The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ekiti

  • Fayose disowns hoodlums attacking Ekiti residents

    Fayose disowns hoodlums attacking Ekiti residents

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has disowned those he referred to as “unscrupulous people who go about attacking innocent residents claiming that he sent them.”

    In a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose urged security agencies to arrest anybody caught assaulting law-abiding residents dropping his name in the process.

    It reads: “We have it on good authority that the plot of these unscrupulous elements is to go about attacking notable indigenes of Ekiti State and claiming that they were sent by Governor Fayose.

    “By announcing that they were Governor Fayose’s boys, the motive of the criminals has no doubt been exposed and it cannot be anything other than to set the people against the governor.

    “We therefore wish to state categorically that Governor Fayose does not harbour criminals. He does not have boys anywhere, not to talk of sending them to attack innocent residents of Ekiti State.

    “Anyone caught attacking or assaulting residents of Ekiti State in the name of “Governor Fayose’s Boys” should be apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agents for appropriate action.”

     

  • Five private hospitals closed in Ekiti

    Five private hospitals closed in Ekiti

    The Ekiti State Ministry of Health has shut five private hospitals for not complying with the government’s operational guidelines.

    The hospitals are Devine Citadel Hospital, Ado-Ekiti; Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Maternity and Hospital, Emure-Ekiti; Emmanuel Medical Clinic, Emure- Ekiti; Lexical Clinic, Ise-Ekiti and JOA Medical Centre, Ado-Ekiti.

    The Director, Hospital Services and Training, Dr. Kola Adu, who led the ministry’s monitoring team, said any hospital found wanting would be face the law.

    Adu said the clinics were shut for operating in an unhygienic environment, using unqualified and inadequate personnel as well as non-registration of their facilities and failure to renew their operational licences.

    He cautioned patients against patronising unlicenced private clinics and warned other private health facilities to properly register and renew their operational licences, saying that the government would punish erring proprietors.

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  • Three kidnap suspects arrested in Ekiti

    Three more kidnap suspects  had been arrested in Ekiti State, Governor Ayo Fayose said yesterday.

    The governor spoke yesterday at the inauguration of the executives of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, under the chairmanship of Samuel Agbede.

    He said reports showed that commercial drivers were used by kidnappers to abduct innocent people.

    The governor  said his collaboration with security agencies had been yielding results.  He urged drivers to cooperate with his administration to curtail the activities of kidnappers and other criminals.

    Describing drivers’ unions as important stakeholders, Fayose urged them to be security conscious in the performance of their duties.

    He said: “Three more kidnap suspects were arrested yesterday. The moment you suspect anything,  let the police know. We thank God that our efforts to combat kidnapping and other crimes are yielding fruit.

    “I want to praise you for  contributing  to the state’s development but don’t allow yourselves to be used by evil doers. You can see that some kidnappers were paraded recently. Information from them revealed that they have been using some of your members.”

    Fayose noted that he wants to be “governor for life” by leaving behind legacies that would keep him in the minds of people.

    Drawing inspiration from the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Fayose said he built the Adetiloye Hall and Fountain Hotel within the Trade Fair Complex in Ado-Ekiti where the event was held.

     He said even though the political leader had died, his legacies still speak for him.

    The governor told the audience that he was a bus driver in Ibadan for three years. He urged drivers to believe in themselves that they can make it.

    “I was once a driver like you and I want you to learn from me. Being a driver doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful in life because many young people are not ready to pay the price to climb the ladder of success,”, he said.

    Fayose hailed drivers for their “unflinching support”,  promising to repay them by supporting their unions morally and financially.

    “You are my people but if you break the law, I will hand you over to the police. Our rules and the rules of the union say when you drink, don’t drive and when you drive, don’t drink.

    “When the particulars of your vehicle expire, go and renew them. Let us keep within the ambit of the law and when you drive, don’t speed,” he added.

    Agbede explained that job creation and poverty alleviation would be the major policy thrust of his tenure in office.

    He explained that the inauguration of the new RTEAN executive was consequent upon an election conducted by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the association on November 27.

