Pastor Udoka Ukachukwu, who reportedly impregnated a married lady, Mrs. Eniobong Isonguyo and killed her husband, Engr. Gabriel Victor Isonguyo, in order to cover his track will be hanged to death with her lover.

According to P.M.EXPRESS, reports have it that this followed the recent judgement of the High Court sitting in Benin, Edo State, which sentenced the housewife, Mrs. Eniobong Isonguyo and her Pastor lover, Udoka Ukachukwu, to death over the murder of her husband, Engr. Victor Gabriel Isonguyo.

The deceased, who was a staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, was murdered in Benin, Edo State, in 2013 after he suspected that his wife had been impregnated by her Pastor.

During the trial, the Prosecuting Counsel told the Court that the murder of the deceased was carried out by the convicts to cover up the pregnancy accusation by the deceased against his wife while he was away.

The deceased’s wife told the Pastor to wait on her husband’s route to work and ask him for a ride. The plan paid off as the man eventually stopped and gave the Pastor a ride along Sapele Road, Benin. During the journey, the said Pastor brought out a sharp object and hit him on the neck before opening the petrol tank, sipping out fuel and burning him beyond recognition.

It was established that millions of Naira and landed properties belonging to the deceased were transferred to the said Pastor by the wife.

The Prosecuting Counsel said the woman, who was four months pregnant as at the time of the incident, later gave birth in Benin prison.

In his ruling Justice Geraldine Imadegbelo held that the prosecution was able to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Court held that the deceased was killed with a sharp object in his car by the said Pastor, who then set the car ablaze.

The judge sentenced them to death by hanging.

The then Commissioner of Police, CP Foluso Adebanjo, who narrated how Mrs. Enebong Victor Isonguyo planned the murder of her husband with her Pastor lover, Prince Udoka Ukachukwu, said they both confessed to be lovers and plotted the death of the NPDC staff and father of three.

According to him, “What happened was that the Pastor asked the deceased to meet him somewhere along Sapele Road. When the deceased got there, the Pastor stabbed him twice and then burnt the car.

The woman gave the husband’s new car to the Pastor and we found the car with the Pastor. After killing the man in his vehicle, he set the car ablaze. The Pastor changed the number plate of the new car and put a fake one after he murdered the man”.

However, Mrs. Isonguyo who denied having extra marital affairs with the Pastor, said: “When I did not see my husband I ran to the Pastor because we have known for a very long time. I took my husband’s new car to him to sow as a seed in the Church so that my husband will be found.

I told him to take it to the Church but I didn’t know that he went and changed the number plates. I had to ask him to pray harder because I loved my husband and I don’t want anything to happen to him. I did not kill my husband because I loved him”.

Chief Segun Oni, a former governor of Ekiti and also former National Deputy Chairman of APC, on Monday confirmed that he was dumping the party to rejoin the PDP.

Oni, who was suspended by the APC for anti-party activities since May 2019, spoke to journalists in Ado Ekiti.

The 65 year-old politician claimed he was leaving the APC due to ill-treatment and lack of respect for his person by the party.

He also alleged that he was shabbily treated by the APC, adding that he and his supporters were ostracised from all engagements including appointments and privileges to contest elections.

Oni, however, did not give the actual date he would formally defect to the PDP. Oni was elected governor of the state in 2007, but the victory was challenged by Kayode Fayemi, then of the Action Congress. The case dragged for several years, with elections ordered to be re-run in some LGAs by the courts. Eventually in 2010, the Appeal Court ordered Oni to vacate the seat for Fayemi.

Both Oni and Fayemi contested for the APC ticket two years ago. After losing the primary to Fayemi, Oni took Fayemi to court, alleging that Fayemi was not qualified to contest, having failed to resign his ministerial position. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Oni lost the case.

Oni said he had already started meeting with critical stakeholders in the PDP such as former Gov. Ayodele Fayose and Sen. Biodun Olujimi about his resolve to return to his former party.

According to him, the need to take the decision to return to the PDP became imperative as a way of acceding to the request of his loyalists desirous of taking the hard political step.

” You all knew the kind of treatment I have been getting so far. As we speak, none of my supporters was being allowed to get appointment or contest elections in APC.

