Love leaves a memory no one can steal and death a heartache no one can heal.
These are not the best of times for country representative of Elite Model, founder of Prive Luxury Events and former coordinator of Miss Nigeria beauty pageant, Elohor Aisen. The dark and lovely wife of Owen Aisen is grieving over the loss of her father.
Celeb Watch gathered that plans were already being made to give her deceased father a befitting burial. Elohor is heavily pregnant and expecting her second child.
The family of the late educationist and founder of the famous Mayflower School, Ikenne, Ogun State, Dr. Tai Solarin, recently marked the 21st anniversary of his passing on. His only daughter, Corin, told INNOCENT DURU how the late atheist related with the remaining members of his family. The late author and social critic, she said, died a rich man.
It is 21years since your father passed on. How has life been without him?
I have missed my father’s presence for the past 21 years. He can never be replaced. The best way to honour his memory is to follow the precepts that he gave ushard work, scrupulous honesty and not relying on others but rather being very independent.
One would expect either you or your brother to take to his ways, criticising government and wearing his trade mark khaki shirt…
It is more important to follow his ideals than dress like he did. One does not have to wear khaki before one can criticise the things that one perceives as wrong. There are many people who speak out about our society’s wrongs without needing to don khaki. For example, I see a lot that is wrong with education in Nigeria at present, and I do not hesitate in making my views known.
Could you tell us some of these things you think are wrong with our educational system?
One of them is that our government does not care about the education of the populace. This is evident in how much of the GNP is expended on education. Until our leaders realise that a highly educated and motivated workforce is the way to national prosperity, we will continue to subsist in poverty.
You appear to speak more glowingly of your dad than your mum. Why so?
Your questions thus far were about Tai Solarin. But behind every great man is a great woman. My mother was as well a great woman who worked side by side with Papa and can be said to have played a large role in his successes. She was a hard worker and a humble woman, who at the end of the day was recognised by no less a woman than Queen Elizabeth of England. She is greatly missed as well.
Your father was on different occasions thrown behind bars for criticising the government. Which of these occasions got you worried the most?
I would have to say that it was the last time in life that he was jailed for his writing. He spent 17 agonising months imprisoned in the north. He lost close to 20 kilos in weight, and every one of us feared that in his old age, he would not get out alive.
Was there any time you had to plead with him to soft pedal on his criticism of government? If yes, what was his reaction?
No. It would never have occurred to me to do so. Papa was extremely determined in his actions and views. He knew full well that his opinions could cost him his life, and he was courageous enough to face that eventuality. And Mama always supported him in his decisions, no matter how painful they were to her.
Did your father die a rich man?
My father was a very rich man. By this I mean he was very well loved, respected and admired, which are the greatest riches. Did he die with millions in the bank? No. And I would not prefer him to be in any way different from that.
I learnt he trained many people in school. How was I learnt he getting the funds to do that?
Tai Solarin had funds to train many people because he was a simple man who lived without luxury, preferring to use his money to send hundreds of people through as far as university and medical school. Any person who finished medical school, he would buy a car for them.
In one of your interviews that I have read, you described him as ‘patron saint of ogogoro sellers.’ Do you think the gesture back then was helpful, considering the number of people that have died drinking ogogoro across the country?
Tai Solarin never took a drop of alcohol in his lifetime! The reason he still became a hero among ogogoro sellers was that he believed that those who were producing alcohol locally were being penalised for their product, whereas imported alcohol from the Western world was sold freely. Experience such as the barring of alcohol, such as the one that happened in the US in the 1920’s during the period they call Prohibition, shows that it is virtually impossible to stop an alcoholic from finding alcohol even if it is banned. Tai Solarin’s only point was that Nigeria should support its local entrepreneurs.
Could you clear the air on the real reason your late father became an atheist? There are different versions of it out there.
I am not sure what versions you are referring to. Kindly specify.
Some said it was after he failed an examination he had prayed very well before doing. Others said it was after he lost his sister after praying rigorously to avert it.
The generally held notion is that in his youth, he had a crisis of faith when he lost someone that was close to him. In my opinion Tai Solarin was a much more devout man than many, based on how he lived his life.
