Featured

Oro Worshippers, Church Members Clash Claims One Life

Published

3 years ago

August 25, 2022

Eric

A clash between Oro traditional worshippers and worshippers at the Truth and The Spirit Prophetic Church has led to the death of a tailor, Akeem Adebisi, in the Oko-Oba area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Akeem alongside other Oro worshippers were performing sacrament when they got to know that the church members were conducting a vigil.

The Oro worshippers, upon approaching the prophetess, Mercy Okocha, and her church members, reportedly instructed them to stop the vigil but they disagreed.

It was learnt that the disagreement caused an argument that degenerated into a clash between the Oro traditionalists and the church members who stood their ground on Tuesday.

During the clash, the church members allegedly stoned Akeem to death as some other persons involved in the fight sustained varying degrees of injury.

Our correspondent who visited the scene on Wednesday observed that the church had been deserted.

Property including fans, chairs, and instruments in the church were scattered.

Speaking with our correspondent, a resident, who gave her name simply as Alhaja Sariyu, said an announcement was made for the Oro procession.

She said, “After the announcement, we went indoors very early only to wake up the following day to discover that there was apprehension everywhere.

“The Oro procession has been on for years. So, nobody expected that this particular one was going to be bloody. As a matter of fact, the church has been there for close to five years.”

A trader in the area, who declined to mention her name for security reasons, said the church led by Okocha was fond of conducting vigil every day, adding that it must be “the reason why the confrontation happened.”

An eyewitness, Jamiu Issa, who participated in the procession, alleged that members of the church instigated a mob action against his colleagues on their way back.

Issa said, “We hold our procession every August 22. Before we started our procession that night, we saw some members of the church outside around 10pm, and Akeem went to meet the woman (prophetess) to suspend their programme and instruct her members to go inside.

“So, when we started at midnight, we saw them again and chased them inside the church. Around 1am on our way back, we saw them again and they started throwing stones, bottles and coconuts at us.

“The prophetess asked her female members to go inside, while she and the male members attacked us. They smashed a coconut on Akeem’s face; he collapsed and started bleeding on the spot.

“We rushed him to about three hospitals but he was rejected. We were told he had lost a lot of blood. He died around 4am on our way to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.”

Our correspondent also visited Akeem’s father, Wasiu Adebisi, who had been distraught over the death of his son, said he got to know about the attack at midnight.

The 62 year-old said, “Akeem is my first male child. He is the one who always announces the preparation of the Oro festival in the town. When the incident happened, his colleagues rushed to call me in the middle of the night, and when I got there, I was told that they hit his head with a coconut.

“If they actually threw it at him from a distance, the impact would not have been that much. It looked like they held him and broke the coconut on his head. I could not bear the sight of him when I got there, I just returned home while his colleagues took him to hospital. It was in the morning that they told me that he died.”

The Baale of Gbirinmi, Oko Oba, Razaq Alawode, while condemning the attack, demanded justice for the deceased victim, adding that the police were invited to restore normalcy in the community.

“Even when the police came to arrest her, they were scared to enter the church. I was the one that led them inside the church where we found some strange spiritual items. We want the police to ensure that justice is served,” Alawode said.

Efforts by our correspondents to speak with a member of the church proved abortive.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the prophetess alongside nine members of the church had been arrested in connection to Akeem’s death.

“The prophetess, Mercy Okocha, 50, and nine other members of the church, have been arrested. The corpse was deposited in a mortuary for autopsy. An investigation is ongoing,” Hundeyin said.

However, in his remark, a lecturer in the Department of Religious and Peace Studies, Lagos State University, Professor Kabiru Paramole, told one of our correspondents that the incident was avoidable.

He lamented that the clash happened though both religious groups were chasing a common good for society.

Paramole said, “Religiously, what the Oro people were doing, according to them, was nothing but religion. They were being religious because they wanted to fortify their city from several calamities, pains and negativity happening in the society.

“The Christians too were also having a vigil to achieve the same purpose the Oro worshippers were after. I’m very sure that before any Oro comes out, especially in Lagos State, the news is always everywhere; everyone must stay indoors.

“I don’t know if the same kind of news went around the city this time around. If truly the news went around and the Christians still went ahead to hold their vigil, to me as a scholar of religious studies, that’s a wrong step taken by the Christians because they knew people might come towards where they were having the vigil. A clash would be expected in this kind of case.”

Paramole, however, said the clash would have been avoided if the Oro worshippers and church members explored the option of peaceful engagement.

The Punch

Featured

2027: Supporting Tinubu Not Guarantee for Second Term Ticket, Wike Mocks Fubara

Published

5 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Eric

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has sent a veiled message to Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, saying support for President Bola Tinubu alone will not guarantee any election ticket.

Wike made the statement on Sunday during a public outing in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.

His remarks were widely seen as directed at Governor Fubara, amid lingering political crisis in the State.

The former Governor of Rivers State said political loyalty must be tested during difficult times, not after power has been secured.

He mocked those he described as late supporters of President Tinubu, insisting that sudden alignment would not earn political rewards.

He said: “So the issue is not whether you are supporting Tinubu. That one, we have taken too long, long… Yes, oh. So Tinubu’s issue is not an issue again. Yes. Do you understand me? Yes. Tinubu’s issue is that nobody should be coming here to tell a day. We are for Tinubu; I am against you. Who is for Tinubu University? (laughs) That cannot give you any ticket oh! (laughs again) Direct, direct. It will not. Direction. Direction.”

Wike stressed that his political camp stood with Tinubu when the decision was unpopular. He said that support given under pressure carries more weight than alignment after victory.

He also recalled how the Rivers State House of Assembly openly backed Tinubu early, long before the election outcome was certain.

According to him, some of those now making public declarations were absent during the critical period.

“The same people now who came to declare, put them to God… But they should declare they are saying it for a candidate. Yes. Don’t you see characters? (laughs) So I send the sword far ahead of them.”

Wike further spoke on governance and continuity. He defended projects and agreements initiated during his tenure as governor. He said it is often difficult for successors to acknowledge past efforts, even though government is a continuous process.

His comments come weeks after Governor Fubara formally aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of President Tinubu.

The move followed months of political crisis in Rivers State, which led to federal intervention and a declaration of emergency rule.

Political watchers believe Wike’s remarks constitute a direct response to Fubara’s recent positioning as a key Tinubu ally in Rivers politics. Critics argue that Fubara’s support surfaced only after the political storm had settled.

Wike, who remains a dominant force in Rivers State politics despite serving in Abuja, appears to have drawn a clear line ahead of the 2027 elections.

He suggested that political tickets would be decided by proven loyalty, not convenience.

Videos from the event in Rumuche, Emohua, spread rapidly on social media. Many users described the speech as a coded warning to the governor.

As of press time, neither the Rivers State Government nor Wike’s media team had issued an official clarification.

The comments, however, suggest that the political rift between both camps is still active, despite earlier peace moves brokered at the national level.

Featured

SGF Akume Marries Ooni’s Former Wife, Zainab

Published

3 days ago

December 26, 2025

Eric

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has officially wed Queen Zaynab Ngohemba, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

The announcement was made public on Friday by a facebook user and member of the Dajoh family, Abraham Double-d Dajoh, via a celebratory social media post.

He confirmed the union between the high-ranking government official and the former Olori of the Ife Kingdom.

The Dajoh family described the union as “beautiful” and “uncommon,” as they formally welcomed her into their fold in Benue State.

In a statement that quickly went viral, the Dajoh family expressed their collective joy, signalling a significant chapter for the SGF’s household.

“We, the entire Dajoh Family, happily join our daddy, uncle and brother, His Excellency, The Secretary To The Government Of The Federation, Sen. George Akume Jugu Dajoh in welcoming his new and uncommon wife, Queen Zaynab Ngohemba-George Akume Dajoh, into the Dajoh family,” the post read.

The family further extended their appreciation to the political associates and supporters of the SGF, urging them to remain steadfast in their loyalty to him as he embarks on this personal journey.

“We appreciate and thank the fans and supporters of Sen. Akume for always standing by him. We enjoin every one of you to continue to support his Excellency even in this beautiful union with Queen Zaynab,” the post further read.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and his new wife, Queen Zaynab Ngohemba-George Akume Dajoh. While the union is reportedly established, the Queen was officially welcomed into the Dajoh family home in Mbakor, Benue State, this December. | Credit: Dajoh Family.

Queen Zaynab, who was previously known as Olori Wuraola during her 17-month marriage to the Ooni of Ife (which ended in 2017), was ushered into her new home with deep cultural reverence.

The Dajoh family emphasised the importance of their ancestral roots in Mbakor and the wider Benue State.

“Welcome to Benue State, the Food Basket of the Nation, welcome to Mbakor, the seat of leadership of the Tiv nation and welcome to the Dajoh family, the home of your darling husband. Welcome home, Queen Zaynab,” the statement concluded.

*Some members of the Dajoh dynasty are celebrating their new mother, Queen Zaynab Itohan Ngohemba George-Akume Dajoh.| Credit: Dajoh Family.*

The announcement coincided with the festive period, as the family used the opportunity to wish Nigerians a happy holiday season.

Featured

Where’s Our C-inC: Dele Momodu Questions Tinubu’s Whereabouts Amid America’s Airstrikes on Nigeria

Published

3 days ago

December 26, 2025

Eric

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu, has questioned the whereabouts of President Bola Tinubu and silence of the Federal Government amid reports of a United States–led military operation against terrorist targets on Nigerian soil.

Momodu raised the concern in a post on his various social media handles, including Instagram, reacting to the announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump that American forces had carried out airstrikes in Nigeria with the cooperation of the Nigerian government.

He expressed concern over what he perceived as a lack of visible leadership at a critical and historic moment, stressing that national sovereignty and public confidence demand prompt and transparent communication from the country’s highest authority.

Momodu urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he referred to as Nigeria’s “Master Strategist,” not to abdicate responsibility in the face of such a significant security development.

“We implore our Master Strategist not to abdicate responsibility and our sovereignty at this crucial and historic moment, but to stand beside America in this fight against terrorism,” he said.

He concluded his remarks by noting that the country remained in prayers amid the unfolding security situation.