” Even if the APC gives me the whole world, I won’t be happy seeing integral part of my political life, I mean my supporters being treated badly as we have come to find it

” You can imagine, at a particular time, I was suspended in my Ward at Ifaki Ekiti and nothing was said about it.

” Apart from politics, I am the Asiwaju, a high title holder in my town; if someone can have the effrontery to do that to me here, you can see it has sent a signal that there is a problem.

” It’s not about Segun Oni, my people and supporters are the main issue.I can confirm to you that we have taken a decision and we are in the process of joining the PDP.

”We are going to set up implementation committee to work on our programme of actions. Our joining PDP is not something that will take three months. I am not that kind of a politician that will rush at things, we can’t just go back that way.

” There must be proper planning. We are carrying out local government by local government counting of those that will follow us.

” I am not alone in this. Those who took the action for me were my supporters across all the local governments areas and 177 wards who feel bad about the whole scenario in APC. But the major thing is that we are moving, we have taken a decision to go back and on that we are working on,” he said

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress will on Tuesday chair a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The meeting was called after Oshiomhole got a stay-of-execution order of the Court of Appeal, which restored the status-quo in the party.

The meeting scheduled for 12 noon will hold at the Party’s National Secretariat, a fitting replacement of the aborted NEC meeting called by the party’s deputy secretary, Victor Giadom, in league with rebels bent on removing Oshiomhole.

“All members of the NWC are expected to attend as important matters concerning the party will be considered and deliberated at the meeting”, said publicity secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu.

“Recall that a Court of Appeal on Monday stayed the execution order of a High Court restraining the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from further acting in that capacity”, Issa-Onilu said.

The pressure a truck mounted on the pipeline overnight made the product in it to forcefully rupture and form a grey cloud that later exploded, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Monday.

Southwest Coordinator of NEMA Ibrahim Farinloye said this explanation was given by security operatives during a meeting with the Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat at the scene of the incident.

He said contrary to fears that the explosions were caused by bomb blast or Improvised Explosives Devices (IED), preliminary security analysis showed that it was too much pressure exerted on the pipeline by the over eight-tons truck laden with core stone.

The NEMA boss also ruled out insinuations that the gas plant was responsible for the explosion, explaining that it was fuel that escaped the pipeline that saturated in the atmosphere, formed a whitish substance that exploded.

According to Farinloye, the truck stayed on the pipeline overnight and exerted too much pressure on the pipeline.

He said the effect of the explosion was massive because the entire area is swampy which resulted to sinking of some of the structures.

Similarly, Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Maikudi Shehu told our Correspondent that there was no presence of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the scene, adding that his men were still conducting investigations from samples collected.

“I can tell you that there was no IED there. The blast was not caused by IED. I am still expecting report of findings from my officers to know exactly what happened,” he said.

Farinloye also confirmed the recovery of three more dead bodies from the school premises around 1:15pm, two of which have been identified ad chiefs.

With these recoveries, The Nation reports that number of deceased persons have increased to 20 following figures released by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Sunday night.

Farinloye said the committee set up by Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu has directed the Ministry of Education to cater to the pupils, while registration of displaced residents had commenced.

“We have commenced post disaster Management. You can see people registering here. We are itemising losses incurred but human and material. We have released five numbers for people to report cases of missing persons, volunteer useful information.

“The Police will do necessary things to get the truck driver who we heard was still alive. Explosion had no relationship with gas. Pressure forced it out,” he said.

Residents claimed the truck which was moving into the street to a construction site got stuck on the pipeline overnight and exerted its weight there.

“The truck stayed there for so long and with its weight on the pipeline, the fuel in the pipe which is about eight-foot deep was trying to force it’s way out. That was how a smoke-like substance started forming from under the truck and soon developed into a cloud that covered the entire area and then the blast,” said a man who claimed to be an Engineer.

The Nation gathered that of the 60 victims taken to the Nigerian Navy (NN) Reference Hospital in Ojo on Sunday, three were brought in dead (BID), 56 attended to and 10 currently on admission.

Of the 10 still admitted as of Monday, seven were in the Accident and Emergency Ward, two at the wards and one at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Two of the victims were moved to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for further attention on the head injuries they sustained, five taken away by their parents and 39 discharged.

