
News
Ex-Rep member bags 16 months imprisonment for forgery, murder threat, others
Oyebamiji was found guilty of conspiracy, false publication, forgery, threat to murder an Oko Town High Chief and his household as well as conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Chief Magistrate Muideen Salami, however granted the convict a fine of N500,000 in lieu of the sentence.
In his judgment, Salami sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment on count of conspiracy with option of N150,000.
Three months for count 2 of false publication/defamation with fine of N150,000.
Six months for the offence of forgery with option of fine of N100,000, and one month for the offence of threat to murder with a fine of N100,000.

The sentences are to run concurrently, the Chief Magistrate ordered.
The former House of Representatives member from Ogbomoso South was arraigned in 2021 by the Oyo Police Command with a 94-year old Oko Town traditional title holder, Mathew Wojuade Ademola, and five others.
They include Wojuade Gbemiga, Wojuade Philip, Bello Semiu Opeyemi, Eyolade Joshua Adewumi, and Adeniyi Idowu.
They were charged with alleged conspiracy to murder High Chief Solomon Ojedayo in Oko Town, a suburb of Ogbomoso.
While the prosecutor, Mr M.A. Ojei, represented the Commissioner of Police in the charge marked MOG/190c/2021, Dr. Olutayo Oyewale holds the watching brief for the complainant, while Prince Niran Oyekale represented the defendants.
After the prosecution called five witnesses against the defendants, the six other defendants except Oyebamji informed the court on December 22, 2023 through Dr. Tayo Oyewale, that they had deposed to separate affidavits in Ibadan High Court Registry in which they settled with the complainant, High Chief Solomon Ojedayo.
Their names were therefore struck out from the charge, leaving Oyebamji to open his defence in the charge brought against him.
At the conclusion of the trial and submission of written addresses by Ojei and Ojekale, the court on Thursday reviewed the case and found Oyebamji guilty of all the counts.
The convict had given an alibi during trial that at the material time he was said to have committed the offences, he was involved in an accident.
He claimed he was admitted at the UCH, Ibadan on December 17, 2019 and discharged on January 18, 2020 before returning to Oko on the June 27, 2020.
He however said that he did not disclose this information to the Police in Ibadan and Zone 11, Osogbo because he was not asked such question.
The court discountenanced the claim of alibi saying that he only imported such as an excuse during the trial amounting to after-thought.
“The accused person only tendered his photograph with crutches, neck girdle, without vehicle inspection report of the accident. There was no photo of the accidented vehicle to support his defence.
The alibi according to decided authorities must have been promptly and lucidly disclosed to the police during investigation. It is the considered opinion of this court that the alibi is an after-thought which cannot avail the accused person”, the Court said.
The prosecution also alleged that Oyebamji on his Facebook account “threatened the lives of Chief Solomon Ojedayo and his household by sending defamatory and threatening messages to his phone via Facebook that his life will soon be over as it cost him nothing to eliminate him and his household.”
He had also described High Chief Solomon Ojedayo as “Sosoliso Ojedidakuda, Olowo Igbo” on the Facebook, an act considered as defamatory.
Though he denied referring to the complainant as “Sosoliso Ojedidakuda”, claiming that he is a writer, a poet and author, who could use words figuratively, the Court held that the coincidence of the name simulation with the reference drawn, was meant to disparage the complainant, and therefore the prosecution proved its case against him.
Having reviewed the whole four issues raised from the written addresses of the prosecution and the defence, Chief Magistrate Salami resolved that “the evidence, both oral and written, weighed against the defendant. So, the prosecution had manifestly proved its case against the defendant. The 7th accused person is therefore found guilty and is accordingly convicted”.
In his allocutus, Oyebamiji’s lawyer, Niran Ojekale, pleaded for leniency.
He said: “I apply to the magnanimity of the court to temper justice with mercy. All along the proceedings, the convict had suffered greatly by having to be remanded in police custody. He is a family man whose dependants will suffer greatly if he is thrown into the Correctional Centre. He has children still schooling, and he is a political figure. I shall be praying the court to award an option of fine as there is no record of his being a convict before”.
In his final judgment, the Chief Magistrate sentenced the former parliamentarian to 16- month imprisonment with an option of N500,000.
The convict was subsequently whisked to the Abolongo Correctional Centre in Oyo Town pending when he could settle the awarded option of fine. (The Nation)
News
US publishes fresh names, photos of 10 Nigerians to be deported
The United States Department of Homeland Security has added 10 Nigerians to its “Worst of the Worst” register, a database highlighting immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over alleged criminal offences.
The latest names were published on the official DHS website and include individuals linked to cases involving fraud, identity theft, drug offences, assault, conspiracy and offences involving children.
The 10 Nigerians listed in the latest update are:
Temitope Bashua — Wire fraud, identity theft and fraud — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Ojehoro Lewis — Cruelty towards a child — Conroe, Texas
Osemudiamen Kingsley Oziegbe — Wire fraud — Louisville, Kentucky
Daniel Oworen — Dangerous drugs — Conroe, Texas
Raymond H. Ekevwo — Wire fraud — Oxford, Wisconsin
Franklin Dikeocha — Sex offence against a child – fondling — Dallas, Texas
Johnson Ogunlana — Fraud and identity theft — White Deer, Pennsylvania
Chukwuemeka Okorocha — Wire fraud, dangerous drugs, possession of a weapon and aggravated assault involving a non-family gun — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Tunde Korede — Conspiracy — Allenwood, Pennsylvania
Chukwuemeka Chinye — Larceny from a banking-type institution, fraud, larceny, identity theft and conspiracy — Pollock, Louisiana
DHS said the register was established to draw attention to immigrants it describes as the “worst of worst criminal aliens” arrested by ICE.

