Paul Okah

NO fewer than five persons were burnt beyond recognition, Tuesday night, when a gas plant caught fire and exploded at Odume Layout, Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, near the commercial city of Onitsha.  The incident, according to an eye-witness, occurred when workers at  the gas plant known as Regime Gas Plant were washing the gas tank.  According to the source, as the workers were busy washing the tank, public power supply suddenly went off at about 7.30 pm, prompting them to put on their generating set to enable them finish the washing.  It was gathered that as soon as they put on the generating set, the gas tank drew  fire from the generator and exploded, setting fire on the workers and giving them grievous bodily harm.  The source further hinted that when the victims were rushed to St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Hospital for medical attention, the hospital management refused to admit them because of the dete...

The Nigerian army has, Wednesday, discovered the body of her missing General, Retired Major General Idris Alkali who was killed and buried in a shallow grave at a place called “No man’s land” in Lafande community of Jos, the capital of Plateau state.   In a statement by the leader of the search and rescue operation, Brigadier General Umar Mohammed, the body of General Alkali was found in Guchwet in Shen of Jos South LGA of Plateau State.  According to the statement, a parade will be held for the late retired general and that an honour and a befitting burial  would be held for him. Recall that few days ago, General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Benson Akinroluyo, in a press briefing in Plateau state on Friday, said the army’s search team had discovered the grave where the late Chief of Administration was buried while on a search for the missing general.  He said late Major General Alkali was killed and buried in the shallow grave at ...

The three-bedroom flat Iheukwumere built for Jaguar A House of Assembly aspirant in Afikpo, Ebonyi state, Mr Iheukwumere Okogwu Otu, has handed over a three-bedroom flat he built for a homeless man in Ezi Agbii, Ukpa, in Afikpo North local government area of Ebonyi state. Iheukwumere, who is the Special Adviser (SA) to Hon. Maria Ude Nwachi, member representing Afikpo North East Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly (EBHA), made the donation Tuesday during his birthday celebration. In an exclusive chat with Paul Okah Blog , Iheukwumere said that the kind gesture was borne out of the fact that the milk of kindness flowing in his veins could not allow him to bear the sight of the beneficiary, Mr Chukwu Oko (a.k.a Jaguar) being homeless. Iheukwumere said that, despite having limited resources, he dedicated his salary as SA to start the project in 2014, due to the fact that the beneficiary had been sleeping outside with his six children since 2007. He sa...

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has met with some state governors and ministers over the minimum wage demanded by the organised labour in the country. The meeting held behind closed doors on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdul’Aizz Yari (Zamfara), told State House correspondents after the meeting that it ended inconclusively. He said although the governors were willing to pay the N30,000 new minimum wage demanded by workers, they lacked the capacity to do so. Governor Yari disclosed that an emergency meeting of the Governors’ Forum would be convened on Tuesday. Discussions at the meeting, according to him, will focus on finalising agreements on an exact minimum wage the states are willing to pay their workers. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, and Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, attended the meet...

Reactions have continued to trail the death of a 13-year old rape victim, Ochanya Elizabeth, who died of complications from vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), following alleged incessant rape by her uncle, Andrew Ogbuja, a staff of Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son, Victor Ogbuja, a final-year student at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. The duo were said to have serially abused the 13-year-old girl since she was eight, even as medical examinations showed that Ochanya developed vesicovaginal fistula, a condition in which she continuously dripped urine, following damage to her bladder. Lending its voice on the ugly incident, a non governmental organization (NGO), Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF), condemned in totality the prevalent rate at which young girls and women are raped in states across the federation. In a statement made available to the media yesterday in Abuja, the founder of ACUF, Mr Chiwuike Uba, condemned ...

Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose was, yesterday, released from Ikoyi prison after complying with the conditions set for his bail by the court.  Fayose was arraigned before a Federal High sitting in Lagos last week on an 11 count charge of conspiracy and money laundering amounting to N2.2 billion. He was granted bail in the sum of N50 million after he pleaded not guilty to the allegation contained in the charge against him.  Fayose’s lawyer, Mr. Mike Ezekhome, SAN, confirmed his release saying that his client is in high spirit.  He said: “I was with Fayose today (yesterday) and I can confirm to you that all the conditions set for his bail has been met. I can tell you that he is in high spirit. He promised me that he will continue to fight on behalf of the Nigerian masses.  “He vowed that he will fight impunity in this government to a standstill. He affirmed to me that he is stronger now and more determined to fight lawlessness....

Real Madrid will sack manager Julen Lopetegui today, with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte set to be named as his successor, Goal.com understands. Sunday's dismal Clasico was the final straw for Lopetegui, who watched his side be torn apart in a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona. The defeat saw Madrid lose three straight Liga matches for the first time since 2009 and left the club in ninth place, seven points behind leaders Barcelona. Madrid's executives have scheduled a meeting today, where they will make Lopetegui's dismissal official. A formal announcement is set to follow. "We have to take a decision. We can't continue like this for more time," a Real Madrid source told Goal. Speaking after the Clasico, Lopetegui expressed his hope that he would be given the opportunity to guide Madrid out of a sorry slump. He told reporters after a forgettable display in Catalunya: “I feel sad at the moment, but with full strength to remain in charge of this group. Thi...

Leicester City owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has been confirmed among the dead in Saturday night's helicopter crash tragedy at the King Power Stadium. Emergency services rushed to the stadium after the 1-1 draw with West Ham and the Premier League club have now confirmed that five people died when the helicopter lost control during take-off. A club statement read: "It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our Chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium. None of the five people on-board survived. "The primary thoughts of everyone at the club are with the Srivaddhanaprabha family and the families of all those on-board at this time of unspeakable loss. "In Khun Vichai, the world has lost a great man. A man of kindness, of generosity and a man whose life was...

TONY Anenih, chief, frontline politician, former Minister of Works and elder statesman, yesterday died at 85 after being in and out of hospitals in London and Abuja. Anenih’s death was announced in a statement by his family last night, signed by his son Anthony Anenih Jr. The family said: “Our patriarch, Chief Anthony Akhakon Anenih, passes on… to the glory today (yesterday) after a brief illness.” “A beloved patriarch, he enjoyed God’s uncommon grace while alive. We will all sorely miss him. But his legacies live on,” the statement added. President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his heatfelt condolences to the family. He commiserated with the government and people of Edo State and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the passing of “their illustrious son and former Chairman, Board of Trustees.” A statement by presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said: “As a frontline figure in the annals of our country’s political history, the President attests that Chief Anenih li...

The Governing Council of the Ladoke  Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, headed by Professor Dapo Afolabi, has directed that the proposed tuition fees in the institution be brought down to N140, 000 for indigenes of Oyo and Osun States while non indigenes be allowed  to pay N170,000, as against the N200,000 for indigenes of owner states and N250,000, for non indigenes. It also announced resumption for October 29, 2018. The management pleaded with “well wishers to come to the realisation that the cost of running qualitative and functional first grade technical institutions like ours are becoming unbearably impossible if N65,000 and 72,000 for indigenes of owner-states and non-indigenes are maintained.”  It added that internally generated revenue from students’ fees would only remain supplementary as arrangements have been concluded to enlist parents and students into management of university fund in a manner that entrenches transparency an...

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted four reverend sisters and two others in Delta State, southern Nigeria. The nuns are from the Order of the Missionary of Martha and Mary (MMM) under the Issele-Uku Diocese in Agbor town in Ika South Local Government Area of the state. They were said to be on their way back from a function in the eastern part of the country when some hoodlums attacked them around the Railway Line near Agbor. The hoodlums intercepted the vehicle conveying the nuns and shot at the vehicle, injuring two other reverend sisters and made away with the six victims. The Commissioner of Police in Delta, Mr Mustafa Mustapha, confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Saturday. He, however, said the police had begun a search of the victims to rescue them from their abductors. A priest in the diocese who pleaded anonymity also confirmed the kidnap to Channels Television via a text message. He said, “Please pray for the release of som...

Nigeria manager Gernot Rohr is still keen on persuading Everton’s Ademola Lookman to play for the Super Eagles.  The 21-year-old helped England win the 2017 Under-20 World Cup, but can switch allegiances as he is yet to play for the senior side.  He was born in England but qualifies for Nigeria through his parents, has been a target for them for two years.  “He plays for the youth now but we hope he can change his mind and play for us,” Rohr told BBC Sport.  “He’s a player we know can add something to the team. Getting a player to change his national choice is not easy, quick and the process is never so straightforward.  “First we must be sure he wants to come. And hope to get it cleared by Fifa. Then the most important part is that he brings something new, different and better than we have.  “Every coach wants options, we’ve been lucky to get some players and if we get him, Lookman will give us more options,” Rohr explained. ...

The Nigerian Army has discovered a shallow grave in its search of retired Major General Idris Alkali, the immediate past Chief of Administration (Army). General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Benson Akinroluyo, disclosed this at a press briefing on Friday in Plateau State. According to him, Major General Alkali was killed and buried in a shallow grave in an area popularly known as, “No man’s land” in a community on the outskirt of Jos metropolis. “You would recall that on September 2, 2018, at about 8:00pm, unknown gunmen attacked a shopping complex located at Lafande Community on the outskirt of Jos metropolis in Dura-Du District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State,” Major General Akinroluyo told reporters. “As a result of the attack, 11 people were killed while others sustained various degrees of injuries. The attack triggered protest by the people of the area on the morning of September 3, 2018.” During the protest, General Office...

A member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Michael Adedeji, is now battling between life and death after being shot in the head by unknown gunmen. According to The Nation, Adedeji was waylaid in the early hours of Friday while traveling along Ikere-Akure Road by the gunmen who opened fire as he made an attempt to escape from the scene. The lawmaker who represents Ekiti Southwest Constituency 2 was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) for intensive care. He was later referred to Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti (FETHI) where is he is expected to undergo neurosurgery in a bid to save his life. When our reporter visited EKSUTH to confirm Adedeji’s admission at the Accident and Emergency Unit, a staff member said: “He had been transferred to Ido Ekiti. The bullets hit him in the head and he would have to undergo neurosurgery as soon as possible”. But the Ekiti Assembly Deputy Speaker, Mr. Segun Adewum...

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have moved up by four spots to the 44th in the world in the October FIFA -Coca Cola Ranking. In the ranking table published on the website of the world football governing body on Thursday, Nigeria garnered 1431 points as against 1415 it had in September. The movement has now placed Nigeria as the third in Africa behind Tunisia and Senegal. The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that it was during this period that the Eagles thrashed Libya 4-0 (home) and 3-2 (away) in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. Tunisia is ranked 22nd in the world and Senegal 25th. Congo DR (ranked 46th and Morocco(47th) are the other African countries among the top 50. On the global scene, Belgium are now ranked world number one, ahead of France with the narrowest of margin–just one point in the new the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking published today. The Belgians have 1733 points to France’s 1732 points. In September, the two countries were tied on the first spot. ...

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday honoured the late former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi, by authorising his burial at the National Cemetery. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, revealed this in a statement. President Buhari also paid tribute to Justice Kutigi, hailing his contributions to the evolution of the country’s jurisprudence. He said that the nation would not forget the hard work and dedication of the eminent jurist. The National Cemetery is reserved for the nation’s fallen heroes and it requires the discretionary approval of a sitting President for a citizen to be given a final resting place in its grounds. President Buhari had sent a government delegation led by his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, to represent him at the funeral prayer at the National Mosque, Abuja, and thereafter, the burial at the National Cemetery. Other members of the presidential delegation included the Atto...

According to the latest World Health Organisation, WHO, data published for 2018 life expectancy in Nigeria, a male given birth to in Nigeria in 2018 is expected to live approximately 54.7 years while a female is expected to live approximately 55.7 years in good health.  The data shows Nigeria has a World life expectancy ranking of 178 out of 192 ranked countries. However, the average life expectancy at birth in Nigeria is 55.2 years, an improvement from the previous figure, 47.  Meanwhile, the released statistical report by Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for 2017 has it that females can live for approximately 51 years while males can live for just 47 years.  The report shows that residents in Nigeria are liable to die of sicknesses and diseases, as well as other causes.  Causes of death listed in the report are influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, stroke, HIV/AIDS, coronary heart disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, diabet...

The Kaduna state government has reviewed the five day curfew in the state to eleven hours, down from the twenty four hours it had adopted since Sunday.   A statement signed by the spokesman to governor Nasir El Rufai, Samuel Aruwan said the review was as a result of improvement in the security situation.  The statement reads: “Curfew hours in Kaduna have been reviewed. Effective tomorrow, Thursday, 25th October 2018, residents of Kaduna are free to pursue their legitimate business from 6am to 5pm. Dusk to dawn curfew will be enforced from 5pm to 6am daily, until further notice.  “The Kaduna State Government took the decision to review the curfew hours following a meeting today of a select committee of the State Security Council. The heads of the security agencies reported significant progress in restoring calm and commended residents for the peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves during the four-hour relaxation of the curfew in parts of ...

Ethiopia’s President, Mulatu Teshome on Wednesday filed resignation request to the Ethiopian Parliament, State news agency ENA reported.  Teshome, who has been the east African country’s head of state since October 2013, on Wednesday submitted his letter of resignation, as the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses are scheduled to consider his resignation. The houses  would eventually name his successor in a joint extraordinary session on Thursday, the report said.  The joint extraordinary session of the Ethiopian parliament on Thursday “will deliberate on the president’s application for resignation and will elect a new president,’’ according to ENA.  The incumbent president, who conducted his doctoral studies in international law at Peking University in China, was unanimously appointed as Ethiopia’s president on Oct. 7, 2013 while he was serving as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Turkey.  Teshome is a member of Oromo Democratic Party (ODP), one of...

Professor Frank Onyezili, a senior lecturer with the Biological Sciences Department of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has committed suicide. Sources close to the professor told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Makurdi that the deceased was found dead on Tuesday, October 23. Mrs. Roseline Waku, the Director of Protocol and Information of the university, who confirmed the incident, however told our reporter that she was not aware of why Onyezili killed himself. “The only thing I can confirm is that the professor killed himself; I don’t know why he did it,” she said. Waku hinted of reports that the deceased left a suicide note, but said that she was not privy to its contents. A top official of the university told NAN that the the professor drank some substance suspected to be poison, after leaving a suicide note. The source, which craved anonymity, said that the university don’s action might not be unconnected with depression and l...

 Ayodele Fayose, former Governor of Ekiti State, has been granted bail in the sum of N50 million. His second appearance before the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, lasted less than 30 minutes. He was also asked to provide a surety who must have landed property in Lagos. The guarantor is also required to have three-year tax clearance in Lagos. Fayose was arraigned before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of corruption. He arrived at the court premises on Wednesday around 9am, escorted by armed security operatives and officials of the EFCC. Fayose is facing an 11-count charge bothering on receiving illegal monies to fund his 2014 governorship campaign in Ekiti State, among other allegations of benefitting from proceeds of money laundering.

Following their perceived highhandedness, Samuel Shiekuma, a 36-year-old vigilante member in Mabushi, has given gory details of how seven officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), invaded and electrocuted a lady at a guest house in Abuja in June, this year. Mr Shiekuma made the revelation Tuesday in Abuja, while testifying before the Presidential Panel on the reform of SARS, which was chaired by the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr Tony Ojukwu. He alleged that seven SARS raided one Spy Annusa Guest House in Mabushi Village, Abuja on June 13, this year, during which they searched all the rooms in the guest house and discovered the deceased, Comfort Hembe and her fiancée, Mr Dogo, in one of the rooms. The SARS officials allegedly knocked on the door of the deceased in the guest house and upon her coming out, they collected her mobile phone,for refusing to give t...

Former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose, has provided food for over 150 detainees of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Fayose also secured lawyers for detainees in need of legal representation and also promised to assist those having challenges in meeting their bail conditions. This was made known in a post on Twitter via his official handle being managed by his new media aide, Lere Olayinka. The former Governor had earlier announced that his Twitter account will be handled by his new media aide, Lere Olayinka. Fayose was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi on Monday, October 22, 2018. The former Ekiti state Governor pleaded not guilty to the charge of misappropriating N30.8 billion while in office.

Former Governor of Anambra State and the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday stated that Igbo leaders, including South East Governors never disagreed on his nomination as VP candidate, but disagreed with the process that led to his emergence.  Obi, who visited Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State at the government house, Abakaliki, noted that he was in Ebonyi to familiarise with the state and also intimate them about his nomination as the vice Presidential candidate of PDP in the forth coming general election.  Obi said he also came to solicit the support of the Governor of Ebonyi State towards the coming election and commended the governor for his developmental strides since he assumed office.  “Umahi is our leader, he is a man of impeccable character, he was at the centre of the storm, but I want to tell the people that Umahi and Igbo leaders were misrepresented badly. Igbo leaders never disagreed with...

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, yesterday accused the Federal Government of persecuting former Governor Ayodele Fayose. Fani-Kayode was at the Federal High Court in Lagos in solidarity with Fayose during his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged money laundering. The former minister, who is also on trial for alleged money laundering in the same court, said Fayose was being oppressed. Speaking with reporters after the court session, Fani-Kayode said: “I believe in the virtues of courage, loyalty and faith in God. “I believe in loyalty to country, family, friends and political party. I am a patriot and I believe in loyalty to Nigeria. I also believe in the unity of Nigeria. I believe in loyalty to friends, through thick and thin. “Fayose is my friend and that is why I am here. He stood with me during my travails and I am constrained to stand with him during his. I am not a fair-weather friend: I am a real...

