By Oluwakemi Ishola 

Men of the Oyo State Police Command, on Sunday, rearrested Sunday Shodipe, the prime suspect in the series of ritual killings at the Akinyele Council Area of Oyo State.

The serial killer was rearrested somewhere in Eleyele area of Ibadan.

Details Later

The social media quaked recently when the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) extended an invitation to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai as a participant in its forthcoming annual general election. All of a sudden, vociferous voices rose alleging that the governor was either one of the traducers of the people or abetted this seeming carnage.

Of a truth, the ceaseless killing of innocent
people in his Kaduna enclave has become a huge bother. Gory figures of horrendously murdered people are displayed on social media under what appears like a deafening silence from both the federal and state governments.
As at the last count, thousands have lost their lives to these mindless killings. Southern Kaduna people claim, supported with hard-to-rebut evidence, that their traducers were ethnic ilk of the governor, Fulani, who storm their homes with machetes, guns and other dangerous weapons to wreck these colossal havocs. In a release they issued a few hours ago, they claimed that in the last eight months, 104 communities in Southern Kaduna have been attacked and 400 lives have been lost.

Of a truth, the Southern Kaduna imbroglio is
about 40 years old now. It even nearly cost the life of their icon and founder of Southern Kaduna Elders Forum, General Zamani Lekwot during the Zango Kataf uprising in 1992. Under the duo of Buhari and el-Rufai however, there has been an upswing in the carnage, with Southern Kaduna being visited with an adjudged worst form of carnage in recent history. Hundreds of residents of the area were cruelly murdered by bandits and their corpses litter their homes. Apparently helpless, leaders of Southern Kaduna, which included a lawmaker representing Zagon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency, Amos Magaji, have unequivocally claimed that el-Rufai, ostensibly due to his ethnic affiliation to the alleged aggressors, the Fulani, had been abetting the genocide, as well as in the various ethnic and religious clashes bedeviling the area.

While security has generally gone to the dogs
under Muhammadu Buhari, Governor el-Rufai’s comments about the killings in his domain leave much to be desired. To exculpate self from the killings, he once claimed that he had paid huge sums of money to the alleged Fulani killers of the people of Southern Kaduna to secure armistice. In an interview with some
select journalists in his office, the governor claimed that his government traced some aggrieved and decidedly violent Fulani bandits, foreigners he claimed, to their countries and paid them to stop the carnage in Southern Kaduna.

“Some of them were from Niger, Cameroun, Chad, Mali and Senegal… So many of these people were killed, cattle lost and they organized themselves and came back to revenge… We got a group of people that were going round trying to trace some of these people in Cameroun, Niger Republic and so on to tell them that there is a new governor who is Fulani like them and has no problem paying compensations for lives lost and… we paid some,” el-Rufai said. A few days ago, the same governor told the world that the din over the killings by the victims – Southern Kaduna leaders – was due to his refusal to appease the leadership by oiling their palms.

“I have no time for nonsense. I will not appease criminals. I will not appease idle people who have nothing to do but to raise a spectre of genocide. They do that to get money into their bank accounts and get donations from abroad instead of standing up,” el-Rufai announced in an interview on Channels Television’s political programme, Sunday Politics.

To confirm that el-Rufai’s mind is steeped in
divisiveness and culpable abetment, by this comment, it is irrebutable that he had already criminalized Southern Kaduna elders, even without a cogent and verifiable reason. The “new governor who is Fulani like them and has no problem paying compensations” was ready to appease his established genocidal Fulani kinsmen for peace to reign but “had no time for nonsense” and indeed loathed “to appease criminals,” people who are decidedly victims of this carnage.

The social media-propelled uproar over the nomination of a governor with such a biased mindset on a ceaseless carnage against his people was so high that the NBA, in a resolution at its council meeting, had to withdraw the invitation to the governor. This isn’t actually the news. The news is that, thereafter, Nigeria and her manacles which have prevented an upward mobility began to set in. Some social media apologists demanded that Nyesom Wike, Rivers governor, alleged to be notorious for exhibition of brute brawns rather than his brains, be de-invited as well. Then, Yobe State NBA and some northern lawyers also expressed their intention not to attend the meeting. A group which called itself the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria also joined the fray, taking the argument to a very obtuse and ridiculous level. It asked that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo should be included in the list of those to be barred from speaking at the conference. As I write this, many northern and Islamic-propelled groups have expressed intention not to attend the congress.

On a television programme last week, I was asked that, if Nigeria and Mali people’s situations are not dissimilar as I said, Malians came out en-masse to demand the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta as President and the crowd of #RevolutionNow protesters in Nigeria were far between. I told the audience that it was due to the 1914 Lord Lugardian false contraption which has led to very fractious internal contradictions in the country. Nigerians are not and can never be united in calls for stoppage of their oppression as they did last week in Mali. For reasons of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation and many other primordial sentiments, there can never be unanimity of opinion to rout the oppressor. The June 12 uprising was basically a Southern or Western, if you like, embarrassment of the Nigerian state into surrender as against a unanimously
prosecuted national umbrage against injustice.

While it is a new vista in Nigerians’ quest to
use social media uproar to hold people accountable, the sad thing about it is that the Lugardian contradictions will ensure that it is done to appease the god of our primordial sentiments. It is this calamitous feature that has kept on recycling our maggots in government and political offices for decades.

As August 27 anniversary of the 35 years that wily military General, Ibrahim Babangida, gunned himself into office draws near, his baptism with a national uproar on account of his attempt to drag Nigeria into the Organization of Islamic Congress (OIC) will remain indelible in national mind.

As soon as the information got into national limelight, Babangida received one of his vilest criticisms ever from the Nigerian Christian religious class comprising Bishops, Pentecostals and their ecumenical brethren. One of such criticisms against him was that the OIC was an agenda by the North to Islamize Nigeria. This stuck out like a sore thumb.

Converse arguments from the gap-toothed General that membership of the OIC does not necessarily transform a country into an Islamic nation did not hold water in the ecumenical din. With a combination of pastoral blackmail, peppered with apt verses of the Bible, massive power of mass communication of the pulpit and the gullibility of Christendom of the time, no one was interested in looking at the veracity of this ecumenical claim. It may not be an understatement that Nigerian Christian religionists shook the Babangida
government to its foundation. Subsequently, Babangida was forced to publicly announce the withdrawal of Nigeria from the organization.
In the constant clashes of faiths between government on one hand and adherents of Christian and Islamic faiths on the other, suspicion against government had always been very strong. Fast-track however to August 2020, 35 years after: Christendom is no longer shaken by what appears to be ecumenical
principalities’ blackmail and is persuaded to interrogate every claim with the firmness of a tooth comb.

Today, the most potent clone of the OIC government/Christian religion barons’ spat is the tango on the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020), which repealed the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990[1] . Assented into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 7, 2020, its Section 839 (1) and (2) has spurned bitter commentaries against government, suggesting that it is a document whose main agenda was to Islamize
Nigeria. That section which the ecumenical warlords found offensive to their practice of
Christianity relates to Trustees of Non-Governmental Organizations, (NGOs).

Nigeria seems to have been quaking ever since, with these religionists mounting the pulpit to denounce CAMA as designed from the pit of hell.

Entitled “Suspension of Trustees and Appointment of Interim Manager(s),”Section 839 (1) empowers the Commission to suspend trustees of an association and appoint interim managers to manage the affairs of the association where it reasonably believes that- (a) There is or has been misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the association; (b) it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of;

i. Protecting the property of the association ii. Securing a proper application for the property of the association towards achieving the objects of the association, the purpose of the association of that property or of the property coming to the association, iii. Public interest; or (c) the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently.

Subsection 2: 1. The trustees shall be suspended by an order of Court upon the petition of the Commission or Members consisting of one-fifth of the association, and the petitioners shall present all reasonable evidence or such evidence as requested by the Court in respect of the petition.

What the foregoing provision means is that, rather than the practice before now when NGOs, among which churches and mosques were ranked, operated as Lords of the Manor and had overarching powers over their organizations, henceforth, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has the power to lawfully place on suspension trustees of any of the above associations principally on grounds stated above. Specifically, the trustees shall be
suspended “by an order of Court” which can only be actioned “upon the petition of the Commission” or “members consisting of one-fifth of the association” alleging mismanagement of their organizations’ funds.
A seismic shake has thereafter been made by the church. Voluble Pastor, David Oyedepo, presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, as usual, was the first to raise umbrage. Addressing his congregants last Sunday, Oyedepo spat fire like a dragon. He was quoted to have claimed that government was jealous of “the prosperity of the church” and
queried the rationality of ranking churches alongside companies, the church being “God’s heritage on earth.”

