Breaking
Delta Residents Accuse Ex-lawmaker, Ned Nwoko, Of Using Police To Forcefully Take Over Land, Jail Kinsmen
Residents of Idumuje Ugboko community in Delta State have accused former senator, Ned Nwoko, of using the police and Ministry of Justice to dubiously harass, intimidate and lock up elders and sons of the town.
The residents stated that Nwoko had successfully bought over senior policemen in Delta State and Abuja, who allegedly assisted him in intimidating and arresting those, who opposed his attempt to forcefully acquire additional 90 hectares of land from an area earmarked for all indigence of the community.
In a “Save Our Souls” petition signed by Jerry Isichel and Daniel Osakwe and submitted to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, the residents accused Nwoko and the police of malicious destruction of property, disobedience to the order of the court, assault occasioning harm, abuse of public office, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
The petition reads, “Ned Nwoko has visited untold cruelty on the people of Idumuje Ugboko. He has used the police and Justice Ministry to dubiously harass, intimidate and lock up our elders and sons, charging us with the most heinous crimes in Nigeria’s criminal penal code, terrorism and murder. Our sons have been languishing in jail for the past three years and denied due process because Ned Nwoko has used his billions of naira to compromise justice and the police in Delta State and Abuja.
“This unending crisis is engineered, fuelled and sustained by the same man just because the community rose in unison to oppose his attempt at forcefully acquiring additional 90 hectares of land from an area earmarked for all indigenes.
“In the year 2000, Ned Nwoko applied for and was magnanimously allocated 34 hectares of land, free of charge by the community. In his application, he expressed a desire to build a dairy farm. Chief of the guidelines for this allocation as, administered by a Land Committee, is that any individual allotted land in that development area of the town must utilize the land within five years, for the purpose it was allotted. Any contravention of this guideline will result in the said land reverting automatically to the community. It is noteworthy that 20 years on, Ned Nwoko is yet to build the dairy farm. And not once did the community insist that the land be reclaimed from him as stipulated in the Land Committee guideline.
“Sometime in 2015, Ned Nwoko came with another scheme. This time he needs 90 hectares of land to build a university. The whole community home or abroad, rose in unison to say no! The community advised him to utilise the initial 34 hectares for whatever proposed project he had. To make up the 90 hectares of land he is hell bent on forcefully taking, he went beyond the area mapped out for development by the community. He encroached on the Owu kindred ancestral land. The community, led by the town’s union maintained that an individual cannot be bigger than the community. Therefore, it insisted that Ned cannot forcefully take all the community’s development land and also add people’s ancestral lands. He then resorted to oppression, intimidation, arrests and incarceration of leading members of the town’s union and leaders of thought who are vehemently opposed to his land-grabbing antics.
“He imports police from Abuja to ambush and arrest the men who oppose him, then transfer them to Abuja and have them locked up indefinitely without due process. Many of them were held in Kuje Prison on trumped up charges of terrorism and murder for months, while others were unjustly locked up for upward of two years in Agbor Prison, Delta State.
“It is imperative to place on record that the Nigerian police has become a willing tool in Ned’s malevolent schemes to totally annihilate any opposition in his inordinate quest to forcefully dispossess the ordinary people of Idumuje Ugboko of the ancestrally bequeathed possession.
“The police brigandage on Ned’s behalf came full circle when in the wee hours of Saturday 18th July, 2020 they desecrated the sanctity of the palace of Idumuje Ugboko. About 15 vehicles loaded with heavily-armed men, they tear-gassed the whole surrounding, smashed doors and destroyed the palace buildings before they abducted a sitting monarch, in the most ignominious fashion.
“The utterly humiliated community will later learn that trumped up murder charge has been brought against the king by Ned Nwoko and his cronies. This is after he was locked up in a police cell in Asaba.”
The people of the community are demanding justice for the treatment they have been subjected to by the former lawmaker.
Nwoko could not be reached for comments as of the time of the report.
Breaking
Senator Ifeanyi Ubah dies at 52
The Senator representing Anambra South in the National Assembly, Ifeanyi Ubah, is dead.
Ubah, who was the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Oil, was said to have died in a hotel in London, the United Kingdom, on Saturday.
He would have been 53 on September 3.
Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, confirmed Ubah’s death to our correspondent on Saturday.
He said, “It’s confirmed, but I am sending an official statement soon.”
Ubah, who was re-elected into the 10th Senate under the Young Peoples Party, had last year defected to the All Progressive Congress.
In September 2022, Ubah escaped assassination when he was attacked by gunmen on his way to Nnewi in Enugwu-Ukwu in Anambra State.
Breaking
JUST IN: Edo state Assembly impeaches Deputy Governor Shaibu
The Edo State House of Assembly, on Monday, impeached the state’s Deputy governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu.
The impeachment followed the adoption of the report of the seven-man investigative panel set up by the Assembly to probe allegations of misconduct against Shaibu.
Breaking
JUST IN: Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun joins ancestors at 81
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun has joined his ancestors after a brief illness.
He joined his ancestors at the age of 81.
It was gathered that the late monarch was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning having stayed indoor throughout Tuesday on account of slight malaria fever, though, he was hail and hearty on Monday during which he personally received few guests that paid him congratulatory visits on his second year anniversary on that day.
Making this announcement was the Baba-Kekere Olubadan and his younger brother, Dr Kola Balogun in a statement by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the late monarch, Oladele Ogunsola.
According to the statement, Dr. Balogun disclosed that Oba Balogun would be buried at his Aliiwo ancestral home by 4.00pm on Friday according to Islamic rites just as he said that the State Governor Seyi Makinde, though already verbally informed, would be formally notified early in the morning.
The late Olubadan was the first most educated to have emerged as Ibadan monarch, a British trained P.hd holder, a former university lecturer, former member of management staff of Shell British Petroleum, former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Nigeria People’s Party, NPP, former Senator and a successful business man.
His last official outing was the Olubadan Advisory Council’s meeting which he presided over last Saturday where the decision to derobed Mogaji Akinsola, Olawale Oladoja was taken.
He however, on Tuesday instructed the Ekerin Olubadan, Oba Hamidu Ajibade to midwife a small committee to deliberate on last Friday’s decision on what should be the position of Ibadan Zone in the proposed newly reconstituted Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
The decision of the small committee was earlier on Thursday ratified by the Olubadan Advisory Council at a meeting presided over by Otun Olubadan and the former governor of Oyo State, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja and was to be taken to the late Oba Balogun for his signature Friday morning so as to meet the deadline for submission to the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters later in the day.
The late Olubadan is survived by wives, children and grandchildren.
Announcing the passage of the monarch, Governor Makinde, in a statement, stated that Olubadan, who joined his ancestors late Thursday evening at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, described him as an epitome of royal excellence and a great achiever, who made great marks on Ibadanland in just a little over two years of his reign.
He expressed his condolences to the Olubadan-in-Council, the Oyo State Traditional Council and the people of Ibadanland and Oyo State, praying to God to grant repose to the soul of the deceased monarch.
Makinde said: “With total submission to the will of God, I announce the passing unto glory of our father, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Dr. Mohood Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.
“A mighty Iroko has fallen; Oba Dr. Balogun has joined the ancestors.
“In Kabiyesi, Ibadanland had a cosmopolitan and well-experienced Olubadan, who made indelible marks on the sands of history and achieved greatly within a short while.
“On behalf of the Government and good People of Oyo State, I condole with the immediate family of the Oba Dr. Balogun, the Olubadan-in-Council, the Oyo State Traditional Council and the people of Ibadanland.
“It is my prayer that God grants repose to the soul of our late monarch.”
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