Are you also an atheist?
You called Tai Solarin an atheist, not me. I am a Catholic.
But did he influence you to become one?
To become one what, please?
To become an atheist
Tai Solarin never influenced anybody’s choice of faith. He was a very tolerant human being. If more people followed his example, we might have a more tolerant society.
Have you heard anybody saying that he would go to hell because he was an atheist? Because I read an interview where you dismissed that, saying you know where he is resting.
It was reported to me by somebody that their pastor said so in their church. That was where I heard such a report. I can’t even remember the person that said so.
Most men dread going to the houses of their girlfriends whose fathers are disciplinarians. Did you experience that as a young lady?
I cannot say that I had suitors while I was living with my parents. I was one of the youngest in my set. There was nothing like suitors.
It is obvious you love and respect your late father. What attitudes of his did you dislike?
It is difficult to recall anything about the late Tai Solarin that I disliked. He was fair in his treatment of people. He was generous and kind hearted.
Most children of famous people are usually regular faces in social circles. Yours does not seem to be so…
I am not in many social circles because I am very often working and do not have the time.
How then do you relax and what are your beauty routines: clothing, making up and so on?
I relax by reading and travelling. With regards to health and beauty, I believe that everything should be done in moderation.
After he had been declared missing for seven days, the body of former Vice-Chancellor (VC) Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, Prof. Albert Ilemobade, was discovered in a generator store in his Ijapo, Akure residence. His guard and former driver, suspected to have carried out his assassination, have since been arrested. DAMISI OJO writes on the intrigues provoked by the death of the ex-VC.
THE murder of former Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Albert Ilemobade, will go down as one of the most callous in the history of Ondo State, particularly Akure, the capital. There had been no previous reports of a man of the age and status of the former university don being strangled to death.
Concerned family members and symphatisers had embarked on marathon prayers for God to touch the minds of his abductors when the news first filtered out penultimate Monday that the retired academic had been abducted by some unknown persons. Eager to see her husband return home, Ilemobade’s aged widow, Mrs. Olakitan Ilemobade (73) had promised to find any amount demanded as ransome by his captors. Unknown to her, the late academic’s body was decaying inside the abandoned store within their white-coated building in Ijapo Estate, Akure.
Before the late professor’s body was detected, Olakitan said she was inside the house sleeping when those she thought were kidnappers entered the house and took her husband away. According to her, she woke up only to discover that her husband was nowhere to be found while the car he parked inside the compound had also disappeared. The gate man was also nowhere to be found.
She said: “When I got to the gate of the house, I discovered that it had been locked and our vehicle had been taken away. That is all I can remember or say about the ugly incident.”
She said the car reported to have been abandoned along Ijare Road in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state was not the late VC’s car, adding that the suspects took him away in a Toyota RAV 4 SUV, which had not been found at the time.
About seven days later, the corpse of the 79-year-old professor of Veterinary Medicine was discovered inside his store, causing relations and sympathisers to weep and mourn. Friends, associates and kinsmen of the late professor have continued to throng his residence on Ijapo Estate, Akure.
Many of them were heard raining curses on the killers of their benefactor, who they said was too nice to be killed in such horrible circumstances. Ilemobade’s residence turned into a Mecca of sort as people from Akure and other parts of the state tried to catch a glimpse of the scene of the gruesome murder. They wore mournful looks as they discussed the incident in hushed tones.
The family and church members have also made an appeal to the police and other security agencies in the country not to allow the killing of the late professor to be swept under the carpet. They described the death of the septuagenarian academic as too painful, hence the appeal for quick investigation into his killing and subsequent dispensation of justice on those found guilty in the murder case.
The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Isaac Eke, assured the family during a chat with newsmen at the State Police Command, that Ilemobade’s killers would face the full wrath of the law. Eke also noted that the suspected killers of the late Ilemobade had confirmed to the police their involvement in the death of the late university don, adding that the law would take its full course in the case.
Describing the suspected killers of the late professor as evil minded people, the police boss said they should not be allowed to live among human beings, hence the determination of the state Police command to ensure that justice is done promptly in the matter.