“Molest the wife of somebody and you will see the anger of that person. The church is the bride of Christ. You know how a strong man is when you tamper with his wife. The church is the body of Christ. We are under obligation to give warnings to wicked rulers so we could be free from their blood. The church works on the pattern delivered by God not the pattern of man.

Government has no power to appoint people over churches. This is a secular nation.
“The church is the greatest asset of God in this country. Please be warned. Judgment is coming. The Lord says I have been still but now I will arise. Anybody that is in this deal is taking poison. This will never work. I am waiting for a day when anybody will appoint a trustee over this church. You can’t gag anybody. We own this country together. It is only in Africa that people who are over 80 years still run around to become president. I know that it is the prosperity of the church that is making them jealous. But I am going to live to see an army of many winners soar greater. In this church shall emerge one of the largest concentration(s) of giants on earth,” Oyedepo said.

In time past, Oyedepo’s umbrage would be greeted with infectious rebellion in and outside the church against government. Not anymore. The tragedy of COVID-19 has opened the eyes of many Nigerians and spurred them to
interrogate the place of the Nigerian church and their hyper-capitalist pastors in their lives. In the process, they discovered that many of those so-called religious barons are unmitigated disasters, self-centered and self-seeking charlatans who use the Bible and the words of God as façade for self enrichment.

COVID-19 revealed all those and more. One of the ancillary revelations of the pandemic is that the so-called men of God merely use the
narrative of God and the Bible to their personal advantage, most times in flagrant disregard for the rules of logic. Yes, the church is the bride of Christ but when Jesus was on earth, He asked that what belonged to Caesar be given to Caesar and even paid tax. Yes, the church works on the pattern delivered by God but is obligated to factor in the pattern of man as anything short of this would be against the teaching of Christ Himself. The Oyedepo spit of fire, coated in the scary lacerating venom of God’s wrath, has its applicability for sure but certainly not on a law targeted at purging the church of pastors who are profiting egregiously and callously too from the naivety of church members and their thirst for eternity.

Nigerian pastors are private jet-junketing billionaires and multi-millionaires who care less about their people. Many of them have no blood flowing in their veins. Some who do merely give tokenism from their pool of wealth. These were men who, a few years back, barely scrounged a living. No thanks to the complicity of the Nigerian ruling class who bow down before them in churches, they have transmuted into stunningly rich billionaires and jet-owning barons all because there are no strict laws guarding the operations of the church.

Even though it has not been tested, it is obvious that the particular provision of CAMA 2020’s intendment is to curtail the massive looting, money laundering and manipulation by Nigerian pastors. They explore and exploit the hopelessness in the land brought about by equally wicked and selfish successive governments and use the twine of prosperity and blissful eternal life to empty the wallets of their congregants at Bible-point. If not,
the sensationalist harangue of this provision of CAMA 2020 is needless, unless the church barons are admitting that they are running the churches fraudulently. Hyping the narrative that, by virtue of the law, the “Islamist
government” wanted to appoint “unbelievers” to preside over the church will not hold water. This is because the provisions are not ambiguous at all. Only fraudulently-run churches need to be afraid.

First, the law gives the right to suspend trustees of the church to the CAC and the church members themselves and the petition, which must be signed by either the commission or church members, must give evidence of fraud.Even at that, it is the church that would effect the suspension.

Read in totality, it is obvious that this provision of the law is in the public interest and answers to silent agitations over the years of how church barons had unconscionably looted church funds in the name of God.

Churches are no longer houses of God but ravenous extensions of business empires of some greedy capitalists who forcefully take people’s money by conjurations of ad- hominem, fiery biblical Armageddon curses if the funds are not surrendered. COVID-19 has shown Nigerians that God inhabits the hearts of men and not elegant sanctuaries where pastors collect mindless tolls.

Why do the Oyedepos gladly subject themselves to same rules overseas where they extend the octopodial roots of their financial empires nicknamed church and willy-nilly subject their church administration to the rules of trustees as NGOs? Why then do they dissent in this instance? It is on record that many of them have been fined millions of pounds, escaping the jailhouse by the whiskers in the process, while trying to brandish their Nigerian brand of lawlessness and primitive gluttony abroad.

