The highest hierarchy of the CCC, from Imeko area of Ogun State have sealed off the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Key of Joy Parish, Ogun State, five days after a nine-year-old boy, Korede Taiwo, was rescued from the church.

This was disclosed by the Baale of the community, Chief Saliu Ayinla Babayanju. He added that the land, where the church is located, would immediately be seized by the community.

When The Guardian visited the community on Tuesday, the entire premises of the church, sitting on two plots of land, was deserted. The main entrance of the church was barricaded with bamboo leaves
and white and blue velvet.

All the church members, especially those seeking spiritual help, had deserted the place, as there was nobody in sight. But for three officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who came on a motorcycle, but left hurriedly, the entire area has become desolate.

Korede, who was chained for a month by his biological father, Francis Taiwo, for alleged stealing, yesterday pleaded with Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, the wife of Ogun State governor, not to allow anybody return him to his father for whatever reason.

The frail looking boy who is now on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, for thorough medical attention made the plea when Mrs. Amosun paid him a visit at his hospital bed yesterday.

Speaking in Yoruba at the Children’s Ward, Korede said he was not convinced that his father would not do a worse thing to him if he is put in his custody.

He could barely speak above whispers due to exhaustion and starvation by his father and stepmother, as Mrs. Amosun strained her ears to hear him.

Amosun’s wife was accompanied to the hospital by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Olumide Ayeni, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, and officials of the Women Affairs and Social Development.

Mujota revealed that the first family in Ogun, Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, Olufunso, have adopted the boy, adding that “all efforts will be made to ensure that Korede excels in life.”

“It is reassuring the boy is doing well despite all what he was subjected to. We were worried that we will see a dejected and withdrawn child, but we are seeing Korede that is active with his mind alert. Although, he looks smaller than what a child of his age should be, he is recuperating very fast,” she said.

Three persons were shot dead yesterday, during a shootout between hoodlums and some officers attached to the Federal Operations Zone A, Ikeja, of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, at White Sand community in Ijora Badia area of Lagos State.

Three others, among who was a Customs officer, also sustained gunshot injuries.

According to Vanguard, trouble started when a man named Ojo was allegedly attacked and stabbed to death by some Hausa boys in the area. The Yoruba youths in the area staged a protest that became violent.

“For long, these Hausa boys have been attacking people here. They waylay people, dispose them of cash and belongings. Even rulers of both ethnic groups are aware of the issue.”Tajudeen Shamsudeen‎, a resident in the community said The demolition of shanties in the community yesterday increased the tension in the area. ‎

While the Hausa community claim the demolition is one-sided as its only their houses that were demolished, the Yoruba community deny the claim saying it was on the order of the state government.

In the course of the demolition, some Customs officers, who residents of the area claim were invited by the Seriki Hausa, the leader of the Hausa community, stormed the community in three patrol vehicles at about 2.30p.m.

They were alleged to have shot into the air to scare off hoodlums in the area. The hoodlums were said to have resisted the Customs officers who allegedly attempted to stop the demolition, an action that led to a shootout, during which three persons sustained gunshot wounds.

One of the bullets from the hoodlums hit a Customs officer who was later rushed to the hospital. One of those hit by a stray bullet was identified to be Azeez Tajudeen. Eyewitnesses said he was first taken to the police station for a police report, before being rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Lagos state Police command, Dolapo Badmus, said contrary to eyewitnesses, only one person died during the attack

“The community and the police were on a joint operation of raiding black spots within the community and arresting suspected criminals yesterday. In the process, some officers of the Nigerian Customs Service officers, who were with officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, had an encounter with some of the hoodlums. They fired some shots and three people were hit. As a result, one death was recorded, while two others are receiving treatment in the hospital. Policemen are not involved.”she said

A 25-year-old mother of six children, Mrs. Patience Abantelhe, has accepted to embrace a family planning technique after she was delivered of quadruplets.

The babies, who weigh 1.7, 1.7, 1.2 and 1.3 kilograms respectively are currently in an incubator at the hospital and are the third, fourth, fifth and sixth children of the Abantelhe, who already have two children.

