Category Nigeria News

The Ogun Magistrate Court 1 sitting in Sagamu, presided over by Olufumilayo Somefun, has adjourned the case of the driver of the Lexus SUV involved in former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua’s road crash, Adeniyi Mobolaji, to March 17, 2026.

This is the second time the case has been adjourned to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions, who recently took over the matter, to properly prepare for the commencement of the hearing.

The defendant, Adeniyi Mobolaji, is charged with dangerous driving causing death; reckless and negligent driving; driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and damage to property; and driving without a valid national driver’s licence.

In her ruling on the request for an adjournment to allow counsel from the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office to fully prepare for the case, the court granted the application and adjourned the matter to March 17 for further hearing.

READ ALSO: Court Adjourns Trial Of Anthony Joshua’s Driver To February 25

Kayode is a 46-year-old driver involved in the fatal accident that killed heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami.

The driver was charged to Sagamu magistrate’s court on January 2, with magistrate, Olufunilayo Somefun, presiding over the case.

Joshua lost his two friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on December 29, 2025.

The Lexus SUV collided with a stationary truck, and Joshua and the driver sustained minor injuries.

Anthony Joshua was later discharged from the hospital after being deemed clinically fit to continue his recovery at home.

The former world heavyweight champion, along with his mother, visited the funeral home in Lagos to pay their final respects to Ayodele and Ghami, as their bodies were being prepared for repatriation.

He later travelled to the United Kingdom for their funeral.

The remains of Ghami and Ayodele were flown back to the United Kingdom, where a funeral prayer service was held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque.

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated in the early hours of Wednesday along the Gusau-Funtua highway in Zamfara State.

READ ALSO: Bandits Attack Zamfara Community, Kill Eleven

The impact of the explosion damaged a trailer loaded with cement around Unguwar Mai Chida village, causing major traffic disruption.

Local sources said the device, suspected to have been planted by terrorists, exploded as the vehicle was passing through the area.

The truck, which was travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna, sustained severe damage to its head.

However, no life was lost, as the driver was rescued alive.

A resident, identified as Samaila, said the explosion occurred just hours after a joint team of police and military operatives cleared and reopened the Kucheri-Danjibga-Keta road in the Tsafe Local Government Area, which had been inaccessible for over a month due to planted explosives.

According to him, security operatives had earlier encountered resistance during the clearance operation, resulting in an exchange of gunfire that lasted several hours.

He suggested that the IED that struck the truck might have been among those initially planted to target security personnel.

Another eyewitness, identified as Lawali, a commercial driver, said he and other motorists assisted in rescuing the injured driver, identified as Dauda Adamu, from the damaged vehicle.

He described the blast as extremely loud, causing panic among road users, many of whom parked at a safe distance until military and other security personnel arrived to secure and clear the highway.

“Many drivers stopped and watched from afar until the Military and other security personnel arrived to secure and clear the road,” Lawali stated.

Confirming the incident to Channels Television via telephone conversation, the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said the team from the Explosive Ordinance Department had been dispatched to the location.

Residents of Ondo State have staged a protest over the abduction of worshippers at a church in the Owo Local Government Area of the state.

READ ALSO: Gunmen Storm Ondo Church, Abduct Five Worshippers

The protesters barricaded the busy Akure/Owo Expressway, leaving motorists on the road stranded.

The police confirmed the abduction of five worshippers at the church in Uso by gunmen.



It was gathered that the armed men stormed the church, a branch of the Celestial Church of Christ, at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday while a service was ongoing, abducted the worshippers, and took them to an unknown destination.

The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said, “Upon receiving the report, operatives of the command, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army and local vigilante groups, immediately mobilised to the scene and commenced coordinated rescue operations.”

He further disclosed that one of the victims had been rescued, while one suspect has been apprehended.

“As a result of sustained joint efforts, one of the kidnapped victims has been successfully rescued. Additionally, one suspect linked to the incident has been arrested and has made useful statements that are assisting with ongoing investigations.”

Jimoh added that operations are ongoing to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining victims and the arrest of all perpetrators involved.

The church attack comes almost four years after the terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, which left 41 people dead and 140 others injured.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly arrested the sixth person allegedly involved in the 2022 attack on Sunday.

The agency said it was prosecuting five people for allegedly carrying out acts of terrorism.

Insecurity

Security challenges in the state and the South-West, especially the activities of armed bandits in recent months, have raised concerns among residents.

