TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ondo State

  • BREAKING: Ondo Gov, Akeredolu weeps over Owo terrorists attack

    Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has expressed deep sadness by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshipping at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street on Sunday.

    “The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years,” the Governor said in a statement released by Richard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to Akeredolu.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the statement further reads: “It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.

    “I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately.

    “This is an unexpected development. I am shocked to say the least. Nevertheless, We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay. We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals.

    “I commiserate with my people in Owo, particularly families of the those who lost their lives to this ugly and unfortunate attack. I extend my condolences to Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye as well as the Catholic Church.

    “I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom”.

  • BREAKING: Black Sunday in Owo, Ondo State as terrorists attack Catholic church

    The town of Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State has been thrown into mourning after suspected terrorists attacked a Catholic church in the council headquarters.

    According to emerging reports, the suspected terrorists bombed the St Francis Catholic Church located in Owo before opening fire on worshippers.

    Many were reportedly killed and dozens of others hospitalised. Meanwhile, the authorities are yet to release official statement on the incident and the extent of havoc wreaked by the terrorists.

    However, according to eyewitnesses, no fewer than 50 corpses have been moved out of the church and dozens have been taken to the Federal Medical Center, Owo, requiring urgent medical attention.

    https://twitter.com/HotJozsef/status/1533416409056874496?t=Smjwl2qF-G3Z2DprAVYQeA&s=19

     

    Details shortly…

  • Senator retrieves vehicles donated to leaders after losing Ondo PDP primary

    The senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District, Ayo Akinyelure, has allegedly collected back the vehicles he gifted the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after he lost the just concluded senatorial primary of the party, TheNewsGuru.com has learnt.

    The senator lost to Mr Dayo Adedipe (SAN), having scored 74 votes behind Adedipe, who polled 78 votes in the primary.

    Our reporter gathered that after the loss, Akinyelure was said to have blamed the immediate past governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and some other leaders of the party for allegedly causing his downfall in the election.

    ALSO READ: Ondo PDP Primary: Senator Akinyelure loses re-election bid

    Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, the senator was alleged to have approached the leaders, some of whom are national delegates, demanding the  return of his vehicles.

    However, the Special Adviser to the senator on ICT,  Mr Jonathan Ayilaran,  denied the allegation on his Facebook page, saying the senator didn’t demand any vehicle back.

    Ayilaran maintained that onIine report on the allegation was untrue, describing it as an attempt by detractors to blackmail his principal.

    He said, “Distinguished Senator Ayo Akinyelure, FCA, did not collect cars he bought for party leaders as claimed on some social media platforms but only collected the car given to him (one of the leaders) from his pool for an assignment and meant to be retuned on completion.

    “However, the distinguished senator will not be perturbed by cheap and baseless blackmailing as no one can drag the good name he has built over the years in political mud in Ondo State and Nigeria at large.”

    TheNewsGuru.com has further learnt that the senstor’s action has not gone down with many party faithful and even some of his loyalists who think he should have been bigger and not go back to recurve the vehicles donated to the leaders.

    But others have said it was justified given that he made the ‘donation’ in order that he might convince them to ensure he won the primaries which they failed to.

  • Ondo PDP Primary: Senator Akinyelure loses re-election bid

    A prominent member of the senate, Ayo Akinyelure  the Chairman, Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition in Ondo state has lost his re-election bid.

    The incumbent  PDP senator representing  Ondo Central district and another  aspirant Clement Faboyede were defeated by Ifedayo Adedipe another prominent Ondo politician.

    The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Bekekhimi Idiarhi, while announcing the results in Akure, said Mr Adedipe had 82 votes, Mr Akinyelure polled 58 votes, while Clement Faboyede scored 57 votes.

    Mr Idiarhi said two votes were voided from a total of 199 votes.

    Findings show that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were on ground to  supervise the exercise and it was pronounced peaceful.

    Speaking with journalists, Mr Adedipe appreciated the delegates and leadership of the party for ensuring a free and fair election.

    He urged other contestants to see his emergence as a victory for all of them, acknowledging that the task ahead was huge.

