A landlord identified as Popoola Adepoju, hanged himself in Idi-Ose community, along Akan Road, in the Ona Ara council area of Ibadan.

The 48-year-old was reportedly found dangling from a rope tied to a ceiling fan in his room, with a three-page suicide note on the table. The widow of the father of three, who worked with the defunct National Electric Power Authority, reportedly found the corpse after she returned home on Tuesday.

She reportedly told the police that her husband left NEPA in Abeokuta two years ago but his entitlement had yet to be paid, adding that he had started a cement business on small scale before the incident.

Punch Metro reports that family members of the deceased refused to hand over the suicide note to the policemen who came to investigate the case. However, after the intervention of the Chairman of the Idi-Ose community, Taiwo Alimi, the note was taken to the Akanran Police Division.

The Divisional Police Officer at the station, Aliko Dankoli, was said to have later given permission to the family to proceed with his burial. He was laid to rest in his house.

Residents said Adepoju first sent his children on errands before taking his own life. A member of the Four Square Gospel Church, where the deceased worshipped with his family, said Adepoju attended Monday morning service in the church and never gave a sign of depression.

He said:

“Adepoju was a devout Christian, pious and talented. He was always offering useful suggestions whenever the welfare committee of the zone met. What could have informed this action is unclear. We were together at the early morning service at our church on Monday. We usually have such a service on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of every month. When I saw him last Monday after the evening service, he never gave any hint that he was contemplating suicide.”

A landlord in the area, who did not give his name, however, said the deceased was going through a difficult period. He explained that Adepoju had wanted to sell his Honda car for N250,000, but only got a buyer who was ready to pay N150,000.

He said the victim had planned to buy a smaller car to be used as taxi to supplement what he made from his small cement business.

“He said he wanted to sell the car so he could buy a small vehicle which he would be using as a cab to serve as a sustaining means of livelihood for his family. He, however, said the amount being offered was too small. He sometimes complained that things were no longer as they were before he was disengaged from work. It was a surprise when we discovered that this unfortunate incident happened,” said the neighbour.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the death.

A woman, Mrs. Adiza Umoru, was arrested for using rented twins to beg on the streets of Lagos. Umoru’s arrest came barely a week after three women were arrested by the officials of the state Ministry of Youth and Social Development for using rented babies to beg for alms.

This was as the Commissioner for Youth and social Development, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf, yesterday urged the residents to stop giving alms to beggars especially those with babies, so as to discourage the begging.

Umoru, who was caught using twins for begging at Costain area of Lagos, claimed that her younger sister, Aminat, was the biological mother of the babies. However, according to the beggar, who hails from Niger State, she pays per time whenever she uses the twins to beg.

At press time, efforts were still on to locate the real biological mother of the babies. Sources in the ministry told New Telegraph that the biological mother of the twins might have fled her residence for fear of being arrested. Akinbile- Yussuf described Umoru’s arrest as a follow up to the zero tolerance of alms begging.

The commissioner said giving alms was a good gesture, but it should not be brought to the streets. She said: “It is an established law in Lagos State; Section 168 of Criminal Code of Lagos State 2015 amended prohibiting street begging. We don’t want anyone going on the street and be begging.

We have told people times without number that it is illegal to be begging on the streets of Lagos. If anyone wants to give, they should go to government resettlement centres.”

The people of Mbiri kingdom, in Ika North East Local Government Area are now living in fear following the gruesome murder of 18-year-old girl, Miss Faith Ijeamaka, who was beheaded with her breasts and genitals cut off.

It was gathered from the bereaved family that Faith’s body was found mutilated along a farm road in Mbiri, days after she went missing last month.

According to the statement made by the family, “we resorted to consulting a soothsayer after days passed without knowing the whereabouts of Faith.”

This is coming on the heels of the killing of a 22-year-old man, Mr. Godstime Okoh, a.k.a. GT, by yet-to-be identified cultists.

The indigene of Ute-Okpu, in Ika North-East Local Government Area, was reportedly gunned down alongside his friend, Kester, two Saturdays ago at Dorathy by Okobi Street, Boji-Boji, Owa.

Speaking with newsmen during a visit to the residence of the deceased, his mother, Mrs. Doris Okoh said that her son was neither a cultist nor had anything to do with cult members, but wondered why he was killed in his prime.

In her words: “My son, Godstime, has been a very good and obedient child to me. Since we have been living together, I have never found or suspected Godstime to be a member of any cult group.”

Vincent Chidiebere, 32, has been arrested for peddling hard drug worth N1.78 billion. He was arrested in Awka, Anambra State, on July 28, 2016, with methamphetamine weighing 25.2kg, following a tip-off that the shipment would pass through Anambra from Enugu to Lagos.

The Commander of NDLEA in the state, Sule Momodu, said methamphetamine is one of the most potent illicit drugs in the world which has a lot of destructive tendencies on the user.

He added that the drug posed a health hazard in the community where it is being produced because the chemicals used for the production are highly toxic and could cause permanent destruction to the eco-system.

He revealed that the waste from the drug is more toxic than the extracted substance and people around where it is being produced are likely to be exposed to cancer and other incurable diseases while children that are also born in the area are likely to be deformed.

Although, the agency had discovered three methamphetamine laboratories located at Nanka, Ozubulu and Obosi areas of the state, the commander says more laboratories still exist. He reminded the public that Gov. Obiano had pledged that anyone with information on where the substances were being produced within the state, will receive a reward of N500,000.