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Inside Ogun: Three Arrested As Police, Suspected Cultists Clash

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Three suspected cultists were arrested on Monday after they reportedly engaged men of the Ogun State Police Command in a gun duel around Lafenwa in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The suspected cultists were said to be members of the notorious Aiye cult group that had been allegedly terrorizing different parts of Abeokuta.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, made this known in a statement on Tuesday.

Oyeyemi said, “the suspects, Jonathan Oshinalu, Kola Bolugbe, and Jimoh Aliu a.k.a Alaayan were arrested following an intelligence report received by the SWAT officials on a notorious cult leader simply known as “Ben”.

“He had been involved in several cult clashes leading to the killing of no fewer than five persons.

“The cult leader was holding a nocturnal meeting with his group at Ogun radio, Mile 2 area of Lafenwa, Abeokuta, for the purpose of launching another attack in some parts of the metropolis.

“Upon the report, the SWAT team, in conjunction with men of Lafenwa and Ilupeju divisions moved to the area.

“But on sighting the policemen, Ben and his deadly group engaged them in a gun battle which lasted for about 30 minutes.

“At the end of the encounter, the said Ben escaped with bullet wounds while three among them were apprehended.

“The hoodlums, during the attack, destroyed the patrol vehicle of Lafenwa division before they were subdued by the superior firepower of the police.

“An unregistered Lexus 330 car they used for their operations was also recovered by the SWAT team.”

The PPRO. however, said the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, had directed a manhunt for the escaped gang leader and other members of his group.

Oyeyemi said, “the CP also ordered a discreet investigation into the activities of the arrested hoodlums with a view of arraigning them in court as soon as possible.”

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BREAKING: Court Finds Natasha Guilty Of Contempt, Fines Her N5 million

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday convicted the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for contempt over a satirical apology she posted on her Facebook page on April 27.

Justice Binta Nyako, delivering judgment in the suit filed by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan challenging her suspension, began with the contempt application submitted by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio, in his application, argued that the senator’s social media post breached an earlier court order that restrained all parties from speaking to the press or posting on social media about the matter.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel contended that the post was unrelated to the court’s order on her suspension but was about a separate matter involving sexual harassment claims against the third respondent (Akpabio).

However, Justice Nyako ruled that after reviewing the post and the application before her filed by the third respondent, she was convinced it was connected to the suspension case before the court and therefore declared the plaintiff guilty of contempt.

The judge directed Akpoti-Uduaghan to publish an apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. She also imposed a fine of N5 million.

 

More to come…

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BREAKING: Court Orders Senate To Recall Suspended Natasha Akpoti

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Nigerian Senate exceeded its powers by suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, ordering her to be immediately recalled to the Red Chamber.

Justice Binta Nyako, delivering the judgment, described the suspension period as “excessive” and lacking a solid legal basis.

The court stated that both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which the Senate relied on, do not specify a maximum suspension length. Therefore, their application in this situation was considered overreaching.

The judge noted that since the National Assembly is only mandated to sit for 181 days in a legislative year, suspending a lawmaker for about the same length of time effectively silences an entire constituency, calling it unconstitutional.

“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.

However, the court agreed with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on a different issue, ruling that his decision to prevent Akpoti-Uduaghan from speaking during a plenary—because she was not in her designated seat—did not violate her rights.

Nyako also dismissed Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary should not interfere in what he described as an “internal affair” of the legislature, saying fundamental rights and representation fall squarely within the court’s jurisdiction.

In a separate twist, the court imposed a monetary penalty on Akpoti-Uduaghan for violating an earlier court directive that barred both parties from making public comments about the ongoing legal proceedings.

The fine amounts to millions of naira.

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COALITION: We’ll Register New Party As Backup To ADC — El-Rufai

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A leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and an important figure in the opposition coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, stated that a new political party would be registered as a backup for the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

El-Rufai explained that the new party would serve as an alternative option to guard against potential infiltration by the All Progressives Congress, APC, into the ADC.

The opposition coalition had chosen the ADC as its platform on Wednesday.

However, El-Rufai noted that there is a possibility the APC could spark a crisis within the ADC by turning old members against the new leadership.

He revealed this during an interview with Radio France International (RFI) Hausa Service on Wednesday night.

“Those who refuse to join the APC face threats of investigations by agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), or Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

“The opposition parties’ alliance in the ADC is temporary, and we may register a new party as a second option, which we will move to should the ADC be instigated into crisis by the government,” the former Kaduna governor stated.

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