Connect with us

News

Kogi lawmakers suspend Ibaji LG boss over alleged N536.1m graft

Published

on

Spread the love

• Ibaji people behind my suspension – Iko-Ojo reacts

The Kogi State House of Assembly on Thursday suspended the Chairman of Ibaji Local Government Area, William Iko-Ojo over alleged misappropriation of public funds, security threat, gross misconduct and abuse of office.

But reacting to the decision of the state lawmakers, Iko-Ojo described his suspension without any opportunity offered to defend himself of the allegation, as political,  adding that some of his traducers from Ibaji Local government could be behind the act.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, for the opportunity given to him to serve as Local Government Chairman, assuring that he would continue support the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC as a stakeholder in the state.

The suspended council boss also urged the people of the Local government to remain steadfast in their support for the party (APC) especially in the forthcoming governorship election slated for November 11, 2023.

The Advocate reports that the suspension of the Council Chairman was based on a petition written to the Assembly by one Jibril Ojochenemi which was read by the House Majority Leader, Suleiman Abdulrazaq, a member representing Okene Town.

Maduka College Advert

Abdulrazaq said the petition alleged that the sum of N536, 137, 064.9k (Five hundred and thirty-six million, one hundred and thirty-seven thousand, sixty-four naira and nine kobo), was spent as overhead cost without budget provision by the Chairman.

The Majority Leader said the alleged misappropriation was reported in the audited consolidated financial statement of the 21 Local Government Area of Kogi State for the period covering 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021.

Abdulrazaq urged the House to look into instances of security breaches in high disrespect to the rule of law, saying such conduct portrays the ”man to act above the law”

In view of the graft allegation contained in the petition before the house, the Majority Leader, therefore, called for the suspension of the embattled Council boss, which was immediately seconded by Deputy Speaker, Enema Paul, who represents Dekina Okura State constituency.

The Deputy Speaker in his submission noted that the allegations against the Local Government Chairman were weighty, adding that he should step aside pending the conclusion of investigation by the House.

In their various contributions, the members representing Ogori Magongo State Constituency Bode Ogunmola, Dekina/Biraidu, Ochidi Usman Shehu, Kogi Koton Karfe, Aliyu Maikudi, Okene South, Yusuf Zakari Eneve all threw their weight behind the removal of the Ibaji Council boss.

They said under the watch of the embattled Council boss, a crisis broke out in Ibaji which led to the death of a woman.

” If the executive Chairman cannot control security problems and is busy inciting crisis in his domain, my submission here is that the Chairman should be suspended,” one of the lawmakers said.

In his rulings, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Aliyu Umar Yusuf directed the Vice Chairman to take over the activities of the Local Government in an Acting capacity.

The House, however, set up a seven Man committee chaired by Deputy Speaker, Enema Paul to investigate the allegations.

“He is becoming a security threat to the place he is supposed to provide security. As a Chairman that was democratically elected, the party that the Chairman belongs to has equally petitioned his character. But all effort to see that he behaves well was not forthcoming.

“When you have a Chairman that is supposed to provide an enabling environment for people to go about their lawful business, is now seen inciting communities against each other, threaten to remove traditional rulers or install new ones before were it exist. That cannot be tolerated. The security reports against the Chairman are not favourable” the Speaker stated.

He called on the Nigeria Police, and Department of State Services, (DSS) to put the suspended Chairman on security watch to avert any breakdown of law and order.

The embattled Council boss, who spoke with The Advocate when contacted on Friday, said: “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t know anybody answering the name Jibril Ojochenemi in Ibaji but whatever it is I am ready to defend myself of the allegation.  Unfortunately, I was not given the opportunity to do so before the sudden decision by the State Assembly.

“I want to thank God Almighty for my life and also appreciate the governor, His Excellency (Yahaya Bello) for the time I have spent with him and for giving me that opportunity to service. I want to tell the people that the governor is good man.

“What is happening now is the handiwork of my people from Ibaji Local Government. Their reason is best known to them but I want to declare that I will continue to support my party the APC.  As far as APC is concerned, I am a stakeholder in Ibaji and Kogi State and I will continue to tell my people to support the ruling party.”

Continuing he said: “As per my suspension, I have taken it in good faith. We  will continue to support our party especially in the forthcoming November 11 election as we put everything in prayers.

“As per the money they are alleging, since the House of Assembly has not communicated me, I cannot speak about it for now as I only saw the publication on the social media.  If the need arises I am ready to give account of what I know any time.”