Southern City News learnt on Tuesday that Abantelhe’s desire to embrace family planning technique was influenced by the Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu, who visited her in the hospital.

Abantelhe was delivered of three boys and one girl last Friday at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Obudu, Cross River State through a caesarean session.

She had said that she would no longer wish to have more babies.

In a message related to Southern City News by the director-general after the visit, Abantelhe said, “I know about family planning and I will do it before I leave the hospital, I do not want any other children now.”

However, Edu said the economic situation in Nigeria called for a review of family planning techniques.

She stressed that the mother of six might face some level of hardship because she was jobless while the husband was a carpenter.

The director-general also urged parents to adopt family planning technique so as to reduce maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.

She said countries where the technique was imbibed had a low rate of mother/child death after delivery.

Edu said:

“Just five days ago, a woman in the northern senatorial district of the state delivered quadruplet, she already has six children while the husband is a carpenter and she is a full time housewife.

“Family planning is like a vaccine for maternal mortality. If there is family planning, there is the likelihood of reducing maternal mortality. If we imbibe family planning, this maternal mortality that is getting too high in Nigeria will be reduced.

“Again, family planning will help them manage their situation economically considering what Nigeria is going through. If women can embrace family planning, they can take good care of the few children they have.”

An 8-man robbery gang that had been terrorising the residents of Calabar, Cross River State, have been captured and paraded by Mr. Jimoh Ozi-Obeh of the Cross River State Police Command.

According to Punch, the gang members were arrested at different locations in Calabar after they kidnapped a businessman identified as Godswill Uduma on July 18.

Narrating to the police how the members were arrested, Ozi-Obeh said that the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad launched a manhunt for the gang members, leading to a shoot out.

One suspect – Edem Boy – died, while two others, Ademola Babajide and Bassey Effiom, were arrested. These two identified the corpse of Edem Boy.

“We are still searching for Eyen Uyo and Kingsley Okon who is the driver of the gang as the investigation progresses,” Ozi-Obeh told the press, adding that the other members were arrested after a botched armed robbery operation.

“On Friday, July 15 at about 2200 hours, operatives attached to SARS, state police headquarters, Calabar while on routine patrol arrested some armed robbers who had been terrorising and robbing various locations in Calabar metropolis,” Ozi-Obeh said.

“On July 16, one Williams Tony (20) was arrested with locally-made pistol by patrol men attached to the State Housing Police Station,” he added.

Meanwhile, the state’s police commissioner has said that the suspects in police custody will be charged to court.

“We will leave no stone un-turned in our effort to rid the state of the activities of miscreants. I therefore want to use this medium to warn all criminals and perpetrators of heinous crime to steer clear as they will not be spared,” he said.

Today, a Federal High Court in Lagos and the NDLEA arraigned a 15-year-old boy in a private court hearing for allegedly peddling Indian hemp.

PUNCH reports that the minor identified as Uchenna Akoma was arraigned before Justice Babs Kuewumi who told everyone present, except the prosecuting counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other lawyers, to vacate the courtroom.

The 15-year-old boy, who had been apprehended by the NDLEA for drug peddling, confessed to taking two wraps of marijuana on a daily basis. T

he NDLEA had also arraigned seven others for dealing in marijuana without lawful authority. The Agency had arrested the seven accused with different quantities of the illicit substance at various parts of Lagos in the month of June.

The suspects were caught with 100 grammes of cannabis sativa, 200g of marijuana on June and 400g of marijuana. The seven accused pleaded guilty to the one count pressed against them and the judge adjourned both cases till September 5, 6 and 7, 2016. He stated that the prosecutor will have to review the facts of the cases after which the accused may be sentenced to prison.

The suspects have been remanded in prison custody.

The beautiful Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunke Amosun today, Tuesday, visited 9-year-old Korede Taiwo, who was rescued from the Celestial Church of Christ in Ajibawo near Ota in Ogun State, where his father Prophet Francis Taiwo chained him for weeks for stealing food.

See Photos Below: