Featured

I Did Not Kill Chief Ope Bademosi, Alleged Killer Tells Police

Published

8 years ago

November 3, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Togolese cook of late Chief Ope Bademosi, who was suspected to have killed him, has told the Police that he was not that one the killed the Ondo chief.

The suspect, a Togolese by nationality named Sunday said that he could not have been the one who the chief as both of them were subjected to the same torture by those who killed him.

Narrating his experience to the Police during his interrogation, the cook said he was in the kitchen when about four men walked into the house through the front door drawing his suspicion because under normal circumstance, everyone enters through the kitchen door.

“As they opened the kitchen where I was, I shouted, who is that, but my question was answered by a blow to my neck. Then one of them drew me down and began to ask, ‘where is chief, where is chief’? I couldn’t answer instantly because I never knew him as chief because I call him oga.

“Then he asked again, where is chief? I summoned courage and asked them what is happening. One of them again answered me with a blow to my face. Then I pointed to chief’s room to them. They also asked about his wife, and I told them she just left.

“Then they took me to the visitor’s room and threatened me with a weapon, saying they were not there for play, and they will kill me if I am not careful. They attempted to keep me in the room but one of them warned against it saying I will shout and attract people’s attention. So they took me with them to chief’s room and started banging on the door. As chief opened the door, they landed him a blow that made him scream. I also tried to scream but they warned me not to try it, and started playing loud music.

“Then they attempted to keep me in the wardrobe, and one of them suggested I be kept in the toilet. Then they started beating chief up mercilessly,” he said.

When the Police inquired how he managed to know they were giving him blows since he was in the toilet, he explained that the presence of mirror everywhere in the house helped him to see everything happening in the room.

He continued: “After the initial beating, they brought him to the toilet where I was, and started asking for money. Chief told them that there was no money, but he can make a transfer to them immediately, but they rejected the offer, saying they would be arrested. They continued threatening that if he fails to bring money they would kill both of us. Before you know it, one of them stabbed chief on the chest. Then I screamed, and I was beaten.”

At this point, the Police asked the where about of the knife they used, and the cook explained that, the invaders only brought pepper spray while they knife was taken from their kitchen.

“The stabbing was too severe, and my attempt to shout was punctuated by beating. The beating changed everything about me, and I shouted aula, aula, aula. They took my cloth and tied chief around the neck to his hands and told him that he would die there, and they would wait for the wife to return, and kill her too. That frightened me!

“They asked what I do in the house, and I told them I was a cook, and one of them said that today, they will show me how to use a person’s meat to prepare ‘asu’. At this time chief told them that there was money in his room. When they realised the money was not much, they continued to ask for more money, but he told them that there was no more but he could make a transfer, they should just spare his life. They would not bulge, tied him tighter, and he was gasping for breath. I can’t tell exactly when they finally killed him because they dragged him away from the toilet where I was, and as at that time, he was still alive,” Sunday narrated

When he was asked how the marauders left, he pointed accusing fingers at the ‘gateman’ saying he must be part of them, adding that when he passed the gate, the gateman saw him and asked him what the matter was. But he couldn’t give a straight answer as to why he has to leave with Chief Bademosi’s personal effects instead of his own though he claimed he was running out hopefully he could see ‘madam’ (Chief’s wife) on the way and warn her.

Chief Bademosi was brutally murdered on Wednesday morning in his Onikoyi Lane, Park View Estate, Ikoyi by yet to be identified persons.

The main suspect, Sunday, who absconded after the incident, and was arrested in Ondo, claimed he was not the one that killed him.

Investigation still continues.

Featured

Harakati Za Holds Pan-African Conference on Economic Restructuring, Political Reforms, Regional Integration in Accra

Published

9 hours ago

July 19, 2026

Eric

More than 200 delegates from across Africa are expected to converge in Accra on July 24, 2026, for an international conference on “Economic Restructuring, Political Reforms and Integration for Sustainable Development in Africa.”

The conference, organised by Harakati Za Muungano, will take place at the GNAT Hall and will bring together policymakers, academics, business leaders, traditional authorities, civil society organisations, youth leaders and development partners to explore practical solutions for accelerating Africa’s development through deeper regional integration.

Harakati Za Muungano, a Swahili phrase meaning “Union Movement,” is a pan-African movement committed to promoting African unity, economic transformation and governance reforms that support sustainable development.

The organisation believes that Africa’s vast human and natural resources can only be fully harnessed through stronger regional cooperation, enhanced intra-African trade and governance systems that place the continent’s long-term development at the centre of public policy.

Since its establishment in November 2023, the movement has expanded its operations to 17 African countries, engaging governments, regional institutions, traditional leaders, professionals, youth groups and community organisations.

Its work focuses on policy advocacy, research, civic engagement and humanitarian initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive development, strengthening regional cooperation and encouraging reforms that improve the quality of life of Africans.

