News

Osun Lawmaker Caught Bathing in Market Square, Victim of Fraudsters – Police

Published

7 years ago

September 16, 2018

Eric

Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker seen on a viral video depicting him as bathing in the market square for ritual, was a victim of a ritual syndicate which had operated in the state for a long time, reports Premium Times.

Little was known outside of Osun State about Mr Owoeye until a video showing him being beaten by some men who purportedly caught him taking a midnight ritual shower in a market hit the Internet this weekend.

Some of those who circulated the video on social media said Mr Owoeye, who is currently the House Majority Leader of Osun State House of Assembly, was performing the ritual as he intensified activities towards his political success in the upcoming general elections.

But Mr Owoeye, representing Ilesa West for the All Progressives Congress, was actually a victim of a high-wire blackmail racket that had seen him part with humongous amount of his personal wealth in a desperate bid to save not only his own career but family image, Osun police commissioner, Adeoye Fimihan said.

“The fellow is a victim of some fraudsters who duped him some amount of money,” Mr Fimihan said by telephone. “They tricked him to that place and did that to blackmail him so that he will not be able to lodge complaint in the public.”

Mr Owoeye’s misery began about six months ago when he agreed to have a midnight shower in a market as recommended by herbalists he had been consulting for traditional prayers. The location is rumoured to be Osun Jela, described as a lull community between Osogbo, the state capital, and Ijesa.

But as he undressed himself and started having his shower, some persons — whom the police suspect had been lurking in the dark— emerged from the nearby bush, turned on lights and focused cameras on the lawmaker.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources close to Mr Owoeye that persons were arranged by the fraudsters who had been parading themselves to the lawmaker as herbalists working to help enhance his fortunes through traditional means.

They syndicate promised not to circulate the video if Mr Owoeye complied with their demands for cash. He paid the initial cash to the crooks, which subsequently opened a cascade of regular financial flows to their pockets.

At some point during the blackmail, about three months ago, Mr Owoeye wanted to sell a filling station he owned after running out of liquid cash to keep hushing his so-called scandal.

“He did not sell the filling station, but he had paid them more than 40 million before then,” the source said. It was when Mr Owoeye was trying to raise money by selling his filling station that an associate pressed him to disclosed what his crisis was about. He was then asked to advised to take the matter to the governor and subsequently to the police.

“We are happy that he summoned the courage to complain and the police succeeded in arresting some of those fellows and they were charged to court,” Mr Fimihan said. “Whatever is being circulated is just a way of ensuring that he will not be able to complain.”

The commissioner said he could not immediately tell how much Mr Owoeye lost to the scheme, but the police had recovered N10 million of it already.

“I cannot say precisely now, but the police were able to recover N10 million of the funds he was swindled,” the police chief said.

Premium Times

News

Military Discovers B’Haram Underground Storage, Fuel Dump

Published

9 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Eric

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have uncovered an underground Boko Haram logistics storage facility stocked with medical supplies, fuel and other critical materials after overrunning several terrorist enclaves in the Timbuktu Triangle area of Borno State.

The discovery followed a series of coordinated, intelligence-led offensives conducted on Sunday across Chilaria, Garin Faruk and Abirma, during which the troops also repelled multiple drone attacks launched by the terrorists.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Uba Sani, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.

According to Sani, the operation, carried out under Operation Desert Sanity, resulted in the destruction of several terrorist camps and significantly degraded the logistical and operational capabilities of Boko Haram and ISWAP elements operating in the axis.

“Troops of the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation HADIN KAI, have recorded further operational successes in the ongoing Operation DESERT SANITY, destroying multiple terrorist camps, recovering arms and equipment, and repelling coordinated attacks by the insurgents in the Timbuktu Triangle,” the statement said.

It added that on Sunday, January 18, 2026, troops advanced from their harbour areas and conducted deliberate, intelligence-driven operations against identified terrorist enclaves in Chilaria, Garin Faruk and Abirma.

Sani explained that the operation was supported by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, which provided persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance coverage throughout the advance.

He said during the clearance operations, “troops recovered several items of military significance, including Baofeng radios, phones, five AK-47 magazines, several rounds of 7.62 × 39mm special ammunition and 7.62mm NATO belted ammunition.”

Others include “several Boko Haram/ISWAP flags, links of 12.7 × 108 mm ammunition, diesel powered grinding machines, large quantity of medical supplies, several bags of grains, pick-up truck, underground logistics storage and petroleum and oil lubricant dump, which all further degraded the operational and logistical capability of the terrorists.”