Eke, who described the incident as traumatic and sad, described it as another dimension to criminal acts in the country, assuring that the police would ensure that the two suspects arrested in connection with the murder case, who were domestic employees of the deceased, were made to face the music
He warned other criminals in the state, saying there would be no hiding place for them in the state.
Adesola, a professor and eldest son of the deceased who is based in South Africa, said the family was yet to come to terms with the death of the patriarch of the Ilemobade family. According to him, “We do not know why he could have been killed in such circumstance, as he was very generous to those that worked with him, especially the driver and his security guard who have both confessed to killing him.”
Adesola recalled that the last conversation he had with his late father occurred during the last Fathers’ Day, which he said the deceased celebrated in style.
He said: “Papa’s (Ilemobade’s) last public function was the Father’s Day where, according to him, he played active roles in all the church activities and had personal discussions with all his children after he returned from church.
“He specifically told me and my other siblings who came around to celebrate Fathers’ Day with him that he was happy. When we asked him why, he said he could not explain the cause of his joy but just felt happy and highly excited. He said he was too happy and could not hide his joy. He expressed his joy to everyone that came around him both in the church and at home that Sunday.”
The only daughter of the deceased, Mrs Tolulade Ozigbo, also described her late father as a disciplinarian, stressing that the family has lost a gem and that the vacuum left by the deceased would be very difficult to fill by any member of the family.
She recalled growing up under the tutelage of her late father, saying: “My father was a disciplinarian who would ensure that we all woke up by 6 am for family devotion, whether we liked it or not. He was too much to be missed. Nobody can say any bad thing about him, not even those who worked with him in all the places he worked, including FUTA.”
The youngest child of the deceased, Adeseni Ilemobade, who expressed regrets on the death of his father, said the deceased’s former driver and one of the suspects arrested for his killing had during the last Easter misbehaved.
He recalled that “when daddy travelled to Ondo, our home town, for the last Easter celebration, the driver suddenly disappeared while service was going on. After the service, Daddy could not find the driver and the car in the church premises. He reported the case to the police and after some days, the driver was arrested and the car was found. But daddy, after a while, accepted the plea of the driver. Now,the driver has done his worst by eliminating him.”
He described the alleged action of the driver as vengeance, stressing that “the driver later came back on revenge mission. But we thank God our father lived a life well spent in the service of God and humanity. He was a man everybody would like to come across and these make us happy as his children who are also growing in his counsel.”
Notwithstanding the circumstances surrounding the death of Ilemobade, the family said a befitting burial would be given to the late professor, stressing that “no matter the way he left, we are still going to celebrate him as a hero that he was.”
Adesola, eldest son of the deceased, said: “Regardless of the circumstances that surrounded his exit (death), our late father will be given a befitting burial. The family is already meeting and planning on the date of the burial,” he said, adding that “our late father will be celebrated by the family whenever we agree to bury him.”
Also, the Vicar-in-Charge of Vinning College of Theology, Akure where the deceased attended before his death, Dr Ayodeji Fagbemi, said: “We have lost a very great scholar and it is just too wicked for a man of his caliber to have been killed this way. It is a terrible thing and I believe that those behind this killing will not go unpunished.”
He called on the government and the police to ensure that the killers of Ilemobade face the music, saying the case should not be swept under the carpet, just as he called on the judiciary to give accelerated hearing to the case for the world to have confidence in the judiciary.
Ilemobade’s suspected killers were arrested in Ogun State and, after interrogation by security agents, it was discovered that the two suspects confessed to the killing of Ilemobade, hiding his corpse in a store that housed the generator before running away with his vehicle, which they planned to sell. This led to their transfer to the Ondo State Police Command.
One of the suspects, Bamitale, a 36-year-old man who claimed to be an indigene of Ekiti State, had during interrogation said he stopped working as a driver with Prof Ilemobade about four months ago when he attempted to steal a car belonging to his boss, adding that Daniel, who was also a domestic staff of the late university don, contacted him a few weeks ago and told him that he had consulted his herbalist on how to steal the car without running into trouble.