Police spokesman Bala Elkana said the Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu visited the scene to assess situation and ensure there was adequate security presence. He said there was no breach of security at the scene, adding that no arrests were made.

The Nation observed that most of the affected residents were moving into nearby houses of their friends while business resumed as usual inside the International Trade Fair market.

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says mass gatherings can amplify the spread of infectious diseases including Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.

The Director-General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Monday in Abuja said that mass gatherings were highly visible events with the potential for serious public health consequences if they were not planned and managed carefully.

Ihekweazu, who said that “NCDC is constantly monitoring the epidemiological situation in the country.

“In view of the rapid evolution and global transmission of COVID-19, NCDC will recommend the cancellation of mass gatherings, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

“At this stage, we are not advising the cancellation of gatherings, but our advice may change as the epidemiological situation evolves. This is assessed on a daily basis and regular updates can be found on www.covid19.ncdc.gov.ng.

“NCDC offers the following guidance with key planning considerations for organisers currently planning mass gatherings in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.”

According to him, religious events like Church services, calls to prayer, prayer meetings and other gatherings like sporting events such as football matches, social events like weddings, funerals, parties, music concerts, and others like youth service camps, conferences and exhibitions should be highly monitored.

The NCDC boss said that organisers of such events must ensure adequate preparations before hosting.

He noted that “organisers should also consider using distancing measures to reduce close contact among people during gatherings by providing more entry and exit points, more food points, ensure handwashing facilities with soap and water are readily available.”

Ihekweazu said that for pre-event or gatherings, state ministries of health should be informed of such event, and location assessed by officials from the ministry to ensure safety procedures were in place.

“Requirements should be assessed prior to events and organisers should provide information to attendees prior to the event and at entry points, he advised.

He reiterated the need for regular and thorough washing of hands with soap under running water or the use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid shaking hands, hugging and any other form of physical contact where possible.

• Please stay at home if you feel ill with fever, cough or breathing difficulties.

• Cover your nose and mouth with your bent elbow or tissue paper when you cough or sneeze and dispose of tissue paper immediately.

He also advised travellers who just returned from China, Japan, Italy, Republic of Korea, Iran, France, Germany and Spain to remain in self-isolation for 14 days.

The NCDC boss said that during events or gatherings, organisers should use the occasions to reinforce messages on hygiene and staying safe.

Ihekweazu encouraged religious institutions to demonstrate hand washing technique before the start of prayers to their congregation and ensure the provision of adequate handwashing facilities, including running water, soap or alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

He, however, said that people with symptoms such as cough and fever should not be allowed into the premises, noting that arrangements should be made to check for such on entry.

“Organisers should provide adequate human resource who will be responsible for cleaning and disinfecting communal places such as ablution areas, floors, toilets and surfaces such as door handles, chairs and church benches with disinfectant or soap.

“Organisers should provide adequate waste management facilities such as closed trash cans so that people can dispose of tissue paper and other waste properly.

Grammy nominee and self-acclaimed African Giant Burna Boy has dropped the visuals to his latest single titled ‘Odogwu’.

Burna Boy - Odogwu [Official Music Video] – 03:18
— Burna Boy

The song which dropped today and was produced by TG Omori has already garnered over 195,633 YouTube views as of time of reporting.

An FCT High Court sitting in Maitama has granted an interim order allowing Victor Giadom to pilot the affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as acting chairman and to preside over all National Executive Council meetings of the APC.

Breaking: Court of Appeal orders stay of execution on the ruling delivered by Justice Danlami Senchi of the FCT high court Jabu, which suspended Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the APC.

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Abubakar Yahaya has ordered a stay of execution of the order of the FCT High Court suspending Adams Oshiomhole.

The Appellant Court’s order is pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the APC National Chairman.

Also granted by the Court is an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants from taking any action that will violate the order of a stay of execution granted by the Court.

The Appeal Court warned political parties to resolve their differences amicably without resorting to the court.

Hearing of the motion on notice has been fixed for Friday the 20th of March, 2020.

Breaking: Court of Appeal orders stay of execution on the ruling delivered by Justice Danlami Senchi of the FCT high court Jabu, which suspended Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the APC.

— TVC News (@tvcnewsng) March 16, 2020

The National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been suspended indefinitely.

The NEC meeting was supposed to hold on Tuesday where many believed that the fate of the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole will be decided.

The meeting was suspended indefinitely after the APC governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Monday.

Buhari and the governors took the decision to suspend the event after a brief meeting at the State House, Abuja.

Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum, Mr Abubakar Atiku-Bagudu, who spoke with reporters after the meeting, said the governors urged the President to support the postponement until the governors were able to resolve the issues in the party.

According to him, Buhari approved the postponement and that the president was very happy in doing so.

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed door with governors under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abuja.

The meeting reportedly began around 3.00pm.

President @MBuhari receives in audience the Progressive Governors’ Forum (APC Governors’ Forum) led by the Chairman of the Forum, H.E Atiku Bagudu of @KBStGovt this afternoon at the State House, Abuja. pic.twitter.com/5G970yz8jb

— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 16, 2020

The agenda of the meeting was not known.

Of the twenty members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), which is the platform on which APC governors converge, 16 were cited intending the meeting.

Those seen entering the President’s office included: Bornu, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Kebbi, Jigawa, Osun, Imo, Gombe, Niger, Kastsina, Plateau, Ondo, Kano, Kwara, Nassarawa governors.

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met with the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the Abule Ado explosion in Lagos.
The bodies of 20 people have been recovered while over 100 houses have been destroyed.

Sanwo-Olu was pictured showing Buhari images of the devastation occasioned by the explosion in Lagos at the State House, Abuja.

Death toll in Sunday’s explosion at Abule Ado area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has reached 20, with three dead bodies evacuated on Monday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, had said on Sunday that it had recovered 17 dead bodies from the Abule Ado explosion.

Three more corpses were recovered on Monday by emergency responders combing the buildings affected by the explosion that rocked Abule-Ado in the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The corpses were recovered from the rubble of some of the collapsed buildings at the Bethlehem Girls College in Abule-Ado.

Officials of the school confirmed the identity of the corpses to be workers of Bethlehem Girls College, the PUNCH reports.

The corpses consist of two females and one male, The PUNCH reports.

The state Chairman, Nigerian Red Cross, Adebola Kolawole, while speaking at the scene of the incident, said, three corpses had been recovered.

Francisco Garcia, a 21-year-old youth football coach in Malaga, Spain , has died few days after catching coronavirus.

News reports described him as the youngest victim to die in the entire world.

Francisco was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday, along with the devastating news that he had leukaemia.

“Mr Garcia had no idea he had an aggressive form of cancer, which made him extremely vulnerable to coronavirus, when he went to a hospital with breathing problems last Friday”, The Mirror reported.

The president of the Atletico Portada Alta football club said he was told that Mr Garcia was stable, but an hour later was informed that he had died.

Spain is battling with 9,191 cases of coronavirus, with 1349 reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll is now 309, with Garcia now among the statistics.

Worldwide, 173, 177 coronavirus cases have been recorded, with 6680 people dead and 77,811 recovered.

Officers of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested three suspected fake soldiers at Agbado area of the state.

A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Oyeyemi Ajimbola narrated how the three men were arrested in military camouflage in Agbado area of the state while the DPO of Agbado Division, SP Kuranga Yero was on routine patrol of his area with his patrol team.

The suspects: Jacob Onebi, 36, Olabode Oluwaseun, 35, and Olanrewaju Adebayo, 33, have been on close watch of the police following series of report from members of the public about their illegal activities in the area.

“On sighting them on that fateful day, the DPO and his men accosted them and demanded for their proper identity.

“The suspects claimed initially to be officers of 174 Battalion, Ikorodu, but on further investigation, two among them confessed to have been dismissed from the Nigerian army long time ago while the third happened to be their friend who was co-opted into their nefarious activities,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kenneth Ebrimson has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.

Results of the 312,000 candidates that sat for Saturday’s 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) nationwide have been released, says Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The Board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

Benjamin urged all concerned candidates to check their profiles for the results.

According to him, the board is optimistic that the entire exercise will be hitch-free, as it has worked assiduously to ensure that this year’s examination process will be one of the best ever conducted in recent times.

“I want to say that the Board is happy with the conduct of the examination on its first day, Saturday, March 14.

“This is not to say that we did not register one or two technical hitches.

“There is no way anyone can embark on such massive exercise without a few hitches.

