Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has revealed that he nearly lost his position during the political crisis that affected the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2025.

Gbajabiamila made the disclosure in a video currently circulating on social media.

He said the issue came up during the period former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa was removed from office, leading to tension within the Assembly.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu invited him to his residence in Abuja at the peak of the crisis and questioned him over reports allegedly linking actor-turned-lawmaker Desmond Elliot to moves aimed at causing trouble in the Lagos Assembly.

Gbajabiamila explained that the President allegedly informed him that intelligence reports had connected Elliot to the political problems in the Assembly.

He said he immediately defended the lawmaker and denied claims that Elliot was involved in the situation.

The Chief of Staff said Tinubu insisted the reports he received pointed to Elliot’s involvement and instructed him to speak with the Surulere lawmaker and advise him to withdraw from anything connected to the crisis if he was truly involved.

Gbajabiamila stated that after the meeting, he contacted Elliot and informed him about the concerns raised by the President.

He said he warned the lawmaker to stay away from the crisis if he had any connection to it.

He also disclosed that a few days later, the Director-General of the Department of State Services contacted him over allegations that both he and Elliot were being mentioned in connection with the Assembly crisis.

According to Gbajabiamila, the allegations suggested he was backing Elliot in the matter. He said the situation became serious because many people believed Elliot could not act in such a manner without his knowledge.

The Chief of Staff added that he again contacted Elliot and advised him to publicly clear his name from the allegations. However, he claimed the lawmaker did not release any statement regarding the issue.

The political crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly began on January 13, 2025, after lawmakers impeached Obasa while he was reportedly outside the country.

The lawmakers accused the former Speaker of misconduct, abuse of office, poor leadership style, lateness to legislative sessions, and alleged financial mismanagement.

Following his removal, Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda was elected to lead the Assembly, becoming the first woman to occupy the position.

Obasa rejected the impeachment and maintained that proper procedures were not followed. The development later led to legal battles, leadership disputes, and intervention from leaders of the All Progressives Congress.

The crisis was eventually resolved after Meranda stepped down from the position, allowing Obasa to return as Speaker.

Gunmen have stormed Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, shooting a teacher and whisking away the school principal, Mrs Rachael Alamu, along with some students.

A report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted a source as disclosing that the attackers invaded the community on Friday at around 8.00 a.m.

It quoted the source as saying that the gunmen fled the scene with the principal’s vehicle and escaped with the abductees into a forest reserve bordering the community.

Already, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Abimbola Olugbenga, is said to be heading to Ahoro-Esinele to spearhead rescue operations.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement issued in Ibadan.

Olayinka said the number of residents abducted was, however, yet to be ascertained.

“There was an attack, and the Commissioner of Police is on his way to the scene; details soon, please,” he said.

According to reports, this incident came at the time an unspecified number of students of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State were abducted when some armed members of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists invaded their school premises in the early hours of the day.

A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian-born former nonprofit chief executive, Dr Nkechy Ezeh, to 70 months in prison for orchestrating a $1.4 million fraud scheme involving taxpayer and donor funds meant for vulnerable preschool children.

The sentencing was announced in a press release on Wednesday by the Office of the US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.

The sentencing was delivered by Chief US District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou, who also imposed a concurrent 60-month sentence for tax evasion and ordered Ezeh to pay $1.4 million in restitution and $390,174 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Ezeh, 61, of Kent County, Michigan, was the founder and former CEO of Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, a West Michigan nonprofit that provided early childhood services in underserved communities.

She is also a former Associate Professor of Education and Director of Early Childhood Education Program at Aquinas College.

She was immediately remanded into federal custody after sentencing.

During the proceedings, Judge Jarbou described Ezeh as “a fraud and a thief,” adding that the scheme was “brazen and widespread,” and involved funds intended for some of the region’s most vulnerable children.

US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Timothy VerHey, said Ezeh diverted money meant for low-income children for personal use.

“Nkechy Ezeh’s greed is beyond reprehensible.

“She stole taxpayer and private-donor dollars meant for low-income children in our community. Instead of helping kids, she spent that money on herself.

“The stolen money could have supported hundreds of West Michigan children and their families. Judge Jarbou’s sentence was perfectly appropriate,” VerHey said.

According to court filings, Ezeh used stolen funds to finance personal expenses, including travel to Hawaii, Europe and Africa, as well as a family wedding.

Prosecutors also said she placed relatives on a “ghost payroll,” enabling them to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars for little or no work.

She was further accused of using intermediaries to transfer stolen funds to family members in Nigeria.

The nonprofit, ELNC, was funded by US federal programmes including Head Start, the Department of Education, and private donors. It provided meals, transport and support services to children in low-income communities.

Following the fraud, ELNC shut down in 2023, leading to the loss of funding for several preschools and the layoff of 35 employees.

A former bookkeeper at the organisation, Sharon Killebrew, who was identified as a co-conspirator, was earlier sentenced to 54 months in prison for her role in the scheme.

US authorities said the case highlights the abuse of federal grants and its impact on vulnerable communities, particularly children in low-income neighbourhoods.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation unit, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.