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Tag: ekiti

  • Former Ekiti deputy gov, ex-speaker join ADC

    Former Ekiti deputy gov, ex-speaker join ADC

    Prof. Olusola Eleka, former deputy governor under governor Ayo Fayose, and a former Speaker of Ekiti House of Assembly, Boyega Aribisogan, were among the new entrants to the African Democratic Party (ADC) in Ekiti.

    The duo were joined by chieftains of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP), who collapsed their structures into ADC during its unveiling in Ado-Ekiti on Friday.

    NAN reports that notable names are Dr Tae Lawal, former Deputy Governor under Governor Segun Oni and Amb. Dare Bejide, former Secretary to State Government.

    The list, which also has Kayode Fayemi’s Commissioner for Information, Akin Omole, with several former political appointees from the local government level as well as executive members of various political parties.

    In his address during the unveiling, Mr Omolayo Omole the state Chairman of the ADC, said the party has the solution to the nation’s several challenges.

    He urged political leaders across parties line in the state to join ADC “for a better Nigeria.”

    Speaking, Eleka said that the ADC is an amalgamation of parties who believed in the “rescue project.”

    “Contrary to opinions, we are not pursuing shadows. We are indeed pursuing reality, and we are going places.

    “ADC has come to stay whether they like it or not,” he stated.

    Prof. Bayo Fakunle, who represented former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, while noting that the party has come to change the narrative, said “nothing can stop a moving train.”

  • Court stops Ekiti PDP congresses

    Court stops Ekiti PDP congresses

    An Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday granted an order stopping the conduct of the Local Government and State Congresses of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.

    NAN reports that Justice E.B. Omotoso gave the order while ruling on a motion on exparte number HAD/424M/2025 filed by Mr Afolabi Adedeji.

    The suit was filed against the PDP, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagun; National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; Caretaker Chairman of the party in Ekiti state, Dare Adeleke and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The court ordered that all parties to the suit should maintain status quo, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

    The court also ordered that the PDP Acting National Chairman, National Organising Secretary and Ekiti State Caretaker Chairman should be served the court order through their WhatsApp numbers.

    “Leave is hereby granted to the claimant/applicant to serve the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants the Originating Process with its accompanying processes by substituted means, by pasting the afosesaid originating process on the wall of the 1st defendant’s office situate at Ajilosun Street, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

    “In addition, the claimant/applicant is granted leave to serve the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants vide their WhatsApp phone numbers 08047677070, 08035961850 and 08033242822 respectively.

    “All parties in this case are hereby ordered to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice which is hereby fixed for hearing on Wednesday, the 14th day of May, 2025,” the court ruled.

    The plaintiff, Afolabi Adedeji, had sought an order of interim injunction, retraining the defendants, privies, agents and successor-in-title/office, from accepting any list of persons who did not obtain election forms, participate in the elections and elected by the simple majority votes of the ward congress of the PDP in Ekiti State to act for the party, as delegates at any election of the party apart from those elected on March 15, 2025.

    The plaintiff also sought an order of the court to mark the originating summons as concurrent.

    He equally sought to issue and serve, the originating summons, and other accompany originating processes, and all other processes in the case on the 1st , 2nd, 3rd and 5th defendants, whose address is outside the jurisdiction of the court and in the Federal Capital Territory.

  • 2 men to die by hanging for armed robbery in Ekiti

    2 men to die by hanging for armed robbery in Ekiti

    The Ekiti High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday sentenced two men to death by hanging for armed robbery.

    The defendants, Olusegun Folorunso, 53, and Ajayi Dele, 51, were arraigned before Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi on a three-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery.

    During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Kunle-Shina Adeyemi, told the court that the defendants committed the crime on Aug. 24, 2022, along Erio-Ekiti.

    He said the defendants, armed with guns and cutlasses, robbed one Ajogbeje Ayodeji of his ash-coloured Hyundai Sonata, phone, and laptop.

    “On the same day, they also robbed Oluwasegun Oke of his phone,”he told the court.

    He said the charge contravened Section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Testifying before the court, Ayodeji said: “Around 4 a.m., my two brothers and I were travelling from Erio-Ekiti to Ido-Ekiti when we saw a barricade on the road.

    “As we tried to figure out what was happening, the defendants, armed with guns and cutlasses, appeared and pointed their guns at us, ordering us to lie face down.

    “They took my car key, laptop, and our phones before driving away in my car.

    “I reported the case at the Aramoko Police Station and later at the Rapid Response Squad in Ado-Ekiti.

    “A few days later, I received a call that the armed robbers had been arrested in Ibadan.”

    To prove the case, the prosecution called five witnesses and presented several exhibits, including:the defendants’ statements,

    The other exhibits were one locally made single-barrel gun, one locally made double-barrel gun, and six live cartridges.

    The defence counsels, Mr Adeyinka Opaleke and Mr Ezekiel Agunbiade, did not call any witnesses but pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.

    Delivering judgment, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi found them guilty of the charge.

    “In this case, I uphold the prosecution’s argument that there is sufficient evidence to infer a common intention between the defendants, warranting their conviction for conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

    “On count one (conspiracy), the defendants are each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

    “On count two (armed robbery), the defendants are to be hanged by the neck until they are dead.

    “May God have mercy on your souls,” Justice Ogunyemi ruled.

  • Man bags life jail term for kidnapping traditional ruler in Ekiti

    Man bags life jail term for kidnapping traditional ruler in Ekiti

    An Ekiti High Court in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, sentenced one Gabriel Emmanuel to life imprisonment for kidnapping.

    The 25-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Adekunle Adeleye on March 8, 2023, on three count charge of murder, kidnapping and demanding property with menace with intent to steal.

    In his judgment, Justice Adeleye said, “the phone call logs was corroborated by the evidences of  the complainant while the content of the defendant’s confessional statements were consistent with the facts established in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses.

    “In all,  I find that the prosecution counsel has established the ingredients of the offence of kidnapping and demanding property with menance with intent to steal.

    “The defendant is found guilty as charged and accordingly convicted.

    ”On the offence of kidnapping, the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment and as well sentenced to three years imprisonment for demanding property with menace, with intent to steal,” the judge pronounced.

    During trial, the prosecution counsel, Ibironke Odetola, said that Emmannuel and others at large on Sept. 13, 2020, at Umesi Quarters, Igirigiri Road Odo-Ado Ekiti murdered one Jejelowo Fesobi

    Odetola also said  that on June 24, 2020, at Eda-Ile, Ekiti, kidnapped, a traditional ruler, Oba Adeniran Omotayo, the Eleda of Eda Ile.

    He said further that the convict with others still at large on Nov. 20, 2021, demanded N4 million  with menace, with intent to steal from one Mr Joseph Olorunfemi in Ilumoba Ekiti.

    According to the charges, the offences contravened Sections 319 (1), 316 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 and Section 3 of Ekiti State Kidnap and Terrorism (Prohibition) Law, 2015.

    In his testimony during trial, Oba Adeniran said,” I went to Abaojo, one of my settlements in Eda Ile Ekiti, suddenly, I saw some men, all of them carried AK-47 riffles.

    ” One of them pointed at me and I was kidnapped. My wife who was with me in the farm was released and instructed to go and look for money or else they would kill me.

    ” I was with them for four days before one of my brothers brought a sum of N1.28 million ransom to them and I was later released.

    “While I was with them, they used my wife’s phone to contact my relatives, at a point the battery got flat, they called somebody from the town who brought a charged battery to them.

    “I was unable to see his face because he was masked, but I was able to see and recognise the kidnappers faces because they unmasked whenever they want to smoke.

    ” When I was finally released, I went to office of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Nigerian Police Force in Ado Ekiti to make a formal report,” he said.

    To prove his case, the Prosecution counsel, Ibironke Odetola, called four witnesses and tendered the defendant’s and victim’s statements, print out of the call logs among others as exhibits.

    However, counsel to the defendants, Abee Anofi called no witness.