The conference will provide a platform for participants to deliberate on critical issues affecting the continent, including constitutional reforms, economic restructuring, regional market integration, industrialisation, governance continuity and sustainable financing models for development.

Organisers expect the discussions to produce practical recommendations that can inform policy decisions at both national and regional levels.

A major focus of the conference will be the movement’s vision of a more integrated Sub-Saharan Africa where barriers to trade and movement are reduced, economic collaboration is strengthened and governments adopt policies that encourage long-term planning, investment and shared prosperity.

The organisation believes that greater integration will unlock new opportunities for businesses, create jobs, promote industrial growth and enhance Africa’s global competitiveness.

Organisers say the conference represents an important opportunity for African leaders and stakeholders to collectively examine bold and innovative approaches to the continent’s future.

With over 200 delegates expected from across the continent, the event is anticipated to foster meaningful dialogue, strengthen partnerships and advance a shared vision of an economically resilient, politically stable and fully integrated Africa.

-Overseeronline.com

Featured

NBA Election: Badejo-Okusanya Coasts to Victory, Becomes 2nd Female President

Published

13 hours ago

July 19, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has elected Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as its next president after she polled the most votes when voting officially ended Sunday morning.
‎
‎Mrs Badejo-Okusanya, the only female among the three presidential candidates, polled 12,317 votes to emerge the winner of the election, which was held through electronic voting for 24 hours. from 7:35 a.m. on Saturday to 7:34 a.m. on Sunday
‎
‎She defeated her two challengers, polling 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential election, based on the final tally…

Featured

Britain Get New Prime Minister, Andy Burnham

Published

18 hours ago

July 19, 2026

Eric

Nearly a month after Keir Starmer’s resignation, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, one of the most popular politicians in Britain, will become the country’s seventh prime minister in 10 years.

The move was made possible after Burnham won a byelection in the Makerfield constituency by a wide margin. He was then appointed as the leader of the ruling Labour Party on Friday, confirming him as Starmer’s successor.

A long political career

“Everyone can feel the country isn’t where it should be,” 56-year-old Burnham said after his Makerfield election victory, in remarks that already sounded distinctly prime ministerial. “From here on I will give everything I have got to make it so. To ensure the name Makerfield is forever synonymous with bringing about the change this country needs, bringing back something we’ve lost ― hope ― hope for the future.”

Burnham is seen as a leading figure on Labour’s moderate-left wing and has decades of experience in both national and regional politics. He first entered Parliament in 2001. Under Prime Minister Tony Blair, he served as a junior minister at the Home Office before Blair’s successor, Gordon Brown, appointed him to roles at the Finance Ministry, the Department for Culture, and later as health secretary.

Burnham even ran for the Labour leadership twice, in 2010 and 2015. In 2017, he left Parliament to become mayor of Greater Manchester, a region of around 2.8 million people in northern England. He has since won reelection twice, most recently getting nearly two-thirds of the vote.

Among Burnham’s most notable achievements in Manchester is the expansion of affordable public transportation. Housing and health care have also been central priorities throughout his time as mayor. He is critical of Brexit, the UK’s exit from the European Union in 2020, and describes himself as an advocate of “pro-business socialism.”

During the COVID pandemic, Burnham locked horns with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, demanding greater financial support for businesses and workers affected by lockdown restrictions. The confrontation and his general success in Manchester earned him the nickname “King of the North.”

In the past few years, Burnham’s main criticism of his Labour Party colleague Keir Starmer has focused on the prime minister’s cuts to welfare spending. Which policies Burnham would pursue should he succeed as prime minister has so far largely remained undefined.

A working-class northerner

Burnham is deeply rooted in the former mining and industrial communities of northern England. Born in 1970 in Aintree, near Liverpool, he grew up in the village of Culcheth with his father working as a technician and his mother as a medical assistant.

While studying English at Cambridge University, Burnham later said he often felt like an outsider. Inspired by the miners’ strike of the mid-1980s, he joined the Labour Party at the age of 14.

He’s been a lifelong supporter of Everton Football Club. His wife is Dutch, and the couple has three children. Burnham also has a tattoo of the worker bee — a symbol of industry and solidarity — on his right upper arm.

Today, Burnham is among the most popular politicians in the United Kingdom, and many supporters see him as Labour’s best hope of countering the rise of the right-wing populist Reform UK party of Nigel Farage.

Yet since the Brexit referendum in 2016, the office of British prime minister has become somewhat precarious. Burnham would be the seventh person to hold the position since the referendum a decade ago. If he does succeed Starmer, he will inherit a country still grappling with deep political, economic, and social challenges.

This article was originally published in German on June 22 and updated on July 17 to reflect Andy Burnham being appointed Labour Party leader.

Culled from DW.com