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NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN OGUN STATE

The 22nd National Sports Festival kicked off on Sunday with a colorful opening ceremony at the M.K.O. Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The festival, which features over 700 athletes from Delta State, is expected to be a closely contested event with participants from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. President Bola Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shetima, declared the festival open, emphasizing the unifying power of sports. “Indeed, nothing has brought the nation together like sports, whether on the pitch, in the court, or on the track. We are reminded daily that we are not strangers to one another, we are compatriots drawn from different roots but drinking from the same well of national pride,” Tinubu said. Delta State, known for its winning streak, was a highlight of the ceremony, with its team displaying the trophy won in the last edition and dancing to the admiration of the crowd. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, urged Team Delta to bring home the trophy again. “Team Delta has won the National Sports Festival eight times, so it is natural that the team wins again. I urge the athletes to put in their best to emerge victorious,” Oborevwori said. The festival is expected to feature 36 sporting events, with athletes from across the country competing for top honors. The opening ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, and governors from various states. The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, was also in attendance, along with former international Dr Segun Odegbami and other top political functionaries and sports enthusiasts. With Team Delta’s strong record and determination, the festival is set to be an exciting event.

AMOTEKUN BURST PROSTITUTION RING INVOLVING YOUNG GIRLS IN OGUN

Akpo Ojo Amotekun have busted a sex trafficking syndicate in Ogun State where teenage girls are used as sex slaves. A 14-year-old girl who sleeps with men for as low as ₦1,000 was rescued during the raid on the facility harbouring the girls by Amotekun officers. The 14-year-old victim who hails from Akwa Ibom State, said she was lured on the promise that she’d work as a sales girl. When she got there, she was given some drugs, her hair was cut by the boss lady who told her that, if she runs away, she’d use the hair to kill her. Since then, she has been working as a prostitute for her madam, Mrs. Edem Joy, who claimed she also had a boss, Mrs. Okutoro Yemisi. It was revealed, that the syndicate lures young unsuspecting girls from Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta States, but mostly from Akwa Ibom State, making them swear an oath with their blood, hair and or Bible, that they would never confess or run away. The victims are thereafter, tied down with drugs and charms, and are then dispatched to different hotels, with the promise of letting them go after a year and settling them with a phone and a box of clothes. The girls disclosed that their boss uses the tissue used by the men for ritual purposes because they ensure they submit it after every session. They charge as low as ₦1, 000 and as high as ₦5, 000, but submit all the cash to Mrs. Edem. The youngest amongst them was a 12-year-old girl. Authorities received an anonymous tip on February 8, 2025. They were arrested at Railway Line Hotel, Old Bank Bus Stop, in Ifo Town. Lubricants, drugs, cash and charms were reportedly recovered from the suspects.