Narrating how they killed Prof. Ilemobade, he said: “After he had told me about his herbalist on the phone, Daniel asked me to come to the House at Ijapo Estate on Sunday by 9p.m. When I got to the place, he told me that he had met his herbalist who told him that if we wanted to take the car, we must ensure that we killed Prof and that he must take away some sand from that house so that there won’t be any problem after we might have killed him. “
His words: “When I asked him how we were going to kill Prof who was already sleeping outside, Daniel said he would lure him to the security room by telling him that there was a power surge, and from there, we would strangle him to death. We would then be able to enter into his room and take whatever we wanted.
“He went into the sitting room of Prof and called him that there was a power surge, and Baba passed through the kitchen to the security room. It was there that we grabbed his neck until he stopped breathing. We took him to a store beside his car park and dumped his body there, We put a picture on his chest so that if the body was later found, they would think that it was those who killed him that dropped the picture.
“When we entered his room, we saw the car key and N7,000 with his laptop and two phones. Daniel locked the gate from outside and we went away with the Rav 4 Toyota car. When we were about leaving his residence at Ijapo Estate, in Akure, we met some police officers who passed by us thinking that Prof had sent us out.
“We slept at Alagbaka area of Akure because Daniel’s brother, who lived at Arakale in Akure, refused to pick his phone. The following morning, Daniel asked us to take the car to Calabar, but I told him that the N7,000 with us was not enough to buy fuel to take us to Calabar. We agreed to take the Car to Lagos, but the people I know in Lagos did not agree that I should bring the car to them.
“We left the place for Ijebu-Ode. It was then that FRSC officers arrested us, saying that we did`n’t have the car documents. They took the car to a nearby police station where we were directed to pay N3,000 at First Bank.
“There was no money on us again, and when it was the second day, we took the laptop and the two phones to Epe so as to get buyers in order to secure the release of the car.
“When Daniel saw one of his kinsmen, the guy agreed to buy the phones and he gave us N3,000 so that we could secure the release of the seized car. I went to First bank to pay the money and we took the teller to the FRSC. We were given a letter which we took to the police station and they released the car to us.”
Meanwhile the remains of the late Ilemobade were still in the morgue at press time and may be buried as soon as the family concludes arrangements for the burial rites. It was learnt that the church and the family had met on how to give the late Ondo born academic a befitting burial.
Efforts to speak with Mrs Ilemobade were futile as her children and symphatisers insisted that the septuagenarian widow had been advised against making comments on the incident probably because of age factor or mood of the moment.
Shortly after her husband’s corpse was found in the store room, she had pleaded with the police to bring the suspects to her in order to give her opportunity of asking five questions from them on why they killed his long time companion and bread winner.
However, it could not be ascertained whether the Commissioner of Police acceded to Mrs Ilemobade’s request before the two suspects were remanded in prison awaiting trial.
A 14-year-old girl has told the police how her father, Waheed Adeboye, 49, defiled her in their Ikorodu, Lagos home.
She alleged that her father, who is now being detained at the Zonal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (ZSARS) Onikan, Lagos, first had carnal knowledge of her in November 2014. “He had carnal knowledge of me again on March 5, this year,” she added.
The victim, a Senior Secondary 1 pupil at Aro Isiode Grammar School in Ikorodu, Lagos, said: “We live in a face-me-I-face-you house in the Adamuo area of Ikorodu. My mother is late. We are four – my brother, two sisters and I. My father was formerly working at the National Open University (NOUN) but now works at a sawmill at Ikorodu. He left our family when I was three years old and he returned when my mother died.
“In 2014, he used to check my private parts to find out if I had started menstruating. His second wife had already left him. One Saturday, I was sleeping alone on the floor in our one-room apartment; he removed my wrapper and lay with me on the ground while touching my private part with his finger.
“Later, he asked me whether anybody had tested it and I said no. He said he would use his manhood to confirm. He removed my under-wear and wore a condom. He forced his manhood into me. I wanted to scream, but he held my mouth. After having fun with me, I bled profusely and felt weak.
“I was angry with him because he is my father, but he warned me not to tell anybody. Sometimes he would ask me why I was browsing with my phone and when, attempted to explain to him, he would hold me and have fun with me. I felt humiliated and went to a church where I narrated my problem. The church brought me here for police attention.
