Category Nigeria News

Surulere LG Chair Votes, Berates Low Turnout Of Elites

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The Surulere Local Government Area Chairman, Bamidele Yusuf, has condemned the low turnout of elites at polling units during elections. 

He made the allegation while casting his vote on Saturday, as Lagos residents pick chairmen and councillors for the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the coastal state.

According to the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile, who spoke with Channels Television, 15 political parties have been confirmed for the chairmanship, vice chairmanship, and councillorship positions in the 20 LGAs and the 37 LCDAs in the state.

READ ALSO: Drama At Ikosi-Isheri LCDA As Officials Stranded, Trek To Polling Units

At the PU 17 unit, scores of voters, mostly women, were seen seated under a canopy as they took turns to cast their ballots.

However, low turnout was recorded at PU 34 in the Alhaji Marshal Small London area of Surulere. The PU has 172 registered voters, but only a handful of voters were seen at the PU.

While lamenting, Yusuf, who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in this year’s ongoing LG election, said the elites needed enlightenment, as their turnout during elections is usually low.

“The electoral officers came early and people have cast their votes as early as 8 in the morning. It is peaceful, and we normally have a large turnout of voters because those who have left normally come around to vote. The logistics are perfect, and materials were distributed early.

“Although we have a large turnout in some areas, there are also places where voters did not turn out as expected, especially where we have the elites. This is not supposed to be so because we are supposed to learn from the elites. But what we see here is that the elites sit at home during elections. The media needs to enlighten the elites so that they can come out and vote in the coming elections.

“When you get to Adeniran Ogunsanya, the number of people that come out to cast their votes is too small,” he said.

Our correspondent on the ground said only 60 persons out of 669 registered voters had exercised their franchise three hours into voting, in PU 014 at Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area in the Surulere LGA of Lagos.

The voting exercise is expected to end by 3 pm.

Lagos LG Poll: Gbajabiamila Casts Vote, Says Exercise Free And Fair

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The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has cast his vote in Saturday’s chairmanship and councillorship elections in the Surulere Local Government Area of the state.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives cast his vote at Lagos PU 014 on Elizabeth Fowler Memorial High School in the Adeniran Ogunsanya area of Surulere.

Gbajabiamila arrived at the polling unit, which has a total of 669 registered voters, at exactly 12:28pm with a retinue of supporters and some government officials.

Security presence at the polling unit increased with his arrival. Gbajabiamila cast his vote at exactly 12:31pm.

Speaking after casting his vote, Gbajabiamila described the election as free and fair but lamented the generally low voter turnout.

Gbajabiamila said, “So far, I’ve seen peace, I’ve seen quiet, I’ve seen free and fair election. A little bit disappointed about the turnout which is where we need to work on. There is general low turnout from what I’ve seen.

“Perhaps because people don’t understand fully the importance of local government elections, which is even more important than any other election. We need to sensitise our people. We need to educate them about the importance of grassroot government.

“But so far, it’s peaceful and quiet. It’s free and fair. There is no skirmishes anywhere and that’s what we all want for any election.”

He said adoption of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by the opposition coalition is a welcome development and good for democracy, adding that Nigeria is not a one-party state.

“It’s a welcome development with the coalition. It’s not the first time we’re seeing this. It’s a welcome development. In every democracy, we must have some level of opposition otherwise we’ll run into a one-party state. But I’m not sure where it would go,” he said.

Asked about his view on the implementation of the LG autonomy ruling by the Supreme Court exactly one year ago, Gbajabiamila said it is a work in progress and it would be perfected with time.

Gbajabiamila said, “The ruling was welcome by everybody. It’s the execution of that ruling and the implementation of that ruling that we are still trying to dot the Is and cross the Ts.

Ogun Convicts Three For Ritual Killing

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The Ogun State Government says it has secured the conviction of three ritual killers in the Kugba area of the state capital, Abeokuta

The government says this has become imperative to curtail, if not completely eradicate, the unwholesome practice of human ritualism.

This was contained in a press release signed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the State, Oluwasina Ogungbade( SAN).

Ogungbade said that the trio of Mustakeem Balogun, Soliudeen Majekodunmi, and Lukmon Abdulgafar are to face the full wrath of the law owing to their gruesome act of killing Sofia Okeowo.

READ ALSO: 10 Dead, Three Injured In Ogun Road Crash

They were arrested after the dastardly act which occurred on January 28th, 2022, when Mustakeem Balogun lured 16 year 16-year-old Sofia to have canal knowledge of her and later strangled her in preparation for a premeditated money ritual.

The Commissioner further stated that the present administration’s determination not to give any room for crime to thrive prompted the state’s efforts towards securing the conviction of the three criminals, to serve as a deterrent to other ritualists

44 Convicted Of Terror Financing, Get 30-Year Jail Term

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Forty-four out of 54 suspects arraigned for terrorism financing who were arraigned at the Kainji Detention Facility in Niger State, have been convicted for terrorism financing.

The Head of Strategic Communication at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Abu Michael, announced this in a statement on Friday.

The suspects were arraigned on Wednesday as part of ongoing terrorism trials.

The convictions, the statement noted, marked a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to dismantle extremist funding networks and uphold accountability through the rule of law.

The convicted individuals received prison sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years, all to be served with hard labour, a measure the statement described as underscoring the gravity of their crimes and the Nigerian justice system’s zero tolerance for terrorism and its enablers.

Phase 7 of the trials commenced on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and was officially flagged off at an opening ceremony held at the Kainji facility.

READ ALSO: Gov Radda Suspends Katsina Reformatory Officials Over Torture Allegation

Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the NCTC, delivered a keynote speech on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Prince Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was represented by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation.

According to the statement, the recently concluded Phase 6 trials had seen 237 terrorism-related cases heard, leading to 200 convictions.

“Those convicted faced a wide spectrum of penalties, including the death sentence, life imprisonment, and jail terms ranging from 20 to 70 years, depending on the severity of their crimes.

“The charges included mass killings, destruction of religious and civilian infrastructure, and the abduction and abuse of women and children, particularly in the Gina Kara Kai community of Borno State.

“With the successful conclusion of Phase 7, Nigeria has now recorded a total of 785 convictions related to terrorism financing and associated offences”, the statement reads.

[VIDEO] Lagos LG Polls: Low Turnout, Late Arrival Of Materials In Alimosho, Agege

By in News, Nigeria News

As the Lagos State local government elections get underway, a low turnout is being recorded in Alimosho and Agege Local Government Areas.

A visit to some polling units also revealed the late arrival of voting materials.

Lagos State is conducting its local government elections to pick chairmen and councillors for the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the coastal state.

Watch videoa below: