News

How Lagos Hoodlums Attacked, Killed NURTW Boss at Home, Hospital

Published

4 years ago

December 2, 2021

Eric

A leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Lagos State, Kunle Ajibade, has been murdered by suspected hoodlums in Ijeshatedo, in the Surulere area of the state.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the assailants stabbed the 28-year-old at his house and trailed him to a hospital where he was receiving treatment.

They were said to have shot him multiple times.

The victim’s brother, Kehinde, who urged the police to investigate the killing, said his brother was being rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital when he gave up on the way.

Our correspondent learnt that the circumstances surrounding Kunle’s death started during a celebration tagged Prosper Day.

The party held last Saturday on Ijikoyijo Street, Ijeshatedo, where Kunle was the vice-chairman of the NURTW.

Members of two rival gangs reportedly attended the party to also catch fun.

While one of the gang members was led by a man identified as My Son, the other gang was led by a transport worker identified as Kolom.

Kehinde said trouble started when one Malik, a member of Kolom’s gang, started misbehaving after drinking to a stupor around 10pm.

He claimed that Malik’s action infuriated members of the other gang, which led to a fight between the groups.

“Also in Ijesha, there is a group known as the Ultimate, led by one Alaka.

“During the fight, members of the Ultimate group supported My Son group.

“Kunle and some people tried to settle the fight. But Alaka became annoyed and engaged in a shouting match with my brother.

“One of Alaka’s boys, Jabi, even broke a bottle on my brother’s head, but we ensured that the matter was settled for peace to reign. The party ended and everyone went home,” Kehinde added.

He alleged that Alaka, however, led his gang to attack Kunle at midnight, adding that they stabbed him with different weapons, including machetes.

“I was asleep when my phone rang around 2am. I checked it and realised that it was my wife calling. I picked it, but my mother started speaking and she said I should go to Ijikoyijo Street because some people had used machetes to inflict serious wounds on Kunle.

“When I got there, I was told that they had taken my brother to a private hospital on Ogunmuyiwa Street. On my way there, I met his friends, who said while at the hospital, Alaka led his boys to attack the medical facility and shot my brother.

“They shot him in the hand, back and thigh. Even without the gunshots, the probability of him surviving the injuries he suffered during the attack with machetes was low. They cut his hand and head. I have Alaka’s voice recordings confirming that he attacked my brother.

“After the attack at the hospital, my brother’s friends rushed him to the Adetutu Hospital on Kosoko Street in Ijesha. My mum and I went to meet him there and decided to rush him to LUTH because the injuries were serious. We hired a tricycle, but he died on the way,” he added.

A video clip showing Kunle’s lifeless body in a tricycle was seen by our correspondent.

His left palm was severely cut; he was also hacked in the thigh, chest, back and laps.

Friends and family members were also heard lamenting the death.

The victim’s mother, Adeola, who demanded justice, said the case had been transferred from the Ijesha Police Station to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.

She said, “My son died in my hands. He kept mentioning Alaka’s name till he died. After his death, I called Alaka and told him that he killed my son. While my son has been buried, Alaka is still around and has not been arrested. I want justice.”

Alaka, however, denied killing Kunle, adding that he spoke angrily to his mother because she accused him wrongly.

He said, “I am not the one that led the attack. Kunle’s mother is like a mother to me. When she called and accused me of attacking her son, because of the way she spoke, I got annoyed and talked to her rudely.

“I asked if she knew what her son did to me. I was shocked when I heard that Kunle was dead and I could not call her back again because of how I had spoken to her on the phone. His brother also called me and started cursing me and I became speechless.

“I never entered any hospital. Gang members from Itire came to the party. Kunle threw a bottle at me. I was even the one going to meet Malik who scattered the party. If I knew he had died, I would never have the guts to talk to his mother like that.”

Jimoh Buhari, a spokesperson for the Lagos State NURTW Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, said some members of the transport union go outside their scope of operation to engage in street fights.

He, however, promised to make findings on the case and get back to our correspondent.

He had yet to do so as of the time this report was filed.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said he would get back to our correspondent after being briefed on the incident.

The Punch

News

Police Nab Coordinator, Two Monarchs over Killing of Four Persons in Ebonyi

Published

1 day ago

February 3, 2026

Eric

The police in Ebonyi State have confirmed the arrest of Mr. Anya Baron-Ogbonnia, Coordinator of Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo, in connection with the killing of four persons in Edda Local Government Area (LGA).

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abakaliki.

Ukandu said that the arrest followed a joint operation involving the Army, the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He said that two traditional rulers – Onyaidam Bassey and Godfrey Oko-Obia from Amasiri in Afikpo council area are also in police custody.

The police spokesperson said that 10 people were earlier arrested in connection with the incident.

Reports said there has been a long-standing land dispute between the people of Okporojor in Oso Edda community in Edda and their Amasiri neighbours in Afikpo LGA.

Suspected warlords from Amasiri community, on January 29, 2026, attacked Okporojor Village and beheaded four persons, burnt houses and destroyed other valuable property.

“Yes, on the Thursday attack, the update is that the coordinator of Amasiri, two traditional rulers from Amasiri and other individuals were arrested by a joint operation of the security agencies in the state.

“Those arrested are all in our custody and investigations on the killings are still ongoing.

“The command and other security personnel will not relent until all those involved are brought to justice,” the PPRO said.

NAN

News

Lagos Govt Bans Illegal Chieftaincy Titles

Published

1 day ago

February 3, 2026

Eric

The Lagos State Government has warned individuals and groups against assuming or parading unauthorised chieftaincy titles.

It described the trend as illegal and disruptive to public order.

In a public advisory issued on Monday, the government said its attention had been drawn to “an unhealthy development where some individuals or groups have assumed certain Chieftaincy titles, either on their own or as leaders of ethnic groups, without the approval of the State Government.”

The advisory, signed by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Bolaji Robert, stated that such titles are not recognised by the State.

The advisory said, “These titles are not recognised in the State and their use has caused tension, confusion, and needless crises. The situation requires urgent action to inject sanity and arrest the growing trend of impunity, in the interest of peace, law and order in the State.”

The government noted that the number of self-acclaimed traditional rulers had continued to rise despite previous regulatory efforts.

“The preponderance of these self-acclaimed Chieftaincy titles has reached an alarming level, rendering efforts at curbing these untoward excesses by the State Government through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development largely ineffective,” it stated.

While acknowledging Lagos as a cosmopolitan state, the government warned against the assumption of royal titles and styles not backed by law.

“While we recognise the right of various groups to appoint leaders to coordinate their affairs in Lagos State, the assumption of Chieftaincy titles and nomenclatures equivalent to that of an ‘Oba’ or appellations such as ‘His Royal Majesty’, ‘His Royal Highness’ or its equivalent is in contravention of the extant Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State 2015 and thus illegal,” the advisory read.

The government stressed that only the governor has the authority to approve chieftaincy matters in the State.

“Particularly, the appropriate authority for the approval of Chieftaincy titles in Lagos State is Mr. Governor through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development,” it said, adding that Sections 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 of the law outline the procedures for such approvals.

News

Court Restrains NLC, TUC from Embarking on Strike, Protest in Abuja

Published

2 days ago

February 2, 2026

Eric

The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliates from proceeding with a planned protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Justice Emmanuel Sibilim issued the interim injunction on Monday, barring the labour unions from embarking on any form of industrial action or protest within the nation’s capital. The court also restrained three individuals — Comrades Benson Upah, General NA Toro and Stephen Knabayi — who were listed as respondents in the suit.

The ruling followed an ex parte application jointly filed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA). The motion, marked NICN/ABJ/30/26, was argued on behalf of the applicants by a legal team led by Mr. James Onoja, SAN.

In its order, the court restrained the 1st to 5th respondents, “their privies or agents, from embarking on strike pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.” It further directed the 5th to 9th defendants, who are security agencies, to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the FCT.

The claimants informed the court that the Chairman of the FCT Council had circulated a mobilisation message to union members and affiliates, calling for a mass protest scheduled for February 3. They argued that the planned action amounted to a violation of an existing court order.

According to the FCT Minister, an earlier injunction was granted by the court on January 27, after which the NLC and TUC allegedly issued fresh directives to their affiliates to intensify and sustain the strike, citing an appeal they had filed against the restraining order. He maintained that such actions were intended to provoke chaos and disrupt public order in Abuja.

Following the ruling, the court adjourned the substantive matter to February 10 for hearing.

Details contained in an affidavit filed in support of the application outlined the sequence of events that led to the court action. The claimants averred that:

“On the 19th of January, 2026, the workers in the employment of the 2nd Claimant acting under the aegis of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), commenced an industrial action by locking all entrance to offices and the secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, including closure of schools and all departments and agencies of the 2nd Claimant. Thereby, bringing the governmental functions and activities of the Claimants to a standstill.”

The affidavit further stated: “Being law abiding, the claimants herein instituted an action at the National Industrial Court Abuja, in Suit No: NICN/ABJ/17/2026, between the FCT Minister & anor V. Rifkatu Iortyer & anor, wherein the court on the 27th of January, 2026 made an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants therein JUAC, its affiliate unions, and all employees of the 2nd Claimant were restrained from further embarking on any industrial action, and ordered to resume work pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”

The claimants alleged that the injunction was openly disregarded after it was served on the parties.

“Immediately the order of the court was served on parties, the 1st Defendant acting through the 3rd Defendant issued a directive titled: ‘REINFORCEMENT DIRECTIVE TO ALL AFFILIATE UNIONS IN THE FCT’ urging the workers in the employment of the 2nd Claimant to resume industrial action,” the affidavit read.

It added that on January 28, the NLC and TUC issued another directive titled: “‘DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS WITH COURAGE AND DIGNITY: WE ARE WITH YOU’ wherein they directed that workers of the 2nd Claimant should resume industrial action and jettison the order of the National industrial Court made on the 27/1/2026.”

The court filing further stated that the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) subsequently followed the directive, instructing its members to resume the strike through a notice dated January 28, 2026, signed by Comrade Abdullahi Umar Saleh as JUAC secretary.

According to the affidavit, the situation escalated when the FCT Council allegedly issued another mobilisation notice.

“Acting under the directives aforementioned, the 5th Defendant, acting, as the chairperson of the 1st Defendant; FCT Council, issued a directive on the 31/1/2026, to all affiliate unions named therein to mobilize their members who are employees of the 2nd Claimant for a mass protest in the Federal Capital Territory… on the 3rd of February, 2026 by 7.00 am prompt with a view to causing chaos, breakdown of law and order, and prevent the smooth administration of the 2nd Claimant.”

The claimants said they were compelled to return to court out of fear that the planned protest could disrupt vehicular movement and infringe on the rights of residents and visitors to the FCT.

“The Claimants are apprehensive of the breakdown of law and order obstruction of vehicular movement, violation of the rights of the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, particularly those in the private sector and other government establishments, which includes other States of the Federation, expatriates and tourists, hence the resort to court action,” the affidavit concluded.