The Edo State House of Assembly has impeached its Deputy Speaker Hon. Tiger Edoror. Edoror’s impeachment followed a motion moved by a member representing Oredo East Constituency, Hon. Osaigboyo Oyoha, alleging financial misappropriation, anti-party activities and corruption against the former Deputy Speaker. His impeachment, however, led to a rowdy session as him and some of his loyalists tried to resist the action. When calm was returned, the impeached Deputy Speaker, a member representing Owan East Constituency,  Folly Ogedengbe, and another member representing Etsako West constituency, Gani Audu, were suspended for three months. The House later elected Justin Okonobo as the new Deputy Speaker. Hon. Okonobo was a former Speaker and a member representing Igueben constituency

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and presidential candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has lost over 200,000 members of his Atiku Care Foundation as seven coordinators of the group from the North-West states defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC), declaring loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid. The group which officially joined one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign organizations, the Arewa Network Group led by Abdulmajid Danbiliki Kwamanda said they decided to dump Atiku over their conviction that Nigeria would be better if President Buhari is given another mandate to return in 2019. Speaking to Reporters in Kano, spokesman of the group and former Director of Administration and Strategy for the North-West zone of the Atiku Care Foundation, Comrade Sunusi Ababai, said over 200, 000 members of the Atiku Care Foundation in the North-West have declared their loyalty to President Buhari. According to him, “For several years no...

Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) yesterday parted ways with the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing “grave injustice by the leadership of the party.” The lawmaker announced this in a letter addressed to the APC Chairman, Ward 6, Tudun Wada North, Kaduna State. He said:”I present to you my highest compliments and wish by this communication to formally offer you my resignation from the APC. “I had joined the APC and remained with it against all odds in the belief that it will constitute a veritable platform for the realisation of those democratic ideals which I hold very dear. I joined in the belief that honour and integrity will be the ultimate ethos of the party and most importantly, that internal democracy will always be the norm.” The lawmaker expressed disappointment at the manner in which the tenets of the party were being thwarted.   He added that, “only posterity can affirm the extent to which the APC has committed to and reflected these values. As...

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria Idris Kutigi died in a London hospital on Sunday after a brief illness, his eldest son, Sani Kutigi has confirmed. Kutigi confirmed the death in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Minna on Sunday. “We are making arrangements to transport our father back for burial,”he said. Late Kutigi was born on Dec. 31, 1939 and left behind 18 children and over 40 grandchildren. Late Kutigi was the Chief Justice of Nigeria from Jan. 30, 2007 until Dec. 30 2009. Justice Kutigi served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State until 1976, when he was appointed High Court judge. He served in that position for more than a decade, and later joined the Supreme Court in 1992. After 10 years at the Supreme Court, based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him to the position of Chief Justice to succeed Justice Salihu Alfa Belgore, ...

WhatsApp  has banned hundreds ofhousands of accounts in Brazil as the Facebook Inc. messaging service struggles to contain political shenanigans ahead of a runoff election in Latin America’s largest country. “We have cutting-edge technology to detect spam that identifies accounts with abnormal behaviour so that they can’t be used to spread spam or misinformation,” a WhatsApp spokesperson wrote in an email. “We are also taking immediate legal measures to prevent companies from sending mass messages via WhatsApp and have already banned accounts associated with those companies.” There are around 120 million users of the messaging service in Brazil, whose population is 210 million. Facebook set up a “war room” to spot and eradicate misinformation, hate speech and other damaging content during Brazil’s election this month. It’s a test for the social network ahead of midterm elections in the US later this year. While the company said it was able to thwart false inf...

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) and its General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, have dragged online publication Sahara Reporters and its publisher, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, to a court in the United States of America (US) for alleged defamation and ancilliary torts. The plaintiffs approached the United States District Court for the District of Maryland to demand sanctions against the online publication and its proprietor for defaming them in several online publications. The suit bearing Case No. 8:18-cv-02922, which will be heard by Judge Theodore D. Chuang, has Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya; Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Inc., a Nevada Corporation (MFM Nevada), and Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Bowie, Maryland, a Maryland Corporation (MFM Bowie) as plaintiffs. In the complaint and demand for jury trial commencing the case, the plaintiff’s lawyers emphasised that the action arose from the defendants’ unrelenting campaign to defame Olukoya...

There were indications last night that the trial of ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose at a Federal High Court may begin on Monday. The ex-governor is facing trial in connection with N1.299 billion and  $5.3  million allegedly allocated to him by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) from N4.65 billion slush fund allegedly shared by ONSA. Ahead of the trial, Fayose may be relocated from Abuja to Lagos today. EFCC confirmed last night that Fayose has been served charges and trial notice. But the ex-governor denied collecting  $5.3  million from a former Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro. He was said to have only admitted knowing Obanikoro and his associate, Abiodun Agbele, who allegedly bought six choice properties for him in Lagos and Abuja. He was also said to have confirmed during interrogation yesterday that Agbele bought the properties for him. A source who spoke with The Nation last night said: “We have pref...