  • CP orders thorough investigation into couple’s gruesome murder in Ekiti

    CP orders thorough investigation into couple’s gruesome murder in Ekiti

    The Police Command in Ekiti State has ordered a thorough  investigation into the circumstances of the death of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Caleb Leranmo and his wife, Taiwo Leranmo.

    This is contained in a statement by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mr Sunday Abutu on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti.

    He said the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Eribo, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, to immediately conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the couple’s death.

    NAN reports that the couple was gruesomely murdered at their residence on Tuesday in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.

    Abutu said that the police received a distress call on at about 07:00hrs on Tuesday that a murder incident occurred at Igirigiri Road, Odo-Ado area of Ado-Ekiti.

    He said that operatives from Odo-Ado Division were immediately deployed to the scene.

    According to the PPRO, on getting there, the late ASP Caleb Leranmo was found in a pool of his own blood with his private part severed.

    He added that the deceased’s wife, Taiwo Leranmo, was also found besides his in a pool of her own blood with brutal head injuries.

    “The couple was rushed to the hospital where they were both confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he said.

    The command’s spokesman further said that their bodies were later deposited in the morgue for preservation and further medical examination.

    Abutu added that a cutlass, which was found with blood stains was recovered from the scene of the incident.

    The late ASP Leranno was serving with the  Police Command in Ekiti State, until his unfortunate death(

  • Police detain man assaulting his wife in viral video in Ekiti

    Police detain man assaulting his wife in viral video in Ekiti

    The Police Command in Ekiti State has detained one Jimoh Abdulraman who brutally assaulted his wife, Mrs Taiwo Akintunde-Abdulraman in Ado-Ekiti in a viral social media video.

    This is contained in a by the command spokesman, Mr Sunday Abutu, on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti.

    Abutu said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Eribo, had directed the Divisional Police Officer of Oke-Ila to identify the man and commence a thorough investigation after he watched the viral video on Feb. 15.

    According to Eribo, police operatives from Oke-Ila Division have swung into action and detained the suspect.

    He said that the case had been transferred to the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for discreet investigation and arraignment accordingly.

    NAN recalls that the viral video of the assaulted wife by her husband was circulated in social media platforms on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti.

  • Court strikes out defamation suit against Dele Farotimi

    Court strikes out defamation suit against Dele Farotimi

    A Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday struck out the criminal defamation suit against human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi.

    Justice Babs Kuewunmi struck out the case following an application for the withdrawal of the charge by the prosecution.

    The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had arraigned Farotimi for allegedly defaming legal icon, Afe Babalola, in his book entitled: “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.”

    At the resumed hearing, the prosecution counsel, Mr Samson Osobu, informed the court that the complainant had filed a notice of discontinuance.

    He cited Section 108(1)(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to back his argument.

    “The prosecution, with the leave of this honourable court, seeks to withdraw the charge against the defendant and prays that the charge be struck out,” Osobu said.

    He further explained that the decision followed interventions by well-meaning Nigerians and a request from Babalola himself to discontinue the matter.

    The defence counsel, Mr Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), did not oppose the application for withdrawal.(

  • Ekiti Govt. denies existence of Sharia Courts in State

    Ekiti Govt. denies existence of Sharia Courts in State

    The Ekiti Government has denied the establishment of a Sharia Court or an Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in the State.

    In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Dayo Apata SAN, also said that there was nothing like an Independent Sharia Arbitration Panel in the judicial structure of the State.

    Apata was reacting to publications in a section of the media on Wednesday, which reported that certain Muslim leaders had started use of Sharia law in the state.

    He said that “Arbitration and, or Mediation issue is a Quasi-Judicial matters, which are regulated by Law” in the State.

    The attorney general said that existing courts in Ekiti including Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Courts have been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and Traditional Marriages, as well as inheritance, without any rancour or agitation.

    “The Sharia Courts in the North are equivalent to the Customary Courts in the Southern part of Nigeria, wherein the appeals therefrom, also goes to the Sharia Court of Appeal.