    The RTEAN National President, Musa Isewele, said Ekiti had been selected as one of the state to pilot the union’s projects, including driving academies, ultramodern motor parks, and housing schemes for members.

  • ‘Pastor’, 10 others arrested for kidnapping in Ekiti

    •Fayose warns against ‘politicising’ kidnap

    The police in Ekiti State have arrested 12 suspects believed to be members of kidnapping syndicates.

    They include a self-acclaimed pastor, Babatunde Balogun, two women and ten others.

    Balogun “gave spiritual support” to the suspects in return for a share of ransom money.

    Four others now at large have been declared wanted. They are Kenneth Ozor, Jonathan Ozor, Kehinde Adeleye and Sunday Ogunleye.

    They were said to be responsible for the kidnap of Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Akingbade and an Associate Professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, Dr. Femi Omisore.

    Parading the suspects yesterday in Ado Ekiti with Governor Ayo Fayose in attendance, Department of State Security (DSS) Director Duke Fubara and Police Commissioner, Etop James, said the suspects had confessed to the crime.

    James said that the state command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad has been working to prevent a resurgence of kidnapping.

    Fubara explained that the collaboration between his agency and the police has been yielding fruit.

    Fubara said: “We can all attest to the fact that the kidnappers terrorised the state from the first week of May. Their activities brought a lot of trauma to the people.

    “Though, some of the victims have been released, we did not give in. We carried out investigations and we increased our network and the result is what you are seeing today.

    “What we found with the composition of these suspects was that some of them were some of the inmates who escaped during the last November 30 jailbreak.”

    Fayose, who described the war against kidnapping and other violent crimes as a “collective fight”, warned opposition politicians against politicising kidnapping and other crimes.

    Lauding security agencies for their bravery, Fayose attributed upsurge in crimes to the Ado-Ekiti Prisons jailbreak, urging security agencies to intensify efforts to re-arrest the escapees.

    Fayose said: “It is a collective fight. We have to fight this together, so that all of us can sleep with our eyes closed.

    “Ekiti has been in torment since the jailbreak. But we want you to beam your searchlight on neighbouring states, such as Delta, Osun and Ondo because we suspect people come from outside to train our people here.

    “If you study this very well, you will understand that the networks have been widened and we have to do everything to break it”.

     

  • Judge kicks over discontinuance of trial of Ekiti murder suspects

    Judge kicks over discontinuance of trial of Ekiti murder suspects

    Tongues are wagging in Ekiti State judicial circles following the discontinuance of trial of three persons charged to court for the murder of one Mrs. Rebecca Adewumi in Omuo-Ekiti in 2012.

    The late Mrs. Adewumi was hacked to death by a gang of youths known as ‘Imekula’ in the community who claimed that she was a witch. The suspected killers of the deceased were believed to be acting on the orders of some prominent individuals in Omuo.

    The deceased was accused of using witchcraft powers to ‘torment’ her stepson, Ola Adewumi, who later died of an undisclosed ailment.

    Three persons were later arraigned at an Ado Ekiti High Court for their alleged complicity in the killing of the late Mrs. Adewumi.

    They are Chief Olatunbosun Orojo, the Olisa of Ilisa Quarters, Omuo (1st accused person), Mrs. Ademola Adewumi (2nd accused person) and Feranmi Abe (3rd accused person).

    But trial had reached an advanced stage and was approaching judgment before the judiciary workers went on strike and shortly after the six-month strike was suspended, a Notice of Discontinuance of the murder case was issued by the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.

    The Notice of Discontinuance of the murder case was backed by a letter written and signed by a representative of the family of the late Mrs. Adewumi, one Gabriel Omokanju.

    The move to halt the case that was nearing judgment displeased the trial judge, Justice Monisola Oluwatoyin Abodunde who said although the accused “are discharged, they are not acquitted.”

    She said: “You are hereby discharged but not acquitted. You are discharged not on the basis of the merit of the case”.

    Justice Abodunde clarified the court was fully aware of the powers of the State Attorney General under Section 2(11) of the 1999 Constitution as Amended, to discontinue cases at whatever stage before judgment, noting he would not tamper with such (powers) as being exercised in the case.