On January 26, residents of Ilu-Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area staged a peaceful protest over a recent surge in kidnappings, barricading the Airport–Owo Expressway and causing heavy traffic along the axis.

The protest followed the abduction of a middle-aged woman, Oladeinde Tomilola, who was kidnapped at the entrance of her residence.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants, believed to be armed, shot at her vehicle, damaging its fuel tank and tyres before whisking her away.

During the attack, two neighbours who raised the alarm and attempted to intervene were shot, one in the head and another in the stomach.

Both victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment.

Five people have been confirmed dead, with eight others hospitalised after consuming meat allegedly laced with rat poison inthe  Marmara community of Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Taraba State Police Command, Victor Mshelizah, disclosed that officers were swiftly deployed to the community immediately after the report was received.

The affected individuals, according to the police, were rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention, while the remains of the deceased were evacuated for interment.

READ ALSO: Troops Arrest Gunrunner With Six Machine Guns In Taraba

The police have launched a comprehensive investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the suspected poisoning and to determine whether foul play was involved.

The Command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious food items, sudden illnesses, or related incidents to security agencies to avert further tragedy.

A resident of the area, Bashar Sani, spoke about the incident to Channels Television via a telephone interview.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, is meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting is being held exactly four days after the conduct of the Federal Capital Territory council elections and by-elections in Rivers and Kano state on Saturday.

Apart from reviewing the outcomes of those elections, the meeting is expected to afford the INEC chairman the opportunity to get feedback from the resident electoral commissioners about their concerns and preparations for the 2027 general election.

All resident electoral commissioners from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory were invited to the meeting.

Also attending the meeting is the forum of state independent electoral commissions, who are on a courtesy visit to the INEC chairman.

The leader of the delegation said the meeting is aimed at collaborating with INEC to strengthen local government elections across the states.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has said that the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun as the Inspector General of Police(IGP) is an acknowledgment that his tenure was never legal.

He alleged that Egbetokun, during his tenure, tried to arm-twist the police.

“This removal or resignation, as they like to address it, is an acknowledgment of the fact that his tenure was never legit,” Sowore said during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

Sowore said the ex-IGP used force on policemen asking for better welfare

“He did use force, I was arrested after we did the police protest, detained and attacked inside the cell at the Force intelligence Department (FID) by men of the police force led by the Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

“Several policemen who forwarded messages and WhatsApp groups asking for better welfare for policemen and promoting our protests were also arrested so many of them were kicked out of the police force, some of them were detained for several months so he did use force.

“Even while he was in office at the headquarters, you must have seen a video. I visited the headquarters briefly, and I know what I heard from policemen,” Sowore added.” he emphasised.

READ ALSO: UPDATED: Kayode Egbetokun Resigns As IGP — Presidency

‘He Just Fumbled’

The former presidential candidate further said that Egbetokun “fumbled” throughout his tenure, alleging he did nothing to curb criminal activities.

“He was the person who declared that he was the tiger himself; he was a sheep throughout his tenure. He did nothing to curb criminal activities, nothing to actually bring professionalism, contrary to what you’re saying.

“He just fumbled through his tenure. That is why it’s important that we recognise that it’s important to take a stand when issues or principles are involved.

“The principle here is that when someone is retired and the law didn’t give you the permission to extend your tenure for four years, don’t try to do it.

“He was the IGP who promoted people who didn’t deserve promotion and didn’t promote those who deserve promotion.

“Those protests led to the promotion of 74,000 policemen, the removal of 500 policemen, senior police officers who I think their age” he added.

New Leadership At NPF

Egbetokun resigned from his position as the Inspector General of Police (IGP). on Tuesday, following the submission of his letter citing pressing family considerations.

Following the resignation, President Bola Tinunu approved the appointment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to serve as Acting IGP with immediate effect.

The President said he was confident that AIG Disu’s experience, operational depth, and demonstrated leadership capacity would provide steady and focused direction for the Nigeria Police Force during this critical period.

Tinubu appointed Egbetokun as the 22nd Inspector-General of Police on June 19, 2023.

But his tenure extended beyond the mandatory retirement limits of 60 years of age or 35 years of service, prompting sustained criticism from civil society groups, among others, who argued that the extension breached established police service regulations and weakened institutional discipline.

The National Assembly passed the Police Act (Amendment) Bill in July 2024 to allow a person appointed as Inspector-General of Police to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment.

The bill, which was forwarded to the House of Representatives and the Senate by the President to amend the tenure of the IGP, was passed by both chambers at separate sittings.