He said the “recoveries further degraded the operational and logistical capacity of the terrorists,”.

However, Sani revealed that at about midday, the advancing troops came under armed drone attacks launched by the terrorists.

“Despite this, the troops maintained momentum and continued the offensives. A second drone attack attempted in the evening was also decisively repelled, forcing the terrorists to withdraw and reaffirming the troops’ dominance of the area,” he said.

Sani added that despite sustained engagements, troop morale remains high and fighting efficiency continues to be maintained.

News

Rivers High Court Temporarily Halts Fubara’s Impeachment Process

Published

4 days ago

January 16, 2026

Eric

A Rivers High Court sitting in Oyigbo Local Government Area has issued an interim injunction temporarily halting further action on the impeachment process against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Nma-Odu.

In a ruling delivered in Port Harcourt, the court restrained Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, alongside 32 other defendants — including the Clerk of the House and the Chief Judge of Rivers State – from taking steps aimed at advancing the impeachment process.

Specifically, the order barred the Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, from receiving, forwarding, considering, or acting on any request, resolution, or impeachment-related document from the Assembly for the purpose of constituting an investigative panel, pending the determination of the matter. The injunction is to subsist for seven days.

The order was granted by Justice Florence Fiberesima following the hearing of a motion ex parte filed separately by Governor Fubara and his deputy. In the two suits—marked OYHC/7/CS/2026 and OYHC/6/CS/2026—the court also granted the claimants leave to serve the interim order and other originating processes on the first to the thirty-first defendants by pasting them at the gate of the Rivers State Assembly quarters.

The court also directed that the Chief Judge, listed as the thirty-second defendant, be served through any staff of the judiciary at his chambers within the court premises.

Justice Fiberesima, thereafter, adjourned the matter to January 23, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice, as the legal battle over the impeachment move shifts from the political arena to the courtroom.

On Friday, the Rivers State House of Assembly had asked the Chief Judge to set up a panel to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct against Governor Fubara and his deputy.

The assembly members, who made the call through a unanimous vote, vowed to continue with the impeachment process.

The lawmakers had earlier addressed a press conference in Port Harcourt, where they accused Fubara of allegedly using blackmail.

Addressing journalists, the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, claimed Fubara lacks the trust needed to address the crisis rocking the oil-rich State.

They accused the governor of infringing on the 1999 Constitution, saying the parliament was left with no other choice but to apply their legislative power by impeaching him from office.

The lawmakers also claimed the governor and his deputy had resorted to intimidating the parliament.

They, however, thanked President Bola Tinubu for wading into the crisis.

The members also called on the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, to reconvene the House.

Their position came weeks after they initiated an impeachment process against Fubara and Odu. The lawmakers are accusing them of gross negligence, a move that has heightened political tension in the coastal State.

News

JAMB Announces Jan 26 As Commencement Date for Sale of 2026 Entry Forms

Published

6 days ago

January 14, 2026

Eric

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the sales of registration forms for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions for the 2026/2027 academic session.

JAMB stated this in a post on its X handle on Tuesday night.

“UTME is open to suitably qualified candidates for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions for the 2026/2027 academic session,” the photo statement signed by its Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, read.

“Registration commences January 2026 and closes March 2026 (exact dates to be announced by JAMB),” the post read, disclosing that the UTME examination is scheduled to hold in April 2026.

“The period of registration for UTME candidates, including those from foreign countries, is from Monday, 26th January, 2026 to Saturday, 28th February, 2026,” the statement read in part.`

According to JAMB, candidates must have obtained their National Identification Number (NIN) before registration.

The agency said, “Only candidates who will not be less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 are generally eligible to apply/be considered.”

But it clarified that, “Candidates less than 16 years old by 30th September, 2026 will have to undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver. Such must have scored not less than 80% in each of UTME/ALEVEL, PUTME, SSCE, and in the exceptional candidate assessment.”

“The UTME results of the underage candidates will be released only at the conclusion of the complete evaluation process,” JAMB said.

For Direct Entry candidates, the “Sale of 2026 Direct Entry (DE) application documents and E-PIN vending would commence from Monday, 2nd March, 2026, and end by Saturday, 25th April, 2026, and would only be at the Board’s State and Zonal Offices.”

“The 2026 UTME will commence on Thursday, 16th April, 2026 and end on Saturday, 25th April, 2026,” JAMB wrote. “Mock-UTME (optional) shall hold on Saturday, March 28th, 2026.”