     

    Akinyelure Patrick Ayo is a Nigerian banker who was elected to the Nigerian Senate for the Ondo Central district in Ondo State in the 9 April 2011 elections running on the Labour Party ticket before carpet-crossing to the People’s Democratic Party.

    Akinyelure Patrick Ayo is an approved tax practitioner of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.

    Akinyelure has served in the Nigerian senate for two terms

     

  • Amotekun in Ondo nabs 4,000 suspects

    Amotekun in Ondo nabs 4,000 suspects

    Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, has arrested over 4,000 suspected criminals across the 18 local government areas of the state in five months.

    The agency said the suspects were arrested in connection with various criminal activities.

    These crimes include kidnapping, armed robbery, human trafficking, and illegal possession of firearms, among others.

    ALSO READ: Amotekun arrest three daredevil armed robbers in Ondo state

    The state Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeyeye, disclosed that the arrests were made between January and May, 2022.

    In a chat with journalists in Akure, the capita of Ondo State, Adeleye, who is also the Special Adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Security Matters, said the corps was committed to making the state crime-free and would not relent in its efforts to eradicate crime.

    The aide noted that crime rate in the state, going by statistics, had dropped by more 70 per cent, a statistic that has been a subject of debate among many public analysts with knowledge about happenings in the state.

    In Ayodele’s words, “On the average, between January and May 2022, we made about 4,000 arrests and through the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of Ondo State, we have been able to send a reasonable number of them to correctional centres and prosecutions are going on, while diligent investigation is going on in many others.

    “Comparatively, in the last five months of last year and the first five months of this year, we have a very sharp decrease in the number of suspects arrested. Last year, on maintenance of law and order in the line of violators of open grazing law alone, we arrested close to 4,000. But this year, we have not arrested up to 1,000.

    “Also, comparatively, virtually all forms of criminal activities are on the decline in the state. Unlike before when kidnapping was an everyday thing, it is no longer as rampant as it was within the metropolis and even at the border towns; it is now becoming a thing of the past.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that while the Anotekun security outfit has been praised in many quarters, there exist pockets of complaints among residents on the Modus Optandi of the organization.

  • Security:Akeredolu approves recruitment of 350 Amotekun officers

    Security:Akeredolu approves recruitment of 350 Amotekun officers

    About 350 persons will be recruited into the Amotekun corp in Ondo state,Govenor Rotimi Akeredolu has given the go ahead for their recruitments.

    This is one of the measures put in place by the state government to fortify the security of Ondo state .

    Akeredolu made this revelation at an event organized by Ondo State Agribusiness Empowerment Centre (OSAEC) on Tuesday in Akure.

    TheNewsGuru.com gathered that the Governor has also approved the purchase of vehicles and motorcycles for easy movement of the Amotekun operatives.

    Akeredolu said it became imperative because the Amotekun corps had been overstretched in the course of protecting farmers in the bush.

    The governor, who noted that there was a time Agricultural investors were leaving the state until the advent of Amotekun, said “We have agreed to employ 350 personnel into the Amotekun Corps in the state because of the pressure on Amotekun.

    “Operational vehicles and motorcycles will be purchased too to ease their work,” he said.

    He said there would soon be Amotekun stations in many rural areas in the state , as those places are not on the road but in the bush.

    However, the Governor charges the Amotekun opeartives to be diligent and discipline in the discharge of their duties.

     

  • Agunloye resigns as acting national chairman of SDP

    Agunloye resigns as acting national chairman of SDP

    Dr Olu Agunloye says he has resigned as the acting national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and become the national secretary of the party in the country.

    Agunloye, who made the disclosure in a phone interview in Akure on Wednesday, explained that his resignation was not due to his suspension by the party at the state level.

    He stressed the move was to strengthen the party’s chances ahead of the incoming general election in the country.

    Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, was suspended by the Ondo State chapter of the SDP in a letter dated March 28, over alleged anti-party activities.

    In the suspension letter, Agunloye was accused of bringing non-party members into the party to cause confusion and disturb the functions of the party executives at both state and local government levels.

    The party stated that Agunloye was suspended from his ward (ward 10) in Akoko North-West Local Government area of the state, following a resolution of the ward executives.

