In the last few days, I’ve watched the world dot on the picturesque Ojude OBA festival, held on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, three days after the Sallah celebration, being a tradition started over 200 years ago by Oba Adesimbo Atunwase.

Today, that the festival has continued to grow in leaps and, the Ijebu people, no matter how highly placed, permanently leave that day on their calendar, explains their high regard for their monarch, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

This reverred monarch, despite his age, continued to be involved in the planning of the event each year, getting briefing from his distinguished Ijebu subjects, who served on the committee to make it happen.

Therefore, as we prepare for the premiere of the first ever Awujale biopic, the powerful story of Kabiyesi Kayode Sikiru Adetona in Ijebu, in five locations of Abeokuta, Lagos, London and America, we are more than pleased we did this project, which reveals how couragous and brave the current Awujale is and how important this king is to his people.

Directed by Tunde Laoye, Awujale, the biopic, stars Sola Sobowale, Debo Adebowale, Antar Laniyan, Jide Kosoko, Fred Amata, Yemi Sodimu, Dayo Amusa and Aishat Lawal, to mention a few.

We are excited, and certainly can’t wait.

Seun Oloketuyi

Producer

Enquires

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The final forfeiture of properties worth N12.18 billion linked to Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has been ordered by a Federal high court in Lagos.

The court ordered the final forfeiture of the properties after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) filed a motion to that effect.

Chukwujekwu Aneke, the judge, had ordered an interim forfeiture of the properties on June 5.

The properties are located in upmarket areas of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Aneke ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the order in a national newspaper, for any interested party to show cause why the final order of forfeiture should not be made.

The properties were listed by the EFCC in two schedules — A and B.

The judge said: “Having carefully considered the application and submission of counsel, it is hereby ordered as follows: that a final forfeiture order of this honorable court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, properties contained in Schedule A herein which were traced and reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

“That a final forfeiture order of this Honourable Court is hereby made forfeiting to the Federal Government of Nigeria, properties contained in Schedule B herein which properties were traced to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.”

Emefiele is facing multiple counts of fraud and abuse of office.

Gabriel Idibia, a journalist with the Daily Times, has reportedly been brutalised for “taking pictures of cattle shepherded by police”.

Report has it that Idibia took the pictures along Kachia expressway in Kaduna state, and was subsequently arrested on June 11.

In a statement on Saturday, the Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) condemned the arrest, adding that Idibia was carrying out his constitutional duty.

“Mr. Gabriel Idibia in a chat with the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID) confirmed that he was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) police station, Gabasawa, while taking pictures of a large herd of cattle being shepherded by the police on Kachia expressway, a usually busy road in the state,” the statement reads.

“He was thereafter taken into custody and brutally beaten up. Mr Idibia insists that the physical torture severely affected his eyes, forcing him to access eye treatment.

“His allegations have been corroborated by media reports and an eyewitness that was arrested along with him.

“Before his arbitrary arrest, Mr Idibia had presented his I.D card to the police officers to identify himself as a journalist trying to cover the blockage of the Kachia expressway by the herd of cattle led by the same policemen.

“He was however denied an audience by the belligerent officers who asked him to leave the scene of the incident for no reason.

“The police officers thereafter seized his mobile phone and identity card when Mr. Idibia tried to take a picture of the road blockage and took him to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) police station, Gabasawa where he was detained from morning till late in the evening.”

The coalition said Idibia narrated how the policemen forced him to write a statement without access to his lawyers or colleagues.

“On getting to the police station, one of the officers who brought me to the station punched me in the face, and hit one of my eyes, leaving me almost blinded,” the statement quoted Idibia as saying.

Mansir Hassan, spokesperson of the Kaduna police command, said he saw no sign of assault on the journalist.

“He was eventually granted bail on self recognition,” Hassan was quoted as saying.

The coalition asked Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), to ensure that a thorough investigation is conducted into the incident.

CWPPF also demanded punishment for any officer found culpable.