The Ogun state police command have arrested a herbalist, Lajuwon Ogunleye and his wife Adetutu Apalaya on charges of conspiring and killing their 7-year-old son, Pelumi Apalaya, alongside one Fatai Sefiu.

The suspects were arrested following their neighbours’ suspicion of the little boy being used for ritual, as he reportedly slumped and died without being sick.

They were reportedly monitored by residents of the community after they took the boy to the bush for burial. It was gathered that some of the body parts of the boy who was buried in a “standing position,” were harvested by the herbalist who is his step father, his mother and Sefiu who is his father’s friend.

Ogun State Police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi said the Divisional Police Officer for Abigi Division, Tarkighir Joseph led detectives to the bush in Iwopin area of Ijebu waterside where the suspects were rounded up.

Oyeyemi said;

“The suspects led policemen to where the victim was buried and it was discovered that the deceased was buried in standing position.

” On interrogation, the second suspect, Fatai Sefiu, told the detectives that the boy was actually used for ritual by the stepfather in connivance with the deceased boy’s mother. He stated further that the couple have reached a conclusion before he was coopted into the business.

“The mother of the victim Adetutu Apalaya who first denied having knowledge of her husband plan to use her son for ritual was dumbfounded when asked whether or not she followed them to the bush where her son was buried and the mode of burial of the boy.”

The Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered a transfer of the case to homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department(SCIID) for further investigation and prosecution.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at a press briefing on Saturday April 25, disclosed that mortuaries in the state are now full and need urgent de-congestion.

The Lagos State Governor said mortuaries in the state are not full due to Coronavirus cases, but because residents of the state have been unable to gather to hold burial ceremonies for their loved ones due to the lockdown order in the state.

Sanwo-Olu also outlined new measures to ensure the decongestion of mortuaries in the state.

He said;

“Because of this inability to hold funerals, occasioned by the restriction on movement, the mortuaries in Lagos State are now full and in urgent need of decongestion. Let me make it clear at this point that these are not Covid-19 deaths.

“I am now constrained to make this appeal to all Lagosians who have the corpses of loved ones in the mortuaries, to please go ahead and schedule these funerals.

“The mortuaries in Lagos are not full because of Covid-19 deaths –the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Lagos as at today is 20; the only reason the mortuaries are full at this time is because funerals are not being held, and have not been held for most of the last two months.

“Lagosians can hold or attend funeral ceremonies in the state as long as they comply with the requirements of the state, which are as follows:

• The total number of persons at the funeral, including officiating religious leaders, must not exceed 20.
• Physical distancing must be maintained at the funeral ceremony.
• All attendees/mourners must use masks and ensure they wash their hands after the
ceremony.
• There must be no receptions or parties to accompany the funerals.

“If we are unable to see a decongestion of the mortuaries across the state in the next two weeks, the Lagos State Government will be compelled to carry out mass burials to achieve this. We do not want to be forced to do this, which is why we are asking for your cooperation in this regard.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said heavy investment in education at national and sub-national levels would provide quality medical and behavioural scientists to produce vaccine for the treatment of COVID-19.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Abiodun Ogunyemi, said this in Abeokuta, after he led members of the association to donate 1,000 pieces of 125ml bottled hand sanitisers to the state government.

Ogunyemi led ASUU’s members from the Lagos Zone to hand over the items to the state’s Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele.

The ASUU president said what Nigeria should learn from the pandemic was that investment in education would yield immeasurable dividends.

He said, “For instance, conscious and determined investment in university education at national and sub-national levels would give our country quality medical scientists, behavioural scientists, creative scholars and other creams of informed citizens who can respond intelligently to challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To achieve better results, we believe Nigerian governments at the federal and state levels need to work with public intellectuals and patriotic trade unions like ASUU.’’

Culled from PUNCH

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Friday, arrested one Mr Godwin Jeremiah, a bricklayer from Ikot Udota Community in Eket local government area for allegedly raping his 13- year-old daughter, Miss Emem Godwin Jeremiah.

The arrest was led by the DPO of Eket Police Division, Mr Sunday Digha with the effort of Eket Local Government Chairman’s wife, Mrs Bright Archibong and FIDA Chairman in Akwa Ibom State, Barr. Emem.