“However, the good thing is that, as soon as our attention is drawn to such hitches, we tackle them immediately.

“So, the Board is fully on ground to take on these hitches as they come, but in all, I must tell you, that we are happy with the conduct of the examination so far,’’ he said.

Benjamin assured that the Board would continue to ensure quality service delivery in a bid to give every deserving candidate an opportunity to excel.

NAN reports that, in continuation of the exercise, a total of 469, 670 candidates on Monday sat for the examination in various centres across the country.

The JAMB Head of Media and Information said by Tuesday, March 17, such candidates’ results would also be ready.

The Court of Appeal played the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, like football today, 24 hours to the NEC meeting called by rebels bent on cementing his ouster as chairman.

Oshiomhole, with his lawyers was disappointed when the appeal court failed to call the case.

Although he has a conflicting, concurrent court order from Kano High Court, Oshiomhole filed the appeal against the ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja, which asked him to step aside as chairman.

The Appeal court last week sent notices of hearing to parties in the appeal. But, when parties got to court today, a panel of three justices led by Justice Stephen Adah sat to hear other cases.

The panel later rose, with a promise that another panel will be reconstituted to hear Oshiomole’s appeal, reported The Nation

Parties were however, taken aback when, rather than having a new panel, a female official of the court announced to a packed courtroom that the court has elected to hear Oshiomole’s appeal on a later date to be communicated to parties later.

Oshiomhole and his supporters, who have been in court since a little over 8 am, are currently meeting with their team of lawyers on what next steps to take.

As he left the court, Oshiomhole told journalists that he would await the court’s decision in the case.

Oshiomhole’s appeal is against an earlier judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which among others, restrained him acting as the National Chairman of the APC.

Meanwhile, Abiola Ajimobi, Waziri Bulama and Paul Chukwuma, new officials of the National Working Committee were armed with a Federal High Court order on 12 March barring the APC from convening a NEC meeting without them. Ajimobi is the new as acting Deputy National Chairman, Waziri Bulama, acting National Secretary and Paul Chukuma, acting National Auditor.

Source: PM News

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday announced the setting up of N2 billion relief fund for victims of Sunday’s explosion at Abule Ado area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Massive explosion rocked Abule Ado area on Sunday, with 17 people reportedly dead and over 70 houses destroyed.

Sanwo-Olu, who visited the scene of the tragedy on Monday morning, said the state government would be committing N250 million to the fund while corporate organisations and spirited individuals were expected to support with donations for the victims of the explosion.

He appealed to well meaning Nigerians and organisations to contribute to the fund.

“I have set up Abule Ado Emergency Relief Fund; it is a N2 billion relief fund and the state government will immediately put in N250 million to that fund and overnight, I have gotten three banks to open account for that fund and what that are we trying to achieve?

“This is beyond what the state government can achieve on its own. This is beyond what a government, nation or state level can undertake on its own, I am aware that some of my fellow governors have called, and have also received phone calls from the private sector, so what this fund will do is to give everybody the opportunity to be part of it and to be able to donate into it.

“Of course, the utilisation of this fund, which will also be headed by the deputy governor will also be part of the responsibility the committee will be saddled with. Just to know we are serious and are committed to it. I have three account numbers already: I have the Polaris Bank, with the account number-4030017510 account name is Abule Ado Emergency Relief Fund,” he said.

Other account numbers are: Zenith Bank, with account number-10171845716 and GTB, with account number-0568615688.

Sanwo-Olu also inaugurated a fact-finding committee to investigate the cause of the incident, saying that the committee was expected to submit its report in two weeks time.

He governor told the residents that his administration was working with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the National Emergency Management Agency [NEMA] to make life easier for the victims.

According to him, “we are working with NEMA, NNPC and other agencies to make life easier to everyone affected in the tragic incident at Abule Ado, which claimed lives and caused extensive property damage. I offer my condolences to everyone affected.

The Enugu State Ministry of Health has disclosed that the suspected patient of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state tested negative to the investigation.

A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Ifeanyi Agujiobi in Enugu said the ministry received the result of the investigation sent to Irua Specialist Hospital in Edo which was further corroborated by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as `NEGATIVE’.

“We hereby enjoin the general public to go about their normal business, however, to remain alert and vigilant observing basic personal health hygiene,” Agujiobi said.

