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Stop blackmailing me, Okorocha tells Ihedioha

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The immediate past governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has told his successor, Emeka Ihedioha, to stop blackmailing him.

Okorocha rather advised Ihedioha to face governance and improve the lot of the state.

A statement issued in Owerri, the state capital on Monday by Okorocha’s media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, said that the governor had been investing in blackmails against him.

Okorocha said that the only way Ihedioha would “dwarf” him was by achieving more than he (Okorocha) achieved as a governor of the state.

Okorocha who challenged Ihedioha for a road show in the state capital said that the governor had made up his mind to blackmail him even before he was sworn in on May 29.

The statement read in part, “We do not think that the new governor came to power only to vilify Okorocha. Since May 29, 2019, when he was inaugurated, he has never said any other thing aside talking down on the former governor.”

“First, he went to demolish the Akachi tower, Imo people shouted foul. He said Okorocha had been arrested by EFCC, which was also false. He renamed the Imo Trade & Investment Centre Ahiajioku Centre, and he must have discovered that he has no audience.”

“He has also said that the brand new Government House Okorocha handed over to him was an eyesore with a photograph of a bad toilet they must have taken from the PDP Office in Owerri. He has equally denied that the former governor left N42.5billion for him, yet, the banks mentioned to that effect have never denied being in custody of the mentioned sums.”

“Today, it is the issue of handover. There was a Joint Inauguration Committee with his Secretary to the State Government now, Chief Chris Okewulonu as Co-chairman. ”

“They were handed over both assets and liabilities and taken round the key projects. They were satisfied. And the Principal Secretary to the former governor has also been there. He received the governor in Government House, took him round and also handed over to him any other thing left to be handed over.”

“Even before May 29, 2019, when he was sworn in as governor, he had made up his mind to invest heavily on blackmail against his predecessor. For instance, with the inauguration time-table, he was to meet with the governor then, Owelle Okorocha on May 2, 2019, but he called to say that he was travelling. He skipped that important meeting.”

“Again, May 5, 2019, was slated for his tour of selected projects with the governor then but he also avoided that. May 6 to May 20, 2019, was scheduled for Ministerial handover and Account reconciliation but he was never seen. He avoided close contact with the man he was coming to replace. Even the Joint Inauguration Church Service fixed for May 25, 2019, at Heroes Square.”

” He altered the whole programme to avoid being on the same page with Owelle Okorocha for a smooth handover. And we have today, seen the reasons for all those pranks.”

“Governor Ihedioha should tell his audience what he wants from the former governor. Let him mention those things so that we can take off from there… Let him mention it so that his motive can be clearer.”

“In any case, he should find out why it appears that Imo people are not excited about his governorship and also not in agreement with him in all his blackmail against his predecessor. And also why on the day of his inauguration Imo people never cared to know what was happening.”

“Let him also know that by July, we are going to challenge him for a road walk with Owelle Okorocha on the major streets of Owerri. As we have continued to allude, he has come to unveil the Heroism of Owelle Okorocha.”

“In case he does not know, the only thing he can do and dwarf Okorocha is to work and achieve more than him. Where he fails to do that, he has lost the contest. It is only his achievements more than what Okorocha did, that can help him in what he is trying to do. Aside from that, he should find other things to do or take the world as he sees it. Okorocha is the defending Champion of Imo governorship based on his achievements. There is nothing anybody can do about that.”

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Tinubu in Benue, Visits Yelwata Attacks Victims in Hospital

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President Bola Tinubu has visited surviving victims of last Friday’s brutal attack in Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

Tinubu visited the State following the attack, which left over 59 people dead and several others injured.

The President went straight to the hospital after arriving at the Tactical Air Command, Nigerian Air Force Base, Makurdi, at about 12:58 pm on Wednesday.

He later left the hospital for the new Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House, where he is expected to meet with major stakeholders in the state in view of the violent attacks that have led to the loss of lives.

Tinubu is expected to meet with families of victims, displaced and injured persons, and community leaders directly impacted by the violence.

The meeting with the stakeholders is part of a broader effort to find a lasting solution to the crisis that has affected parts of the state, especially rural communities.

Expected at the meeting are key national and state-level figures, including the state governor, Hyacinth Alia; governors from across the country, particularly from the North-Central states; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.

Also expected to attend are service chiefs, key members of the National Assembly, leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and other prominent individuals, especially those representing affected communities in Benue.

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Abuja River Park Estate: Ghanaian Investors Drag IGP, EFCC, Others to Court

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A group of Ghanaian investors behind the development of the high-profile River Park Estate in Abuja have dragged Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other top security officials to the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged harassment, violation of fundamental human rights, and suppression of a completed police investigation report.

The suit, filed by directors of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria — Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, and Victor Quainoo — along with their legal practitioner Abu Arome, also names DCP Akin Fakorede, Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit; FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Saka Adewale; EFCC Zonal Commander Michael Wetkas; EFCC investigator Eunice Vou Dalyop; and one Kabiru Baba as respondents.

In the case numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025, the Ghanaian businessmen are seeking ₦200 million in exemplary damages for what they describe as unlawful intimidation, repeated invitations, and an attempt to suppress an investigation report compiled by an 11-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP) previously set up by the Nigeria Police Force to probe the ownership and development dispute surrounding River Park Estate.

According to court documents, the police had concluded its investigation and submitted the SIP report to the IGP’s office, with a directive that it be reviewed by the Legal Department. However, despite several formal requests—including letters dated March 20 and April 16, 2025—neither the plaintiffs nor their legal representatives have received access to the report.

Instead, the plaintiffs allege that DCP Fakorede, whose unit previously investigated the case, initiated a fresh probe into the same issues already covered in the SIP’s findings. The investors claim Fakorede’s renewed efforts have resulted in persistent harassment, including repeated police invitations and the arrest and prolonged interrogation of Kojo Ansah Mensah by the EFCC.

In a further twist, Jonah Capital petitioned the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), urging them to intervene. A letter from the AGF’s office, dated May 16, 2025, formally requested the IGP to release the case file and final SIP report—but the police have yet to comply.

The Ghanaian High Commission in Nigeria also backed the request, with Acting High Commissioner Eddison Mensah Agbenyegah writing to the IGP on April 9, 2025, requesting certified true copies of the SIP report and offering to bear the costs. That appeal, too, has received no official response.

According to the affidavit sworn by Kojo Ansah Mensah, the dispute began in 2013 when Jonah Capital invited Paulo Homes Ltd into a joint venture to process building approvals. Under the agreement, Paulo Homes was to receive 30% of the land it secured permits for. However, the Ghanaians allege that Paulo Homes breached the terms, encroached on more land, and later accused them of forgery.

Former partners Adrian Ogunmuyiwa and John Townley-Johnson, who had previously relinquished their interests to Jonah Capital, also resurfaced with forgery allegations. These claims were part of the initial investigation handled by the SIP, which found no evidence warranting criminal charges.

Despite the SIP’s report, Paulo Homes, through its general manager Giles Azania, submitted a new petition to the IGP on April 10, 2025, demanding another investigation into the same forgery allegations. The IGP Monitoring Unit reportedly began a fresh, inconclusive investigation while continuing to withhold the earlier report.

The plaintiffs now seek a court declaration that the ongoing actions by the police and EFCC violate their constitutional rights to dignity, liberty, property, and freedom of movement, as enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They also seek a perpetual injunction restraining all defendants from further arresting, detaining, or harassing them over a matter they argue is purely civil in nature and best suited for the courts.

Videos and written petitions submitted to the court detail how officers of the Nigerian Police Force have allegedly prevented the Ghanaian developers from accessing their land while allowing rival developers linked to Paulo Homes to build freely on the disputed property.

Legal counsel to the plaintiffs, Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), insists that the continuous targeting of his clients amounts to double jeopardy and abuse of power, calling on the judiciary to compel law enforcement agencies to uphold the rule of law and release the investigative findings.

As the case unfolds, observers from both Nigeria and Ghana are closely watching what could become a defining moment in the legal and diplomatic handling of cross-border business disputes involving foreign investors and Nigeria’s security institutions.

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I’ll Work Against Tinubu’s Re-election in 2027 – Ex-aide Aliyu Audu

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A former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, ha revealed that he resigned from the administration in order to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu said his decision was driven by a matter of “principle and conscience,” as he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

“It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, referring to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech where the president claimed to enjoy seeing the opposition in disarray.

“I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him. Collectively, Nigerians will install a leader that will be our chosen, not his chosen. Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”

He also criticised the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government, questioning his loyalty and the legitimacy of such a move.

“What is Wike doing in our government? If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals. The party is what we vote for — not Bola Tinubu but APC; not Atiku but PDP; not Peter Obi but Labour Party.”

Audu’s resignation letter, dated June 8, criticised the APC’s political trajectory and warned against what he described as a deliberate silencing of opposition voices. In a follow-up statement, he clarified that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would not lend himself “as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party State.”

“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he said.

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