    “The state similarly has Customary Courts that hear customary cases, as well as the Customary Court of Appeal that hears appeals from the Customary Courts,” Apata said..

    He said that the State High Courts and all other courts of record also have Arbitration and Mediation mechanism.

    According to him, Customary Courts and the Customary Court of Appeal can effectively take care of any customary issues, arising from Yoruba traditional marriages, Islamic marriages, and Christian marriages especially the ones that are not statutory marriages, which can only be dissolved by the State High Courts, throughout Nigeria.

    Apata said that the issue of religion was one that must be handled with utmost care, and cautioned against activities or inciting statement that could negatively affect the peaceful coexistence among residents of the State.

    He stressed that government would not compromise on any action that may hinder the prevailing peace, and fester hostility in the state.

    The Attorney General said government was not unmindful of the governorship race for 2026 which had started gathering momentum in Ekiti.

    He said that members of the opposition who could not fault the performance of the State Government, had resorted to all sort of unethical practices.

    Apata therefore advised religious leaders to be wary, so as not to be used as tools by politicians and fifth columnists in that regards.

    He warned that government would not hesitate to invoke the full weight of the law to protect the Constitution of the Federation, and maintain peaceful co-existence in the state.(

  • Ekiti to Pay N70,000 minimum wage to workers – Gov Oyebanji

    Ekiti to Pay N70,000 minimum wage to workers – Gov Oyebanji

    Gov. Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State on Saturday said workers in the state service would be paid the N70,000 new minimum wage while consequential adjustment would be added to pensions.

    Oyebanji made the announcement during the 2024 Pensioners’ Day, held in Ado Ekiti, which marks the beginning of activities for the Second Anniversary of his administration.

    The governor said that his administration was resolved to make life better for the people, adding “the minimum wage has become a law binding on all states.”

    At the occasion, Oyebanji presented cheques of the value of N3.5 billion to 829 pensioners who retired between of 2014 and March 2015.

    He highlighted some of the programmes initiated for the senior citizens to include the free Health Insurance scheme for pensioners.

    Oyebanji explained that a sum of of over N70 billion has been released in defraying the payment of gratuities, and urged the retirees to continue to pray for the success of his administration

    The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Mr Kolapo Olatunji, showered encomium on the Oyebanji led government for bringing succor and hope to the retirees.

    The state Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi thanked the pensioners for their support for the government over the years.

    Also, the National Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, (NUP), Mr Godwin Abumisi, who was represented by Mr Ayo Ikumapayi, and the State chairman of the Union, Mr Joel Akinola, lauded the various efforts of the governor, pledging their continue support for his administration.

  • 3 to die by hanging for armed robbery in Ekiti

    3 to die by hanging for armed robbery in Ekiti

    Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced three persons to death by hanging for armed robbery and conspiracy.

    The convicts are Alexander Solomon (29), Desmond Peter (29), Eric Tile (30).

    The fourth defendant Promise Shie (27) was discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence.

    The three were convicted for armed robbery and unlawfully possessed firearms on July 7, 2022 along Ilumoba-Aisegba Ekiti Road, Aisegba-Ekiti.

    Justice Bamidele Omotoso said, ” I hold that the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt the offence of conspiracy, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms against the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants.

    Omotoso said, consequently, “for the offence of conspiracy and armed robbery, you are all sentenced to death by hanging, may the Lord have mercy on your souls.”

    He, however, discharged and acquitted the 4th defendant (Promise Shie) since the prosecution failed to establish any of the offences against him.

    The convicts were arraigned on four counts charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms.

    The prosecutor, Gbemiga Adaramola told the court that the offence contravened Sections 6(b), 1(2) and 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions), Act., Cap. Rll, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    He said that the convicts, armed with guns, robbed one Okey Jude and Jayeoba Ayobami of laptops, phones, N540,000 cash, among others.

    To proof his case, the prosecutor called four witnesses and tendered two guns, phones, laptops, cutlass, axe, face masks, among others, as exhibits.

    The convicts spoke in their defence through their respective lawyers but called no witnesses.