“Every day, the patriots of ICE are working to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country. Just yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, kidnappers, and other violent criminals to make America safe again,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, there will be no safe haven for illegal aliens, including in sanctuary cities which put illegal aliens over their own citizens. We will never apologize for arresting and deporting illegal aliens, because that’s how we protect American lives.”
The department said the latest immigration enforcement actions were part of the Trump administration’s deportation policy.
“Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations – starting with the worst of the worst – including the illegal aliens you see here,” the department said.
The latest publication comes after DHS released another list in July containing 124 Nigerians arrested by ICE and identified on the same register.
The July list featured Nigerians associated with a range of criminal offences, although the department did not provide specific deportation dates for those individuals
News
FG orders closure of first River Niger bridge for one week
…Orders CCTV installation to stop vandalism
The federal government on Friday announced the closure of the River Niger bridge for one week.
The closure is to carry out repairs on the vandalised sections of the River Niger bridge road and install security architecture in the area.
Minister for Works, Engr Dave Umahi, disclosed this at Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra during an inspection tour of the bridge and other roads under construction in the South East and South South geopolitical zones of the country.

The first River Niger Bridge linking Asaba and Onitsha
He said motorists would, at the closure of the bridge, be directed to the Second Niger Bridge in order to give the contractors an adequate time frame to carry out the necessary repairs.

Recall that suspected vandals had looted vital bolts and irons used in the construction of the bridge, thereby exposing the bridge to obvious collapse and, in the process, threatening the lives of millions of road users and passersby.
He explained that security measures are being taken to avert a repeat occurrence of vandalism on the bridge.
“Bridges are designed for light load and dynamic loads so we have directed that work should start immediately and the entire asphalt be removed and put another one and there will be solar lights on that bridge in the next one week and we shall fix CCTV and connect it to the one in the 2nd Niger Bridge so that security will observe and whoever that tries to touch the bridge again is going to be arrested.
“Now on the first Niger bridge, we have seen the wickedness of the underworld. We have seen the man’s inhumanity to man; those things that they are removing is very dangerous to the beauty of that bridge and we have commenced action on that bridge,” he said.
He added; “There Is so much accumulated workload on that bridge, like it was with the 3rd Mainland Bridge, and every government that comes will put asphalt, and it is causing a lot of gridlock on that bridge.
“So these are the actions that we have taken and then getting down we came to the Enugu – Onitsha express and they are working in three sections and there the Enugu -Onitsha and another one is 17.5 km and the last one is about 20km by two and so I have directed them not to start any asphalt work or concrete work so what they are to do is to take measurements of all the failed sections and it should be milled out and then use 16mm binder to cover them very well all the way from head bridge to 21.5 km and they will finish one carriage way before they go to the other one.
“We have to attempt to work at night so that we don’t interfere with traffic and we have to get the road safety involved and our own local traffic managers they should commence the desilting of the drainage before commencing.
“To that effect we may have to close down the first Niger bridge in seven days time and we direct traffic to the second Niger bridge for us to fix the first Niger bridge in good time,” he stated.
At the ongoing construction of the second Niger Bridge access road, Engr Timothy Emenike, Controller, and Engr Nnamdi explained that there would be no more slow pace of work on the project, adding that the project is being executed from both fronts in order to beat the deadline.
“The project starts from Obosi down to Mkpor and Ogidi and now we are in Ogbunike and along this alignment between the last time you came we are working on several stops along this alignment and you have just seen the second bridge that is ongoing and we are almost about to start the third one”.
“Work pace will not be a hindrance until we exhaust what was given to us by the Anambra state government and I am happy to inform you that since the new Commissioner took over we have been going to the new Commissioner’s office and have been pressuring him to give us more work space.”
According to him, in the next week we shall have another work space of 5km between Obosi axis, working from both ends.
“We are cutting through the hill at Ogbunike to continue the work in that area,” they stated.
Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Arc Okey Ezeobi, announced that the right of way being demanded by the contractors would be granted to them, adding that an additional 5km has been added to the contractors.
Ezeobi thanked President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Engr Dave Umahi for providing democracy dividends for the people of Anambra and the South East.
He reiterated the support of the people of the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“There is no better way to describe this as a renewed hope and not fit saying it and the Hon Minister with what you are doing with our wonderful President for the first time Easterners can come in and move out with ease and the bottleneck they had been a great harassment and that is sending people out of the South East, has been taken care of.
“One can now bypass Onitsha, bypass Asaba and you are on your way.
“You don’t know how glad the people of Anambra and the South East is and thank Mr President for us.
“There is no way to ask for democracy dividend than this and that is when you have a visionary leadership tailored towards alleviating the sufferings of the masses.
“Mr President is developing every part of Nigeria and regarding the right of way for this project, we are finalizing it and we are adding another 5km to what we have now and there will be more than enough for the contractor to work with,” he added.
News
Family announces funeral arrangements for former GOCOP President Dotun Oladipo
The family of The Eagle Online publisher, Dotun Oladipo, has announced September 10 and 11, 2026 as the dates for the funeral programmes of the journalist and media entrepreneur.
Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 56.
According to the family, a service of songs will hold at DayStar Church, Oregun, Ikeja, on Thursday, September 10.
The burial service will take place at the same venue on Friday, September 11, followed by his interment.
Oladipo was president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) from 2017 to 2021 and was among the foundational members who helped shape the association during its formative years.

GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, described his death as a painful loss to the Guild and recalled his contribution to the development of online publishing in Nigeria.Exploring African Diaspora Media
“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.
Nmodu said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.
“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.
Oladipo was also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), and was active in the development of Nigeria’s online publishing industry.
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