Narrating her ordeal, the JSS 1 student, who broke down in tears, said her father forcefully had sex with her mainly at night, on a daily basis.

“My father forcefully abused me sexually beginning from January 2020, this occurs almost on daily basis, irrespective of my resistance due to pains and injury I sustained from the ungodly act. first I reported the case to my step mother who confronted my father but she was beaten and this led her fleeing from my father’s house,” she narrated.

“When the incidence was becoming unbearable to me, I ran and reported to the police which led to his first arrest but due to the intervention of my aunty, who did not believe my story,he was released on bail. After his released from the police cell,I did not have any option than to return to the house and stay with my father. The matter grow from bad to worst, it was the darkest moment in my life, this time my father did not allow me to sleep,he forcefully abused me through out the night,it was coming on daily basis. Since nobody was there to help,I decided to run away from my father’s house to an unknown destination, only to find a compassionate mother, Mrs Bright Archibong, who rise to fight on my behalf”

A young house wife stabbed her husband to death in Bauchi State.

According to Facebook user, Datti Assalafiy, who shared photos of the deceased and the suspect on Saturday April 25, the incident happened in Itas-Gadau Local Government Area of the state.

The reason for the alleged murder is yet unknown.

See photos of the decease below..

As Nigeria continues to battle the Coronavirus pandemic, the Ogun State Government says it will begin enforcing the wearing of face masks in the state, as from May 1, 2020.

The state governor, Dapo Abiodun disclosed this during a press conference in the state on Friday April 24. He said offenders of the compulsory face mask order will be arrested and made to spend 14 days in an Isolation center.

“We are working against the spread of this COVID-19. As from May 1, it will be compulsory for everybody in the State to wear face masks. We deliberately delayed enforcing it so that our people can have enough time to get their own. After May 1, anyone who fails to wear a face mask will be viewed as deliberately planning to infect others and will be arrested and put in our isolation centres.

Some of our confirmed cases are immigrants coming to our State through the land borders. The peculiarity of Ogun State put us at a vulnerable position. That means that just as we have advantages, we also have some disadvantages.” he said

He added that the state has made testing booths available in border towns and highly populated areas for people, stating that the Intensive Care Unit, ICU at the 250-bed hospital at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, was ready for use, while the Molecular Laboratory for testing COVID-19 patients has been inspected by officials of the NIgeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC and the World Health Organisation, WHO.

Ogun state currently has 35 confirmed cases of COVID19.

Former Super Eagles forward, Daniel Amokachi, has revealed that he slept at the altar of Prophet T.B Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations for weeks in search of a miracle but that never came to pass.

Amokachi had flown back to the Lagos-based Synagogue Church of All Nations, while attempting to relaunch his career after suffering a protracted knee injury he sustained ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Amokachi told Brila FM on Friday that he was not healed even though he saw miracles at Synagogue.

His words ;

“I was at the church on invitation of a friend who is a member. My friend, at that time, told me about the man of God and that I could meet my miracle if I met with the Pastor.

“At first, I wasn’t giving to it, but I later agreed and flew down to Nigeria from England to see the Pastor.

“I slept by the church’s altar for several weeks to receive healing. I was not healed, but I saw lots of miracles that happened to people.”

The Imo State Police Command has arrested a man, Johnbosco Ejiogu, for stabbing his mother and then setting their home ablaze.

The incident occurred at Umudagu Mbieri, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state on Friday, the command said in a statement.

State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Orlando Ikeokwu said that Ejiogu perpetrated the acts following an altercation between him and his mother.

He noted that only a swift reaction from neighbours and police prevented the suspect from killing himself and his mother in the burning house.

The statement read, “On the 24/4/2020, at about 1020 hrs, operatives of Mbieri Divisional hqtrs, while reacting to a distress call arrested the above-named suspect and rescued the above victim.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the said Johnbosco Ejiogu stabbed his mother Pauline Ejiogu as a result of an altercation.

“He went further to lock the door behind himself and the victim, and then set the house ablaze, but they were rescued alive sequel to the swift reaction of the officers and men of the Division and the members of the neighbourhood.

“However, Both of them have been taken to the hospital for treatment, while investigation has commenced.”