    However, according to her, the move to settle the matter out-of-court came when the case had already attained an advanced stage as both the prosecution and defense had closed their case and 10 witnesses had been called and cross-examined.

    She regretted that the exercise of such prerogative by the Attorney General at such an advanced stage when judgment was already being awaited only meant a waste of time and resources of the court which would also affect expected returns to the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    Justice Bodunde observed there should be a stage in the trial of a case after which such powers could not be exercised by the Attorney General again, hinting at possibilities of initiating moves soonest to cause such limitations to further sanitise judicial processes.

    The State Counsel, Paul Alabi, had earlier informed the court about the Notice of Discontinuance and the supporting family letter.

    Alabi subsequent prayed the court that, based on the two documents, the accused persons be discharged, as both the prosecution and defense had already closed their case.

    He tendered apologies for the stress and the time already expended by the court on the matter.

    The defence counsel, Lekan Olatawura, supporting the prayer of the prosecution counsel, urged the court to discharge and acquit the accused persons.

  • Eight Ekiti PDP members to join APC

    Eight Ekiti PDP members to join APC

    Eight executive members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State are to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), it was learnt.

    The proposed defection followed the departure of former PDP Chairman Ropo Adesanya, who joined the APC with hundreds of his supporters, three weeks ago.

    Former Speaker of the  House of Assembly Olufemi Bamisile announced this yesterday at a meeting with APC members in Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area.

    Bamisile said the decision of the PDP exco members was part of his efforts to weaken the ruling party and strengthen the opposition ahead of the 2018 governorship election.

    The ex-Speaker, who was the state PDP vice-chairman before he joined the APC last year, said the eight PDP chieftains were swapping their umbrellas for the brooms because they were disillusioned with the way the state was governed by Governor Ayo Fayose.

    He noted that many PDP members who laboured to nurture the party when the governor defected to the Labour Party (LP) and supported him (Fayose) on his return have been sidelined.

     He said:“With all modesty and support of the three former governors, I make bold to say that not less than eight members of the PDP state executives are set to join the APC, because I have personally spoken to them and they are confident that the APC is a better place.

    “The PDP is not as organised as you all think.”

  • Ekiti students plead for bursary

    Ekiti students plead for bursary

    The Association of Ekiti State Local Government Students’ Union Presidents (AELOGSUP) has called on the state government to hands off the local government bursary.

    The association’s Chairman, Adebowale Dada, and its Secretary, Tunde Oluwayomi, in a statement after a meeting at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) in Ado-Ekiti, called on Governor Ayo Fayose to order local council to disburse the grant.

    The statement reads: “The 16 Local Government Students’ Union Presidents have unanimously drawn the attention of Gov. Fayose to an issue rocking grassroots Students Union in the state. The bursary we get from our respective councils had been withdrew from the local government by the state. We are using this medium to call on the government for the separation of the local government bursary from the State Scholarship Board.”

    The students complained that there was no transparency in getting the grant from the Board, adding that unnecessary protocol scared away eligible students. They said getting forms for local government bursary was more reliable than the state bursary. They urged the government to study their complaints and make changes.

  • Ekiti Police kill two robbery suspects

    Efforts of the Police in Ekiti State to wage war against robbery yielded results on Wednesday with the killing of two robbery suspects along Ikere-Akure Highway.

    The suspected robbers were attacking commuters on the road when armed policemen and officers of the Highway Patrol squad swooped on them.

    Two of robbery suspects were gunned down after exchanging gunfire with the policemen while one member of the gang was arrested in the process.

    Police spokesman, Alberto Adeyemi who confirmed the development, assured that the police were working round the clock to make all Ekiti roads safe.

    Adeyemi said: “In our quest to rid Ekiti roads of criminals, the DPO of Ikere and Safer Highway Patrol team got information that robbers were attacking innocent commuters along Ikere – Akure Road. They swung into action and chased the robbers to their hideout along Akure Road.

    “The robbers on sighting the police engaged our men in gun battle. In the process, two of the robbers were gunned down and one of them arrested. The arrested suspect is helping us in our investigations.

    “We want to ensure that all roads in Ekiti are safe. We are patrolling all roads. We want people to continue to render information about criminals and their activities to the police so that the police can continue to protect the society better.”