“He drinks a lot and womanises with prostitutes and other women outside marriage.”
Adeboye, who sells planks in Ikorodu, said the victim’s mother died in 2007, adding: “I was arrested by the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) for raping my daughter. They beat me silly and carried me to a church. The church then brought me to Zone II SARS.
“It is devil work. I did not drink. Please my daughter, if I have offended you, forgive me. I am your father,” he pleaded.
Zone II Acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Shem Olorunfemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the matter was reported to the police on May 20.
The case, he said, was transferred to ZSARS following a petition by a church. This, he said, led to the suspect’s arrest on May 21.
Olorunfemi said a medical report and police investigations showed that the suspect defiled his daughter, adding that he would be charged to court after investigations.
The eighth day prayer for Chief Adeyinka Opeifa, the late Baba Adinni of Surulere Central Mosque and father of former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, has been held at the Police College in Ikeja, OLATUNDE ODEBIYI reports.
In solidarity with their colleague, members of the immediate past Lagos State Executive Council joined former Commissioner for Transport Kayode Opeifa at the eighth day prayer for his father, the late Chief Adeyinka Opeifa, who was Baba Adini of Surulere Central Mosque. The event, which was held at the Police College, Ikeja, attracted eminent Islamic clerics, family members and friends.
Some of the guests, especially the women wore yellow lace with red headgears. The late Opeifa’s children wore blue native attires.
Five large tents erected on the college’s field were filled with guests. The clerics arrived before noon, waiting for the event to start.
Alfa Agba of Lagos Tijani Gbajabiamila said the opening prayer; Abdul Afeez Milo from Oba Asafa Central Mosque in Orile Agege read some portions of the Quran.
The Chief Imam of Surulere Central Mosque, Abdullahi Mustapha Jatto, led the prayers.
In a sermon, Adam Abdullahi urged the gathering to live for humanity so that they would be remembered for their good deeds after their death.
“Use what you have for the good of others because we will all die one day,” he said.
Fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde entertained guests at the reception held at the same venue.
Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said the late Opeifa impacted on the lives of many.
“He was a source of joy to all of us that God gave the grace to come across him,” she said.
His son Kayode described him as honest and straight forward, adding that he was the kind of father everyone wants to have.
“He taught me to be people-oriented; he spent all his life, money and resources serving people regardless of not knowing where they came from. He is amazing, someone I can always run to.
“Sometimes, when you feel frustrated and rejected about some things and you need someone serious and objective to discuss the matter with, dad is someone you can go to. He speaks to you like a father and I will miss him for that,” he said.
Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy Lateef Ibirogba said the gathering showed the deceased lived a fulfilled life.
“From the children, we can see that he is a disciplinarian, he brought up his children well and he is the kind of father everyone should emulate. He was interested in developing other people and that is why we are all here to celebrate his life,” he said.
Former Governor Babatunde Fashola’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Hakeem Bello said the late Opeifa lived an exemplary life.
“He was a man who gave a lot to the service of the state; he was a gentleman and had given a lot in the service of the state. He lived a fruitful life and he is well celebrated,” he said.
His daughter-in-law Abiodun described him as her father. She said he was intelligent and meant a lot to all.
“He was someone that I personally love, he was my father and I will miss him a lot. I will miss his words of wisdom, I will miss his calls because he called everybody. I am from Ijebu and he knows many things about Ijebu land and all the towns in Ijebu, so, I’m going to miss the story of Ijebu land from him,” she said.
In attendance were Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Alhaji Lawal Pedro (SAN); former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo; Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesperson Joe Igbokwe; former Senior Special Assistant on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs Yinka Babalola; former Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Wale Ahmed; former Special Adviser on Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo; former Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Demola Seriki; former Special Adviser for Works Ganiyu Johnson; former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperative Prince Gbolahan Lawal; APC women leader Mrs Kemi Nelson; APC Agege leader Yinka Ogundimu; Bisi Yusuf; Akinsanya Ajose; Chief Safari Adaranijo; Comrade Femi Aborisade; Oba Alara of Ilara, Akeem Okunde Adesanya; Chief Solomon Ojolowo and Dr Amos Akingba, among others.
A father was yesterday arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for caning his five-year-old son.