    According to him, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party met on March 22 and announced that all positions that are zoned to the South are now zoned to the North.

    “So, there is no big deal about swapping in the party because the presidential aspirant is coming from the South. In fact one of the leading aspirants is coming from Ondo State.

    “It is not politically expedient to allow the presidential candidate to come from the South and the national chairman also from Ondo State, which is part of the South.

    “And for me, to do so without commotion is to resign my position as a national chairman of the party.

    “As I am speaking to you, I’m sitting on my desk that I used when I was the acting national chairman but now, am the national secretary,” he said.

    Agunloye, who described his suspension as “mischievous and an action of some people that had no locus”, said they were doing so “because he was making waves in Nigeria”.

    According to him, “as at the time they claimed I have been suspended, I was presiding over a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the party.

    “The suspension is just the action of some of the people that have no locus because if the party allows their suspension, nobody will be chairman anymore, because some people can just sit down and suspend the national chairman.

    “They are frustrated people and we will not provoke them the more but if they take it away from political rascality to crime, we would curtail them,” he said.

  • Ondo state civil service suspends worker for spreading Governor’s death rumour on facebook

    Ondo state civil service suspends worker for spreading Governor’s death rumour on facebook

    A civil servant in Ondo state who is yet to be identified is serving suspension term for allegedly circulating a Facebook post that the Governor of the state Rotimi Akeredolu is dead.

    Mr John Adeyemo the head of service in the Ondo state civil service revealed the worker’s suspension in Akure, the state capital.

    Recall that the rumour mill that Akeredolu died while away in abroad went viral but was later debunked by Governor’s wife Betty Akeredolu through her verified facebook page.

    Adeyemi, who did not disclose the identity of the worker, explained that he (worker) posted the fake news on his Facebook account.

    “Incidentally, I called Mr Governor a day before the rumour and we spoke and chatted. So, when I heard the fake news, I was disturbed and I was like who is this fellow carrying this terrible rumour because I knew Mr Governor was alive and with vigour. So, I never believed it,” he added.

    According to the head of service, the worker’s name had been forwarded to the state civil service commission for appropriate punishment.

    He posited that the worker’s suspension will deter others from spreading rumours about the governor or any other in the state.

    He however, revealed that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was back in the country alive and kicking, adding that rumour mongers and their sponsors have been put to shame.

     

     

  • Ondo State Governor, Akeredolu endorses wife to contest Imo State Senate seat

    Ondo State Governor, Akeredolu endorses wife to contest Imo State Senate seat

    Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has endorsed his wife, Betty’s ambition to contest the Imo East Senatorial District seat in the 2023 elections.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Akeredolu gave the endorsement in a romantic message to mark their 41st wedding anniversary.

    According to Akeredolu, his support for his wife to contest the Imo Senate seat is without any reservations or equivocation, stressing that the world owes those who dare a debt of gratitude for audacity, tenacity, consistency and focus.

    The romantic message titled: PUBLIC SERVICE: THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE reads: “Betty, FLOOS, let me choose this great day in our lives, our 41st wedding Anniversary to notch up in print my support for your popular and known quest to serve your people in the Senate.

    “The evolution of modern societies bears indelible evidence of significant inputs of few people. This trajectory records definitive impacts of those who dare to think and act differently. The consequence of this defiance finds expression in radical departure from the old order, leading to transformation. It yields quality accretions which impact positively on the people in any given space.

    “The world owes those who dare a debt of gratitude for audacity, tenacity, consistency and focus. These torch bearers withstand the brunt of vilification, contempt, deprivation and even rejection. They remain undaunted until the set goal is achieved. They are rarely praised afterwards.

    “Public service is taken as the highest form of participation in the affairs of a human community, state or a country. It ennobles anyone, privileged to serve, whose tenacity, focus and integrity ensure development. Only a few are truly equipped for service. They must be encouraged at all times.

    “Anytime, anywhere and under whatever circumstances, those who hold views which threaten to shatter age-long widely held beliefs and/or practices are a special breed. Those whose activities have borne positive impact on the lives of the under-privileged, must be supported by all good people.

    “I join all other well-wishers, admirers, supporters and stakeholders to support, openly and without any reservations or equivocation, my Adorable Betty in her bid to continue to serve the people in her State of birth, Imo.