  • Mother of three commits suicide in Ekiti

    There was gloom in Ajebamidele area of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital where a 46-year-old woman, identified as Mrs. Ajibola reportedly committed suicide.

    Mrs. Ajibola, a mother of three, hanged herself Tuesday at about 6.00 pm under very mysterious circumstances, a situation her neighbours find difficult to unravel.

    Neighbours revealed that Mrs. Ajibola had made several attempts to take her life in the past which had made them to place her under watch but the suicide came when they least expected.

    Her corpse has since been deposited at mortuary of Mary Assumpta Catholic Hospital, Ajilosun Road pending the burial of her remains.

    Neighbours, family members and friends of the deceased were also sighted at the Ologede Police Station along Ikere Road but police officers on duty kept sealed lips saying only Public Relations Department of the State Command could speak on the incident.

    A neighour said: “Before the unfortunate incident, she had informed landlords in the area of her intention to address a world press conference slated for 6.30pm.

    “It was when some of us arrived to listen to what she had to tell us that we discovered that she was nowhere to be found.

    “It was when we were searching for her that we saw her dangling body hung on the roof in her house.”

    “Many times, she had threatened to take her own life. There was even a time she said she would jump into the well and we had to announce to all landlords that they should make sure that their wells are well secured and covered to avoid any mishap.”

    Police spokesman, Alberto Adeyemi who confirmed the incident, revealed that the Command has commenced investigation into the incident.

  • Tension as another kingship crisis rocks Ekiti

    Tension as another kingship crisis rocks Ekiti

    There is tension in Erijiyan-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State as the government is expected to name the Olohan (monarch) today.

    Armed policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) are keeping vigil in the community to check the restive residents, who are aggrieved that “a candidate who is not qualified to be king is to be imposed on them”.

    It was gathered yesterday that one of the candidates, Adegoroye Omosebi, reportedly won an election conducted by 10 of the 13 kingmakers.

    Barring any last-minute change, Omosebi is expected to be named after the State Executive Council meeting today.

    Two kingmakers, who decried the government’s alleged meddlesomeness, abstained from voting.

    But many indigenes are claiming that Omosebi is a native of Ilesa and not Erijiyan. They alleged that he is not from any of the three ruling houses.

    A palace source claimed that Omosebi’s grandfather was from Ilesa but lived in the Olohan palace until he died and was buried at Erijiyan.

    The three ruling houses are Odundun, Agunsoye and Ogbegun.

    But Omosebi claims he belongs to the Agunsoye ruling house.

    The last Olohan of Erijiyan, Oba Jonathan Olufemi, who died in December 2013, was from the Odundun ruling house.

    Many aggrieved residents had been protesting since Saturday, warning the government against re-enacting the “Ikere magic” in their community.

    They were apparently referring to the drama, leading to the emergence of the Ogoga of Ikere, Adejimi Adu Alagbado, who was installed and presented with a certificate and staff of office on July 6, when he was yet to undergo traditional rites.

    Security arrangements are being supervised by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Aramoko-Ekiti, who has been detailed to Erijiyan to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

    A source said: “Omosebi is not from Erijiyan and he is not from any of the ruling houses here.

    “His grandfather was from Ilesa and he lived in the palace till he died in Erijiyan.

    “Governor Ayo Fayose held a meeting at the weekend with stakeholders on the Olohan of Erijiyan stool, where we suspected that he wanted to try the coercion of Ikere but the people said no.

    “He told the kingmakers to come back yesterday with the name of a candidate.

    “During the meeting, an unruly candidate was ordered out by the governor and later allowed in.

    “During the meeting, a 75-year-old lawyer observed that the governor’s coercive manner, if allowed to go unchallenged, would lead to wrong choice of candidate.

    “The lawyer, Emmanuel Adedeji Ilori, challenged the governor that if he imposes somebody on the people, he (Adedeji) would challenge it in court.

    “The governor replied the old man that he (Fayose) had opened the courts and that those aggrieved are free to go there.

    “Fayose said they would still be on the matter by the time his administration ends its tenure.”