The accused, Sikiru Mustapha, 29, is standing trial for assault.
Mustapha, a resident of Pedro Street in Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, however, pleaded not guilty.
Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Godwin Anyanwu told the court that the accused committed the offence on June 5 about 9.30 a.m. at his residence.
The victim, he said, lived with the accused and his step-mother.
Anyanwu said the accused beat his son because he defecated on his body as he was preparing to go to school.
“The victim’s teacher saw the injuries on the boy’s body and rushed him to hospital.
“The teacher and those who treated the boy called the Public Defender’s Office to report the case.
“The accused was arrested by officers of the Sabo Police Station at Yaba after investigations,’’ he said.
The prosecutor said the victim was still undergoing treatment.
Chief Magistrate A.O. Soladoye granted the accused N200, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum and adjourned the case till July 20.
The eighth day prayer for Chief Adeyinka Opeifa, the late Baba Adinni of Surulere Central Mosque and father of former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, has been held at the Police College in Ikeja, OLATUNDE ODEBIYI reports.
In solidarity with their colleague, members of the immediate past Lagos State Executive Council joined former Commissioner for Transport Kayode Opeifa at the eighth day prayer for his father, the late Chief Adeyinka Opeifa, who was Baba Adini of Surulere Central Mosque. The event, which was held at the Police College, Ikeja, penultimate Thursday attracted eminent Islamic Clerics, family members and friends.
Some of the guests, especially the women wore yellow lace with red headgears. The late Opeifa’s children wore blue native attires.
Five large tents erected on the college’s field were filled with guests. The clerics arrived before noon, waiting for the event to start.
Alfa Agba of Lagos Tijani Gbajabiamila said the opening prayer; Abdul Afeez Milo from Oba Asafa Central Mosque in Orile Agege read some portions of the Quran.
The Chief Imam of Surulere Central Mosque, Abdullahi Mustapha Jatto, led the prayers.
In a sermon, Adam Abdullahi urged the gathering to live for humanity so that they would be remembered for their good deeds after their death.
“Use what you have for the good of others because we will all die one day,” he said.
Fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde entertained guests at the reception held at the same venue.
Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said the late Opeifa impacted on the lives of many.
“He was a source of joy to all of us that God gave the grace to come across him,” she said.
His son Kayode described him as honest and straight forward, adding that he was the kind of father everyone wants to have.
“He taught me to be people-oriented; he spent all his life, money and resources serving people regardless of not knowing where they came from. He is amazing, someone I can always run to.
“Sometimes, when you feel frustrated and rejected about some things and you need someone serious and objective to discuss the matter with, dad is someone you can go to. He speaks to you like a father and I will miss him for that,” he said.
Former Commissioner for Information and Strategy Lateef Ibirogba said the gathering showed the deceased lived a fulfilled life.
“From the children, we can see that he is a disciplinarian, he brought up his children well and he is the kind of father everyone should emulate. He was interested in developing other people and that is why we are all here to celebrate his life,” he said.
Former Governor Babatunde Fashola’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Hakeem Bello said the late Opeifa lived an exemplary life.
“He was a man who gave a lot to the service of the state; he was a gentleman and had given a lot in the service of the state. He lived a fruitful life and he is well celebrated,” he said.
His daughter-in-law Abiodun described him as her father. She said he was intelligent and meant a lot to all.
“He was someone that I personally love, he was my father and I will miss him a lot. I will miss his words of wisdom, I will miss his calls because he called everybody. I am from Ijebu and he knows many things about Ijebu land and all the towns in Ijebu, so, I’m going to miss the story of Ijebu land from him,” she said.
In attendance were Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Alhaji Lawal Pedro (SAN); former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo; Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesperson Joe Igbokwe; former Senior Special Assistant on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs Yinka Babalola; former Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Wale Ahmed; former Special Adviser on Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo; former Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Demola Seriki; former Special Adviser for Works Ganiyu Johnson; former Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperative Prince Gbolahan Lawal; APC women leader Mrs Kemi Nelson; APC Agege leader Yinka Ogundimu; Bisi Yusuf; Akinsanya Ajose; Chief Safari Adaranijo; Comrade Femi Aborisade; Oba Alara of Ilara, Akeem Okunde Adesanya; Chief Solomon Ojolowo and Dr Amos Akingba, among others.