    “I do this, most enthusiastically, as a partner, admirer and active follower for over four decades. I consider myself highly privileged to have a workaholic, gender and human rights activist, humanist and philanthropist as wife, adviser, harshest critic, supporter, political associate and, above all, an unrelenting ideologue, ready to sacrifice and confront any obstacle, natural and artificial. I am of the firm belief that any group, society, community, state or country, privileged to avail itself of the quintessential service of a bold crusader, as she, is lucky indeed.

    “Seeking to continue what she started long before I came into politics, when she ran for the House of Representative, at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, is not strange to me or anyone who has been watching the activities of this special personality. I SUPPORT HER ASPIRATION NOW, AS I HAVE ALWAYS DONE, EVEN BEFORE I JOINED POLITICS. I know her to be a passionate believer in rectitude. I believe in her mission to emancipate women from the shackles of all forms of oppression.

    “I have known her as a fiercely independent personality who is never afraid to voice her dissent on any issue. I have witnessed her triumphs over adversities at close quarters. She made me appreciate more the nuanced difference between foolhardiness and courage. Many have come to accept her as a rock of refuge for the oppressed and hopeless. She has been a strong advocate for equity and justice and against unprofitable superstitions, beliefs and habits which predispose people to diseases and avoidable deaths.

    “I am proud of this gift from Imo State. I support her aspiration wholeheartedly. I am convinced that the people of Imo State will enjoy quality representation from her. Her presence in the Senate promises exciting moments.

    “I harbour no anxiety that my Adorable Betty, ADA OWERE, has all it takes to BEMORE. While offering her my unalloyed support, I wish her all the best in this current quest to extend and particularise the scope of service in the interest of the people.

    “May the will of the Almighty be manifested and fulfilled in this endeavour, and many more, designed to uplift the downtrodden. May fair winds aid this sail!

    “Your Darlin, ARAKUNRIN OLUWAROTIMI O. AKEREDOLU, SAN, GOVERNOR, ONDO STATE”.

  • Amid death rumour, Gov Akeredolu appears in fresh videos

    Amid death rumour, Gov Akeredolu appears in fresh videos

    Amid the rumour that the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu is dead, the State Government has shared different videos of the Governor singing and dancing.

    The rumour about the Governor’s death became rife on Saturday, after a gossip blog posted that Akeredolu has died.

    However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde quickly released some videos to fault the media report.

    Posting one of the videos, Olatunde stated: “The social media is a blessing to this generation. All the social media platforms have afforded us ample opportunities that were not there in the dark days.

    “As beautiful as these advantages are, some rabble-rousers and frustrated elements have continued to abuse the usage of the social media. They underscored some of the curses of the digital age.

    “The fraud called “Gistlover” has continued to show the irresponsibility of the social media. It has mindlessly advanced its voyage of spreading fake news.

    “The handler of the Instagram page is nothing but cold-hearted creature. A machinery and ready tool in the hands of political adversary. That creature is a tragedy of this generation.

    “I read the latest fabricated item on that page and I was amazed at how anyone , under any guise, would wish a fellow human being death. It is the most extreme bad blood ever shown. Politics aside, is that not inhumane and heartless?

    “My phone won’t stop ringing in the last one hour. The lies posted by the infamous “Gistlover” have generated serious worries from many quarters. Just like I told those who called me on the phone. “Governor Akeredolu is hale and hearty. He’s alive and living well.”

    “We must Identify the bad eggs in the society. They are everywhere. Mostly on the social media. The blessings of the social media must not rob us of our sense of responsibility.

    “We must be deliberate in making sure that only sane and responsible people are taken seriously on the social media space. Don’t listen to naysayers. 4+4 is complete 8. God is our guide”.

    TNG reports in one of the videos released of the Governor that had been trending on social media, Akeredolu was seen dancing and singing.

    The lines of the lyrics showed governor Akeredolu who was joyous and full of praises to God for keeping him alive.

    Governor Akeredolu, left the country for Germany after the APC convention in March.

    He officially wrote the State House of Assembly to take permission before embarking on an annual leave.