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Graduate Stranded As Kwara Poly, NYSC Mobilise Impostor For Service

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An accounting graduate of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Kwara State, Rukayat Akinola, has lamented being stranded after her student details were allegedly used to mobilize another person for the National Youth Service Corps.

It was gathered that Akinola and her colleagues graduated sometime in 2021 and after she received her certificate, she commenced registration for the scheme.

The 25-year-old said she visited a cyber cafe close to her house to do the registration, adding that when she logged in her details into the NYSC portal, she discovered that they had been used to mobilize another person.

Akinola said, “After graduating, I started the process of getting my certificate. In fact, because of my certificate, I traveled from our home in Oyo State to my school’s admin office in Ilorin on three separate occasions, but they kept telling me something was wrong and I would soon get it.

“I eventually collected my certificate around March 2022. Afterward, I went to the cafe to do the NYSC registration. But when I logged in my full name and matric number on the portal, it revealed that another person was already using my details to serve in Oyo State.

“So, the person in charge of the cafe printed the document for me. The impostor’s passport was on the document that carried my name. I sent the document to one of my colleagues.

“The colleague helped in identifying the impostor’s identity as Grace. I also went on Facebook to search for the same Grace and I was able to link the image I saw on Facebook to the picture of the person on my NYSC portal.”

Rukayat said she complained to the NYSC office in Kwara State, adding that she was told that the body only worked with records provided by the school.

The Oyo State indigene said she was advised to return to her school to lodge an official complaint so the issue could be resolved.

“Immediately, I wrote letters to the school registrar; director of student affairs, and the Department of State Services in Kwara State, indicating that someone was using my full name and matric number to serve at the NYSC camp in Oyo State.

“An official at the DSS, upon receiving my complaint, took me to the rector and after I explained my situation to him, he became surprised and promised to write to the NYSC in Oyo State so the girl using my details to serve could be recalled.

“But I have not heard anything from the school to date. If I call the DSA to ask about my case, he would say NYSC had not replied to the school’s letter regarding my case. I want to serve; I need the NYSC certificate because of where I am working.

“My parents have been bothered about the issue. The girl using my details to serve is aware of what she did. She has changed her number because of what she did,” the accountant said.

Rukayat’s details including her certificate, admission letter, and a letter she wrote to the registrar were obtained by our correspondent.

Efforts by our correspondent to reach the alleged impostor proved abortive.

The DSA, Dr. Saheed Ajadi, confirmed that Akinola complained about the matter.

He said, “We mobilized her from our end and it was during her registration that she discovered and if we didn’t mobilize her, she wouldn’t discover that her details had been used.

“When she notified us, we immediately wrote to the NYSC secretariat that somebody else was using our student’s portal for that same purpose. The NYSC responded to us and I also forwarded the response to her (Akinola) WhatsApp number.

“The other person that claimed her call-up number is currently serving in Oyo State. We also discovered that the other person was bearing Grace and she was never our student.

“We have been informed that the coordinator, NYSC, Oyo State, has been notified to demobilize the other party (Grace). We have also written to NYSC to remobilize Rukayat Akinola and that is the stage we are at at the moment and we are expecting a response from the NYSC.”

The Public Relations Officer, NYSC, Kwara State, Oladipupo Morakinyo, when contacted said, “How does it concern the NYSC? You don’t do interviews on the phone; you are talking to a public relations officer. I am not competent to make a reaction; I can’t give you (the number of the state coordinator). Contact the NYSC headquarters for an appropriate response.”

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Doyin Okupe Reacts To Peter Obi’s Viral Video, Says I Cannot Support Him Again

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Doyin Okupe, the former director-general of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign in 2023, says he “cannot support” Peter Obi again.

Okupe spoke on Monday during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

He was reacting to a viral clip of Obi commenting on how the country’s economic situation offers little relief to people in the south-west, despite President Bola Tinubu being from the zone.

“Let us talk about what is happening today. Rice is about N100,000. We are not even sure where we are going to be. ‘It’s our turn’, ‘he is a Yoruba man’ — ask the people in Ogun, here is there any place you people buy bread cheaper?” Obi said in the viral clip.

The video generated mixed reactions on social media, with some supporting Obi’s comments while others criticised him.

Adding his voice to the criticism, Okupe described the former LP presidential candidate’s remark as an “insult” to people in the south-west.

He said Obi’s statement publicly demeaned the south-west, even though “eminent Yoruba people” had supported him during his presidential campaign in 2023.

“When Obi made that statement, it insulted us. I am a Yoruba man; I left everything and followed Obi.

“For the first time, Obasanjo left his circle of influence and deviated to support Obi,” Okupe said.

“I do not regret supporting Peter Obi. But now I cannot do it again. The reason why I did it was because we agreed that a southern president must emerge.

“I was approached that if a southern president must emerge, which zone must it come to? I said the south-east.

“If all these eminent Yoruba people supported you, why now bring us down publicly? It is wrong.”

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Lagos Muslim Cleric Bags Life Jail For Raping 14-Yr-Old Girl Inside Mosque

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Alani Rafiu, a Muslim cleric, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for raping a 14-year-old girl inside a mosque.

Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the verdict on Monday, after finding Rafiu guilty of child defilement. The cleric was arraigned on October 28, 2021, for having sexual intercourse with the teenager, but pleaded not guilty, leading to a trial.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by B. Boye, presented three witnesses, including the victim, who testified against Rafiu. The prosecution provided compelling evidence, including the victim’s testimony and medical reports, which revealed a calculated pattern of predatory behavior by the cleric.

Justice Oshodi emphasized that Rafiu’s actions were particularly egregious due to his position of trust as a religious instructor and family friend.

The judge stated that the gravity of the offence could not be overstated, as Rafiu exploited the victim’s vulnerability and betrayed the trust placed in him.

“The gravity of your offence cannot be overstated. You betrayed the trust placed in you as a religious instructor and family friend.

“Instead of nurturing and protecting a vulnerable 14-year-old child entrusted to your spiritual care, you repeatedly sexually abused her in a place of worship.

“This conduct is criminal and represents a profound violation of secular and religious principles,” he said.

Oshodi further held that the evidence revealed a calculated pattern of predatory behaviour, as the convict deliberately isolated the child, exploited her vulnerability, and bought her silence with money.

“The evidence revealed a calculated pattern of predatory behaviour. You deliberately isolated the child, exploited her vulnerability, and bought her silence with money.

“The physical and psychological trauma inflicted on this young girl is immeasurable. At an age when she should have been focused on her education and development, she was subjected to experiences that no child should endure,” the judge held.

Oshodi also stated that having carefully considered all the evidence before the court, there was compelling and consistent proof establishing that the prosecutrix was indeed a child below the age of 18 years at the time of the alleged offence in May 2021.

He said the evidence manifested through multiple sources.

Oshodi said, “When the prosecutrix testified before this court, she stated that she was 15 years old and 14 when the alleged incident occurred.

“Notably, she was still attending primary school then, explicitly saying she was in Primary 3.

“The prosecutrix’s educational level, being in Primary 3, at the time of her testimony, while not determinative of age, provides supporting circumstantial evidence consistent with her being a young teenager rather than an adult.

“The consistency of these multiple sources of evidence – the police and guardian testimony, the prosecutrix’s evidence, and circumstantial evidence – all converge to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the prosecutrix was 14 years old at the time of the alleged offence in May 2021.

“The defence led no evidence to contradict these age-related facts, nor was the prosecutrix’s age challenged during cross-examination of any of the prosecution witnesses”.

The judge said the prosecutrix provided a detailed, firsthand account of sexual intercourse with the convict.

“Her testimony was specific. She offered a detailed sequential account of the sexual assault. She testified that at the mosque (where the convict, whom she referred to as Alfa), isolated her. He would then lock the door, remove her underwear, and instruct her to lie on the floor.

“She explicitly stated that Rafiu would then insert his penis into her vagina. When asked about frequency, she confirmed this occurred three times.

“She further testified that these acts would result in bleeding, which the convict would have her clean with a handkerchief. Afterwards, he would instruct her to put her underwear back on before taking her outside,” he said.

According to Oshodi, this testimony provides a direct account of penile-vaginal penetration, with specific details about the sequence of events, location, frequency, and aftermath of the sexual acts.

“The prosecutrix maintained during cross-examination that this occurred three times, explicitly stating, “He had sex with me three times.”

The judge noted that the prosecutrix testimony remained consistent even when challenged about the timeframe, clarifying that these incidents occurred.

He said the medical evidence further strengthened the evidence of sexual intercourse. It reports that the transection found in the prosecutrix’s vagina was “consistent with forceful penetrative injury to the [prosecutrix’s] anus and vagina”.

Before passing down the verdict, Oshodi said, “What makes your conduct particularly egregious is your abuse of religious authority and the sacred space of a mosque to perpetrate these violations.

“Places of worship should be sanctuaries of safety and spiritual growth, not venues for the exploitation of children.

“The medical evidence and the prosecutrix’s testimony paint a disturbing picture of the physical harm you caused.

The bleeding she experienced and your callous provision of a handkerchief to clean up the evidence of your abuse demonstrate a shocking disregard for her well-being.

“This court must protect children from sexual predators and send a clear message that such conduct will be met with the full force of the law.

“The sentence must reflect society’s abhorrence of child sexual abuse and serve as a deterrent to others who might contemplate similar crimes.

“Therefore, I now sentence you to life imprisonment by section 137 of the Criminal Law. Furthermore, under sections 33 and 38 of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021, I order that you be registered as a sex offender in the Sex Offenders Register maintained by the Lagos State Government,” he held.

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UPDATE: Minors Freed As Court Strikes Out Suit Against 119 #EndBadGovernance Protesters

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A federal high court in Abuja has struck out the suit against 119 protesters charged over the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.

Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, dismissed the case following an application by M.D. Abubakar, counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

Abubakar had requested permission to take over and discontinue the suit.

During the session on Tuesday, Abubakar asked the court to allow the AGF to take over the charge.

This development comes just hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the attorney-general and law enforcement to release all minors detained over the protest.

As of the time of reporting, all the minors have been freed.

 

More to come…

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