A 47-year-old man, Solomon Ojo, was yesterday arraigned at an Ota Senior Magistrate’s Court in Ogun State, for allegedly raping his daughter.
Ojo, who lives at 15, Abinuyo St, Ijoko, Ota, is facing a one-count charge of rape.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Rosemary Brown, told the court that the accused committed the offence in 2013 at his residence.
Brown said the accused forcefully had carnal knowledge of his daughter.
She said the offence contravened Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Vol. 1, Revised Laws of Ogun State, 2006.
The Magistrate, Ms Temitope Adebutu, admitted the accused to bail on N200, 000 and two sureties.
Adebutu said the sureties must have landed property within the court’s jurisdiction and swear to an affidavit of means.
The case was adjourned till June 3 for hearing.
STEP-FATHER of Ghanaian actress, Nadia Buari, Alhaji Sidiku Buari, has rubbished claims that President John Mahama is the father of the thespian’s twins, describing news about the parentage of his grandchildren as absurd.
It has been reported widely on social media that the Ghanaian actress granted an interview to a Spanish radio station and announced that President Mahama is the father of the twin girls she delivered last month.
Popular Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke, has also been linked to the kids, although he has since denied paternity.
Speaking to Hitz FM’ an emotional Sidiku Buari said; “That’s a big lie. As much as I respect some of the media people, some of them are just unbelievable, what they put in the papers or what you hear on the radio and the television in most cases are all lies. Where on earth did this happen? Where will Nadia say that? On a Spanish radio station, isn’t that funny? Just recently somebody was showing me two pictures of the twins which is far from the truth. Which were not the twins of Nadia,” he stated.
The former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) however declined to name the father of the twins saying, “when it’s the time I will let you know.”
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has received a massive boost yesterday as he got the endorsement of the Epe Council of Obas. The endorsement followed a meeting of Ambode with the traditional rulers at the Palace of the Alara of Ilara, Oba Akeem Okunola Adesanya.
A retired Supreme Court judge and a foremost leader in Epe, Justice Adesola Oguntade, said Ambode has long been singled out for excellence from the candidates, because of his experience.
Oba Adesanya, led 16 other monarchs to bless the APC candidate. The prayers continued for almost an hour, and it depicted the depth of faith and confidence the monarchs have in Ambode’s leadership capabilities.
Ambode said: “I can say that I’ve been privileged to gather the needed experience to serve Epe and our state further, but I can’t do it alone. I thank you my fathers so much for this overwhelming expression of support and prayers. I promise not to fail you, God helping me.
“It is time for Epe to experience the remarkable growth it has sought in the past 55 years, even as the whole of Lagos is gearing up for a next level. I assure you that the development that will besiege this division will benefit all of us. With your votes for the APC at all levels, I am sure that this growth will be monumental.”
The monarchs who blessed Ambode include the Oloja of Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Ishola Animashaun; the Aladeshonyin of Odo-Noforija, Oba Babatunde Ogunlaja; the Omola of Odomola, Oba Sikiru Taiwo Odukoya; the Aladegunshenbi of Odoragunshin, Oba Olawale Ogunsanya; the Orijeru of Igboye, Oba Gbadebo Onakoya and the Alade-Uraka of Poka, Oba Aileru Kolawole.
Others were the Olu-Epe of Epe, Oba Shefiu Adewale; the Alaketu of Ketu, Oba Adegboyega Adefowora; the Olofin Ajaiye of Odo-Orugbo, Oba Adekoya Odusanya; the Onibeju of Ibeju Land, Oba Rafiu Olusegun Salami; the Onilekki of Lekki, Oba Kazeem Olumuyiwa Ogunbekin; the Onimedu of Orimedu, Oba Hamza Atiku; the Elejinrin of Ejinrin, Oba Ishola Babatunde Balogun; the Onitedo of Itedo, Oba Tajudeen Elemoro; the Onise of Ise, Oba Ganiu Adegbesan; and the Alayandelu of Odo-Ayandelu, Oba Ganiyu Asunmo.