Crime
AGAMO MONARCH KILLED BY SUSPECTED KIDNAPPERS IN ONDO
The monarch of Agamo Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Kehinde Falodun, has been reportedly killed by suspected kidnappers.
Reports indicate that the traditional ruler was murdered on Wednesday evening while resisting an attempt by the gunmen to abduct him.
A source in the community said about 10 armed men stormed the palace and attempted to kidnap the monarch, but he resisted them.
According to the source, when the assailants allegedly shot at him several times and the bullets did not penetrate, they reportedly struck his head with a heavy object, leading to his death.
Confirming the incident on Thursday in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Mr Abayomi Jimoh, said an investigation had commenced into the matter.
The victim was later found a few metres away with gunshot wounds. He was confirmed dead at the scene, Jimoh said.
Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer, alongside tactical teams from the command, promptly mobilised officers in collaboration with local security outfits, he added.
Jimoh stated that Atuluse Security, local hunters, and Amotekun operatives also assisted in combing adjoining bushes and surrounding areas in a bid to apprehend the perpetrators.
Efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects, the police spokesman said.
Monitoring and surveillance activities have been intensified across the area to ensure the safety of residents and prevent further breakdown of law and order, Jimoh added.
The public is assured that no stone will be left unturned in bringing those responsible for the heinous act to justice, he said.
The incident comes weeks after suspected bandits attacked Ayede Community in the same local government area and abducted a pregnant woman, Mrs Mary Jesulayomi, who was later released after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Days after that incident, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, arrested 12 men suspected of being involved in banditry in the area.
Residents have expressed concern over the growing insecurity in Akure North, calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to restore peace in the affected communities.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday held on to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, marking his second night in custody at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
There were indications that the ex-governor might remain in detention longer if the anti-graft agency secures a remand order from a competent court.
A source within the commission said El-Rufai underwent another round of questioning over his administration between 2015 and 2023. The source said, “For hours we asked el-Rufai to respond to statement by his Commissioner for Finance, who had earlier appeared before EFCC. There are so many documents he has to surf, we will not release him. There are plans to secure a longer remand order from a competent court.
“There is no cause for alarm at all because el-Rufai has access to his lawyer and his rights are being protected.”
It was unclear which of his former commissioners for finance was interrogated. During his two terms, Suleiman Abdu Kwari served as Commissioner for Finance from May 2015 to May 2019 before resigning to contest the Kaduna North Senatorial seat. Mohammad Bashir Saidu was appointed in April 2019 as Kwari’s replacement and had earlier served as Chief of Staff to the governor.
Meanwhile, security sources said the Department of State Services (DSS) was set to take over El-Rufai for arraignment over alleged telephone tapping of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The secret police have reportedly filed a three-count charge against the former governor at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has disclosed that he was marked for assassination by officers implicated in an alleged coup plot against the Federal Government.
General Musa made the revelation on Sunday night during an appearance on Channels Television’s One-on-One programme, where he said the plot to overthrow the government had been set in motion even before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office.
According to him, the coup plotters planned to kill him immediately after his arrest if their attempt to seize power had succeeded.“I was also a target, I am sure you know,” Musa, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), said during the programme. “I was supposed to be arrested, and if I refused, I was supposed to be shot.”
The Defence Minister described the suspects as disgruntled and unserious elements who were fully aware of the consequences of their actions and should now face the law following their arrest and detention.
In October last year, the military announced the arrest of 16 officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. The arrests occurred before Musa retired from active military service and was later appointed Minister of Defence by President Tinubu.
Musa explained that most of those allegedly involved in the plot were junior officers of low ranks who lacked access to strategic military weapon depots, stressing that a coup could not succeed under such circumstances.
He further noted that staging a successful coup in modern-day Nigeria is extremely difficult, unlike in earlier years when military takeovers were more feasible.
Providing insight into the motivation behind the alleged plot, Musa said the dissident officers were individuals who failed promotion examinations and became aggrieved.
He added that promotion within the Armed Forces is highly competitive and dependent on passing mandatory assessments.
Meanwhile, authorities last week confirmed that investigations had identified several officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government—acts described as inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).
In a statement, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said officers found to have cases to answer would be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panels.“
Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before an appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations,” Uba said.
By Richard Akinnola
Since the army authorities came out last week to confirm the detention of some army officers over alleged coup plot, there have been a number of media stories regarding the alleged roles played by some of the officers.
While many of us are unreservedly opposed to any coup plot or military intervention in our governance, l think some of these stories against some of the officers are prejudicial and amount to media trial. We saw a bit of similar show in 1995 when the Abacha government falsely accused Generals Obasanjo, Shehu Yar’Adua and others of what turned out to be a phantom coup plot. A number of fallacious claims against them were dished to media, which turned out to be false.
Few days after the Orkar coup of April 22, 1990, a journalist with Concord, Onoise Osunbor was arrested as a suspect because he lived with one of the suspects at Ikeja Cantonment and being a journalist, he was naturally suspected to have been the person who must have written the coup speech for them. It didn’t occur to the investigators that such a badly written speech couldn’t have been written by a senior journalist.
It took a couple of meetings by some of us at the leadership of Lagos NUJ then – myself, late Ladi Lawal, Kayode Komolafe, Owei Lakemfa, with Col. Haliru Akilu, the Director of DMI at both DMI office, Bonny Camp and SSS office, Ikoyi to get Onoise out of detention.
Having said this, l hope that when the army authorities are ready to put them on trial, they would be charged before the regular court and not the military court martial because their alleged offence, whether treason or treasonable felony, is against the State.
We had a similar situation in 1982 when a businessman, Alhaji Bukar Mandara was charged for treason before the Federal High court, when he was accused of procuring some soldiers to plan a coup to topple the democratic government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. I posted this in October last year. I would repost it.
Meanwhile, we shall continue our advocacy against military rule. It has no place in our political development. Military governments are evil and retrogressive.