The suspected patient, a 70-year-old woman, had a recent history of having traveled to the United Kingdom where she spent five months and had just returned to the country.

She was very stable in the isolation centre at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Parklane and receiving the best available medical treatment.

Following the development, the state government has released N20 million to the management of the State Isolation Centre to ensure that facilities are optimally ready to deal with the situation and any other emergency that may arise over the weekend.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, made the disclosure in a statement issued in Enugu on Sunday.

According to him, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has provided the required leadership and logistic support to ensure that the State Ministry of Health and the Emergency Operation Centre are functioning at an optimal level and fully ready to deal with any emergency in the state.

https://t.co/WSEjRpBHto https://t.co/VY2efIfTQf

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 16, 2020

He assured the public that all the relevant agencies and institutions in the state were fully activated and very ready to respond to any issue arising from the Coronavirus or any other health emergency.

The state government maintained that “there is absolutely no reason to panic”.

“The good people of Enugu State are further encouraged to ensure the highest level of personal hygiene including the regular washing of their hands and use of sanitizers in public places”, the commissioner said.

Police Command in Enugu State has declared one Ifeanyi Ukwuani wanted over his alleged defilement of a 10-year-old girl in Egede Community, Udi Local Government Area of the state.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Monday in Enugu that security stakeholders and residents should provide it with credible information that would lead to the arrest of the fleeing suspect.

Ndukwe said that such information should be reported at the nearest police station or by calling the Command on 08032003702, 08075390882 or 08086671202.

“Sequel to a report on the defilement of a 10-year-old girl at Egede Community received at 9th Mile Police Division on March 9, Commissioner of Police, Mr Ahmad Abdurrahman, directed that a full-scale investigation be carried out to arrest and prosecute the suspect.

“The Commissioner further ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for a discreet investigation that will lead to bringing the fleeing suspect to book.

“So that it will serve as a deterrent to those hell-bent on committing such callous and mindless offences in the state,’’ he said.

The police spokesman noted that preliminary investigation had linked Ukwuani, the son of an old woman whom the victim lives with as a house help at the said Egede Community.

“The investigation further reveals that the said suspect had left his wife and children in Enugu metropolis and gone to his mothers’ house on the said date and place to perpetrate the offence and thereafter, fled to an unknown destination,’’ he added.

The Omupo Descendants Union in Ilorin, Kwara, has stated that the community is not hosting any ritualist.

The community is reacting to social media speculations and online publications that a ritualist inhabits Omupo community known as Idi-Ifa, Arole Compound.

The union made its position known in a letter signed by the union’s National President, Dr Monisoye Olorunsola-Afolabi, and made available on Monday in Ilorin.

The letter, entitled: “Re: Pandemonium in Omupo over three human heads, body parts found with ritualist”, was addressed to the State Governor, Commissioner of Police, Director of State Security and Opera news.

According to the letter, the publication was false, adding that the report has caused untold embarrassment to the Royalty and the entire good people of the town.

“We wish to state without any iota of equivocation that the story is false in its entirety as nothing of what was reported happened in our domain.

“While we are unsure of the motive or objective of a report of such potentially damaging magnitude, we wish to state as follows, for the avoidance of doubt and to demonstrate that such an incident did not happen in our domain,” it said.

Afolabi noted that the publishers attributed their source to Kwara TV.

He explained that when contacted, the station denied any knowledge of such a story, adding that as of March 12, 2020, Kwara TV published a rebuttal on its Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara Council Platform.

The national president of the union also said the report also wrongly claimed that the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command was Mrs. Olaniyi Aweda, which he said is false.

He noted that the authentic Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Kwara State Police Command is DSP Olasunkanmi Ajayi.

According to him, when contacted, the PPRO denied that his command has any knowledge of the purported incidence or any “ongoing” investigation of such, contrary to what was publicised.

“In view of the foregoing, we are compelled to believe that there is a sinister motive” by the publishers and/or their “accomplices to bring the peace-loving and good people of Omupo to ridicule and public odium through the story under reference.

“Consequently, we have demanded a conspicuous rebuttal of the story in its entirety, with a formal apology to the monarch, the Olomu of Omupo Land and his entire subjects by the publishers of the said story,” he said.