Death fixes everything after all

    But for aging and death, man may have laid claim to divinity. At that, not even the ugly wrinkling up of once gorgeous flesh, nor morbidity and eventual morphing into dust has sufficiently subdued man.

    Most of us still forget we are mere dust – flailing flecks of dust that is here now and then no more. Regardless that atrophy and death have been with man since biblical Adam ate the forbidden fruit, yet we mostly live in partial forgetfulness, often playing at deification and seeking to repudiate our dust-to-dust status.

    Ironically, in so doing, most of us die twice; in the sense that in denying/forgetting our transience, putrescence and eventual demise, we seem to assign death a bad name when we finally kaput.

    In other words, death ought to be the glorious finale to an elevated life. But hardly any life is elevated or edifying in a cold, vacuous world anymore. So a hideous life begets a rogue passage and un-storied eternity – and so goes the sad song.

    So why aren’t all men covered in white clouds of glory both on earth and unto eternity? Why are we constrained to pen glowing epitaphs upon the tombs of villainy? Why do we desire sainthood in egregious states of un-saintliness? Death may be painful but life is ashen because in living, most of us die already.

    Hardball is moved to barroom philosophising upon the demise of one of Nigeria’s notable political figures of the current civilian dispensation, Chief Tony Anenih. A retired police officer turned politician, he earned a telling sobriquet of ‘Mr. Fix It’. In the 16 years the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held sway in Nigeria (1999 to 2015) he was the iron gloves of the era.

    We all remember him famously announcing that “there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.” He said it as if he owned the place. It was a “keep of” notice of sort and it was not by chance that many politicians of his time didn’t take his notice lightly or literarily for that matter.

    He was ultra-conservative and establishmentarian and had no qualms about it. All that seemed to matter to him was power and victory. These ends justified the means. Again, he made no bones about it.

    He was the man, not the statesman just as he played at the state and didn’t care much about the man. Now, death is the final fixer of all things.

  • PDP: his death a monumental loss

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at the news of the demise over one of its founding fathers and a former chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih.

    In a statement last night by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described Chief Anenih as a great Nigerian, a light bearer, brilliant administrator, fine officer, quintessential nationalist and democratic icon, who made innumerable sacrifices for the unity, stability and development of the nation.

    The PDP said, “Indeed, Chief Anenih, who was known in the political circle as ‘Mr. Fix it’, owing to his ability to find solutions to very knotty political and governance issues, remains a colossus with unparalleled array of legacies which will be celebrated for generations.

    “His roles in ensuring the stability, not only of our great party but also of our nation at large, stood him out as a patriot who dedicated his life to the service of humanity.

    “The PDP is particularly pained that Chief Anenih left the stage at the time the party and the nation needed his wealth of experience the more, especially in our collective quest to restore good governance and democratic ideals in our country.

    “The PDP therefore condoles with the Anenih family, the government and people of Edo state and pray that God will grant the nation the fortitude to bear this monumental loss”.