Category Nigeria News

Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has exercised his constitutional prerogative of mercy by granting an outright pardon to seven convicts serving various sentences in correctional facilities across the state.

A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, stated that the gesture was to mark the governor’s 61st birthday anniversary and build on the clemency earlier approved on January 1, 2026, during the New Year celebrations.

The governor, acting on the recommendations of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, approved clemency for 77 convicts.

However, the seven beneficiaries of the latest pardon were selected based on verified reports of genuine remorse, good behaviour, rehabilitation efforts, and strong prospects for successful reintegration into society.

READ ALSO: Portable Denied Bail After Arraignment In Ogun

According to the statement, their outright release reflects the governor’s belief in restorative justice, the decongestion of correctional facilities, and the provision of second chances for individuals who have demonstrated meaningful change.

The Chairman of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, who doubles as the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, SAN, commended the governor for the decision, describing it as thoughtful and forward-looking.

Ondo State Police Command has arrested three suspected human traffickers and fraudsters, rescuing three victims from them in Akure, the state capital.

According to the PPRO, a 30-year-old Togolese named John Apiah allegedly used two women( Blessing Assiah and Laro Larisa) to lure unsuspecting victims with promises of procuring international passports and American visas.

The Suspects were said to have fraudulently collected a total sum of 1.6 million CFA from three victims who were initially lodged in a hotel before being moved to the suspects’ rented apartment in Oda Town, near Akure, where they were kept under suspicious circumstances.

Jimoh disclosed that, acting on credible intelligence, the Police promptly swung into action, leading to the rescue of the victims and the arrest of the Suspects.

READ ALSO: Portable Denied Bail After Arraignment In Ogun

Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, warned landlords against allowing their premises to be used for criminal activities, stressing that such negligence would attract serious legal consequences.

He assured members of the public of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating human trafficking, trans-border crimes, and all forms of criminal activities.

A State High Court in Ota, Ogun State, has denied bail to controversial singer Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable.

The singer was being arraigned on a nine-count criminal charge bordering on assault, theft, causing harm, and resisting arrest.

The presiding judge declined to grant the singer bail, citing absence of the allegedly assaulted police officer in court.

The judge stressed the need to see the officer before deciding on the bail application.

As a result, Portable was remanded in custody pending a fresh hearing on the bail application scheduled for January 19.

Earlier, the spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the criminal charges stemmed from a complaint reportedly filed by the singer’s estranged partner, Ashabi Simple.

READ ALSO: Ogun Government Warns Portable Against Assault Of Its Officials

Portable was brought before the court on Monday, following his arrest by operatives of the Ogun State Police Command after a series of allegations linked to a New Year’s Day incident at his bar in the Iyana Ilogbo area of the state

According to the prosecution, Portable allegedly attacked Ashabi alongside several police officers and other individuals who were present at the scene during the incident.

The singer was also accused of stealing a Mercedes-Benz E300 valued at ₦12 million, allegedly belonging to one of the complainants, Ileyemi Damilola. The vehicle was said to be registered under a car dealer identified as Wally Dex Auto.

During the court proceedings, two siblings of Ashabi Simple testified as prosecution witnesses, recounting details of the alleged assault. Ashabi herself, however, was not present in court.

The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, has approved the deployment of Tomofe Nwabueze, as Divisional Police Officer (DPP), of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state.

Nwabueze replaces the former DPO, Nelson Igbinoba, who was removed after deadly protests rocked Ekpoma in Edo Central Senatorial District.

Disclosing this in a statement on Tuesday, the spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, said Nwabueze’s appointment takes immediate effect.

He said the action is part of ongoing security assessment and strategic repositioning in Ekpoma in Esan West.

READ ALSO: Tears As Court Orders Remand Of Arrested Ekpoma Protesters At Edo Correctional Centre

“The Edo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that as part of ongoing security assessment and strategic repositioning in Ekpoma, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Monday Agbonika, has ordered the reorganisation of the Ekpoma Division.

“The CP has also approved the posting of CSP Tomofe Nwabueze to assume office as the new DPO with immediate effect.”

The crisis commenced last Saturday in Ekpoma when residents staged a protest over rising insecurity, including kidnappings and the killing of a youth on Friday night.

The protesters blocked a major highway to express their grievances, but the demonstration was later hijacked by youths who attacked traders at the livestock market.

Hoodlums hijacked the protest and attacked traders at the livestock market, killing goats and beating their cows, scenes which were captured in a viral video.

In a coordinated intelligence-led operation, the South-West Zonal Office of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, working alongside the Department of State Services (DSS), Kwara State Command, has intercepted seven trucks suspected of illegally transporting lithium ore within the region.

The Zonal Mine Officer for the South-West, Engineer Ganiyu Ajibade, revealed that the crackdown followed credible intelligence received on Thursday, 8th January 2026, indicating that a convoy of 12 trucks had been mobilised to remove lithium ore from an active mining site in Saki, Oyo State.

Acting swiftly, Ajibade said the Ministry then engaged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and DSS in Oyo State, and directed his colleagues in Kwara and Ogun to mobilise their surveillance teams to monitor and track the movement of the trucks carrying the products in their respective states.

The operation revealed that the convoy departed Saki at 11:30 PM on 8th January, reached Igbeti early Friday morning, and continued towards Ilorin, Kwara State by 7:00 PM.

Seven trucks were then apprehended between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM along the Okoolowo–Eyenkorin Expressway in Kwara, adding that one of the drivers escaped, abandoning his vehicle, while the others were taken into custody.

Upon questioning, the arrested drivers were said to have admitted they were hired by an individual to transport the lithium ore, and that their operations were accompanied by a mine marshal personnel in Abuja.

All accompanying documents issued at the mining site were recovered during the arrest, according to the statement.

READ ALSO: Police Confirm Benue Attack, Say Four Persons Killed

Engineer Ajibade stressed that the operation reflected the directives of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, who has maintained a zero-tolerance policy against illegal mining.

Founder, The Hope Center Project, Eniabitobi Kuyinu, has castigated the Lagos State Government for exceeding what she described as the agreed 30-metre mark in the ongoing demolition in Makoko. 

The demolition occurred a few weeks after the government took out more than 250 buildings at Mile 12, displacing thousands of residents.

The waterfront community has repeatedly faced forced evictions and government-led demolitions.

While the government has cited urban development as the reason for the exercise, residents and civil society organisations have called for alternatives to be provided for vulnerable residents.

Speaking as a guest during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Kuyinu noted that the government took the demolition beyond what was promised to the community.

“The demolition was to focus on demolishing those houses under the power line as far as 30 meters. The places were already marked; however, the demolition has gone beyond that 30 meters mark to 100meters, clearing almost all the structures on the water.

“There was a request to remove the people from 30 metres or so from under the power line.”

According to Kuniyu, “There were conversations with the baale and the need for safety for the people during the exercise. So the 30 metres mark was agreed upon.”

She noted that the people were not aware that the demolition would happen at the time it started.

“So it came suddenly. What they were aware of was the 30 metres.

“But right now, there is chaos and confusion, particularly because there has also been loss of lives, as I have been told by the community,” Kuyinu alleged.

She further alleged that a resident by the name Tobi had been “whisked away” because he was trying to defend his home and community. He was trying to say that the demolition was not what was agreed on. He is yet to be returned.

“That is the current situation. The exercise has not stopped. And it is sadder because it actually started just before Christmas and till the New Year. So they have actually not had a good end of the year,” Kuniyu explained.

READ ALSO: Customs Release New Operating Standards For Courier Companies

She, however, noted that there may be some misunderstanding in the conversation with the government.