Suspected thieves have carted away two cows from the premises of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Testimony Parish in the Egbeda area of Oyo state.

In a post published on its Facebook page, the church said the stolen cows, bought at N1.9 million, were meant for its annual adult harvest thanksgiving celebration.

The incident happened on November 11 as the church prepared for the celebration slated for November 17.

After days of searching for the missing cows, the church solicited for financial contributions to buy new cows for the harvest celebration.

“Dear Celestians and The General public, This 2 Huge Cows was stolen where it was Tied in The Church Premises at CCC Testimony parish Elerumoke Area, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia and its meant for slaughter for the 9th adult harvest thanksgiving of the church coming up this Sunday 17th November 2024,” the church wrote on Facebook.

“We hereby solicit for your prayer for quick recovery of this harvest thanksgiving sacrificial materials.

“Anybody with useful information on how to recover these cows or any means of assistance to make the harvest thanksgiving a beautiful one should contact the parish shepherd.”

An 18-year-old British boy has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl in Dubai.

Detained in Dubai, a group of UAE legal experts, said the teenager was on holiday with his parents when he met the girl — who is now 18 — at the same hotel.

The teenagers who are both from London were said to have made plans to continue their romance when they returned to the UK.

The group, which campaigns to help people it says have suffered injustice in the UAE, said the young man was charged because the girl’s mother found their chats and pictures back in the UK.

It was gathered that the woman subsequently contacted police in Dubai and he was arrested.

The boy however claimed he was unaware that the girl was younger than him when they met. The teenager also disclosed that he was in police custody for three days and was unable to contact his parents.

“We had a wonderful time together. We really liked each other but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai.

“My parents knew about our relationship but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.

“When she left, I couldn’t wait to see her again when I got home. Then suddenly, police knocked on our hotel door. They said they were taking me in for questioning but wouldn’t tell me why. I was frightened and my parents were terrified.”

The teenager, it is understood, could face up to two decades in prison owing to Dubai’s strict laws regarding sex outside marriage.

Radha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group, said Dubai recently legalised out-of-wedlock sex for tourists but “still hosts a strict Islamic legal system”.

“Sex outside marriage is legal for tourists but only if both parties are over 18. The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said.

“Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.

“Parents will be scared to take their older teenagers on vacation with them where they could end up losing their lives over behaviour that’s completely legal in their own countries.”

The teenager and his family have called on foreign secretary David Lammy, their local MP, to intervene in the case.

The teenager is no longer being held in a police cell but is unable to leave the country, with his family facing bills of £2,000 for Airbnb accommodation until his case is resolved.

The Osun police command says its operatives have arrested Wakili-Nurudeen Iyanda, head of the Osun State Park Management System (OSTMS).

Iyanda, who is also known as Alowonle, was allegedly found with arms and ammunition belonging to the police.

Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, deputy police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the arrest to TheCable on Wednesday.

Giwa-Alade said detectives from the anti-kidnapping unit nabbed nine suspects on Ring road in Osogbo, following a tip-off.

“Despite resistance, the police successfully overwhelmed them, recovering a Barrett pistol, six 9mm live ammunition, and an expanded empty cell from Wakili’s unregistered Toyota Highlander,” he said.

“Nine suspects arrested, including Nurudeen Wakili in the first arrest at Ring road area, after meeting heavy resistance from Alowonle’s boys who reinforced. Four escaped including the said Alowonle.

“He was rearrested. All other exhibits in the case include; Hummer bus (AWK 480 YD), Nissan Almera (unregistered), Toyota Sienna (GNN 595 XD).”

The spokesperson said Alowonle “attempted escape with handcuffs, got maimed, was rearrested”.

He added that the suspect is receiving treatment at the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) teaching hospital.

However, Mikaela Popoola, OSTMS secretary, accused the police of attempted murder.

In a statement, Popoola said its chairman was arrested over “domestic issues” and detained by the police.

“Our chairman was shot while in police custody under circumstances that demand a thorough investigation,” he said.

“We urge our members to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into their hands.”

The OSTMS secretary added that the matter would be pursued through official channels.

‘HE WAS SHOT IN THE ABDOMEN’

In a statement, Kolapo Alimi, commissioner for information and public enlightenment in Osun, said there was an attempt on Alowonle’s life.

The statement demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Moses Lohor, head of the anti-kidnapping squad, for his “wilful act of attempted murder”.

“Alowonle is presently on life support at the Intensive Care Unit of the Osun State Teaching Hospital after a gunshot wound in the abdomen while in the custody of the police at Osogbo,” the statement reads.

“Video clips of Alowonle in handcuffs and under interrogation circulating in the media space dispelled any excuse that the park chairman was trying to escape.

“The fact that he was shot in the abdomen as video from his hospital bed confirmed proved that he was shot at close range with intent to eliminate him.”

Alimi said interactions between Samuel Ojo, special adviser to Ademola Adeleke, Osun governor; and Lohor showed that the “shooting of Alowonle was pre-planned, indicating a murder plot”.

“We also note that the issue that generated the purported arrest was a civil matter, not criminally related to have warranted the involvement of Mr Moses Lohor, the head of the Anti-Kidnapping squad except for the repeat of a recent pattern of police harassment of officials of the state government on partisan motivation,” the statement added.

“The programmed attempted murder of Mr Alowonle is just one in the series of shootings and attacks on officials of the state by the head of anti-kidnapping squad who regularly acted with impunity and who has not hidden his vow to eliminate supporters of the state government.

“As we summoned several meetings to calm frayed nerves today, we struggled hard to stop reprisal attacks against police establishments across the state due to what the public now see as police partisan conduct in breach of the law.”

The state government also asked Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser, and Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police, to maintain peace in Osun ahead of the 2026 election.