News

BREAKING: Veteran actor, Olu Jacobs is dead

Published

on

Olu Jacobs
Spread the love

Popular Nollywood actor, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, known as Olu Jacobs, has passed on.

The veteran Nigerian actor and film executive died at the age of 84.

His demise was confirmed Tuesday morning by his son, Olusoji Jacobs.

In an announcement he made on Instagram on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Olusoji urged the public to respect their privacy.

He also expressed gratitude to God for the late actor’s life.

Maduka College Advert

“It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought, that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle. The Lion of Lufodo.

“We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our families privacy at this time,” he said, according to TVC.

In the past, there have been rumours of his death which turned out to the untrue.

Continue Reading

News

Police raise alarm over planned attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC camps

Published

on

IGP Olatunji Disu
Spread the love

The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.

The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.

Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.

The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Maduka College Advert

The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.

The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.

Continue Reading

News

Atiku tackles Tinubu over N1,400 fuel price, demands probe of FAAC allocations

Published

on

‘Who is in charge of Nigeria presently?’, Atiku queries Tinubu, Shettima’s absence
Atiku Abubakar and President Bola Tinubu
Spread the love

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the current pump price of petrol, noting that Nigerians are now paying as much as ₦1,470 per litre even though crude oil, at $102.52 per barrel, sells for far less than the $147 per barrel it fetched in 2008 when petrol sold for ₦65 per litre under the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of presiding over what he described as an organised system of grand larceny against the Nigerian people, built around opaque Federation Account FAAC deductions, questionable management of oil revenues, parallel funding arrangements and allegations of off-book transactions.

“With crude oil around $102.52 per barrel, Nigerians are paying as much as ₦1,470 per litre. In 2008, when crude oil reached about $147 per barrel, petrol sold at ₦65 per litre under the Yar’Adua administration. The difference is that government then understood that economic policy must ultimately protect the welfare of citizens,” he said.

The Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress ADC said it is unconscionable for a government that has extracted unprecedented sacrifice from citizens in the name of subsidy removal to keep raising the cost of survival while refusing to provide a clear, verifiable account of the revenues, savings and deductions accumulated under its watch.

He recalled that Nigerians were told subsidy removal would free resources for education, healthcare, infrastructure and other essential services, yet nearly three and a half years later, fundamental questions remain unanswered about where the money has gone.

Maduka College Advert

“Petrol at ₦1,470 per litre is not merely a figure at the filling station. It enters the price of transportation, food, school runs, farming, manufacturing and virtually everything Nigerians buy. Every increase at the pump travels directly into the household budget.

“After all the pain imposed on Nigerians, they have a right to ask: where are the subsidy savings and where is the money?”, he queried.

Atiku said official FAAC records themselves justify greater scrutiny, pointing out that in June 2025, gross Federation Account revenue was reported at ₦4.232 trillion while only ₦1.818 trillion was eventually distributed, with substantial sums categorised as cost of collection, transfers, interventions, refunds and savings.

He demanded a comprehensive reconciliation of Federation Account revenues from 2023 to date, showing gross collections, every deduction made before distribution, the statutory authority for each deduction, the receiving accounts and the ultimate beneficiaries.

“Nigerians deserve accounts they can interrogate, not accounting labels designed to discourage questions,” he said.

The former Vice President also called for full disclosure around the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, OML 143, oil-production revenues, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC’s international Liquefied Natural Gas LNG trading operations, offshore corporate structures and allegations involving unofficial crude lifting, maritime surveillance contracts and other possible off-book revenue flows.

“These allegations are too serious to be answered with press statements and political insults. Every barrel can be measured, every cargo identified and every legitimate payment traced. If everything is in order, publish the records and allow independent forensic auditors to reconcile them. If the allegations are false, the records will clear the government,” he said.

Atiku equally rejected attempts to use the current international crisis as a blanket excuse for rising domestic fuel prices, drawing attention to the widening gap between what Nigerians earn and what they now pay at the pump compared to other climes.

“At about $4.31 per gallon, U.S. petrol is roughly $1.14 per litre. Yet while the U.S. federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, Nigeria’s minimum wage is only ₦70,000 per month.

“Tinubu has brought Nigerians close to American fuel prices while leaving them with Nigerian poverty wages. That is the true cost of his subsidy-removal policy”, he said.

He insisted that the administration can no longer demand endless sacrifice from citizens while treating public accountability as optional.

“After all the oil, all the revenue, all the deductions and all the hardship, petrol is now ₦1,470 per litre. The question Tinubu must answer is simple: where are the savings, where are the revenues, and who is taking Nigeria’s money?”

Continue Reading

Trending

Maduka College Advert