It must however be said that the Buhari administration’s proclivity for mis-governance and pristine cronyism may not totally allow one to apply the right cudgel on this misguided opposition to this section of CAMA 2020. If you sit the religious barons down to a discussion, they are likely to offer as alibi to their dissention to the law the infamous antecedent of Buhari Fulanizing every appointment and his tendency to want to use CAMA 2020 to foist his known mindset on the church. As puerile as the argument may be, Buhari may give shine to the suspicion.

These same barons failed woefully in getting spiritual intercession for the affliction of COVID-19 and were totally absent with appropriate succour when the pandemic ravaged their Nigerian faithful from whom they have collected even before colonial infiltration into the Nigerian social and political space.

Crying foul on a law that is aimed at bringing sanity to their greed is tendentious. They should take a step forward and see their congregation laughing at their folly

The topic how not to get killed by a serial killer should be broached by all Akinyele residents. Not their faults anyway, but that’s what we, the society has saddled them with. An apprehended criminal, a serial killer for that matter, escaped. I guess the next question to ask is how many criminals do we lose in a day?

For our loving mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters in Akinyele, you are not alone. Now is the time to be security conscious. Now is the time to be vigilant, observant and be deliberate in all movements and during rest.

First thing to note is that a serial killer is not at all time after sex. It is about control. At times, their prime motivator is the satisfaction of having power over someone’s life. They are control freak. Their complexity is more psychological than material.

Secondly, they often lack remorse. Therefore the chance for successful rehabilitation is drastically low. Life incarceration or terminal sentence should be preferred punishment.

Thirdly, we need to know how and what to do to reduce the likelihood of being a victim of a serial killer:

1. Do not do what their victims did
Like walk in the dark alone, or staying alone when you can avoid not to. If you find yourself unavoidably alone, be aware of the closest crowded place.

2. Be Conscious of Your Environment
Notice the unusual in your surroundings. An unfamiliar person loitering around is a red flag and should be accosted.

3. If You Must Go out at Night, Don’t Do it Alone. Night walking should be discouraged. If you must, kindly be accompanied. This will reduce the risk of being jumped at.

4. Secure the House
Lock doors and fasten the windows properly. Burglary irons are not even enough to stop intruders these days. Identify the vulnerable parts of the house and address them.

5. Knock! Knock! Who is there?
It is a school rhyme but also an etiquette before you open the door for anyone. Some doors have verifying peepholes you can consult before opening the door.

6. Turn Every Day items to Weapons
If you must always go out, or you find yourself alone most time, you must learn how to turn everyday items into weapons: like keys, pens, phones, etc. And try hitting the most vulnerable parts of the body when you attack.

Despite the grey areas surrounding the Akinyele fiasco, one thing is certain. We need to be safe.

May we not find ourselves face-to-face with a serial killer. Given the reality on ground, we need prayers, and need to keep safe. But the departing questions are;

How could a criminal of such gruesome murders be a guy whose reward is a meal treat? How could a criminal of such fame escape police net so easily? Why would a criminal capable of such planned attacks find his way back to areas of his scene guilelessly after escaping? It seems there is more to the story.

May God keep us all safe!

Reference: Gary Rodgers; how to avoid being killed by a serial killer.

Adesokan Babatunde Waliyullah writes from Oyo – Oyo State.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oyo State on Thursday celebrated Oyo State ALGON Chairman, Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, who recently marked his birthday.

Members of the union and people from different walks of life turned out en masse to mark the event at NUJ Press Center, Iyaganku .

The celebrant is a pro-democracy activist, politician, media and advertising professional.

In his speech, Comrade Ademola Babalola,the NUJ chairman congratulated ALGON Chairman on his birthday adding that the union decided to celebrate him for his positive contributions so far in political line and to the union itself. He charged politicians to make the celebrant their role model.

The chairman described the celebrant as an `honest, diligent and good family man’ who had been able to make a positive impact through politics, irrespective of the challenges that he might has faced.

In his remark, Mayor Isaac Brown described the celebrant as a focused, development passionate and administrator par excellence who remained a reference point of governance in Oyo state.

He thanked God for keeping the celebrant healthy and strong to mark his birthday and wished him well in all his endeavours.

SA on media to the late governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Comrade Bolaji Tunji , said the celebrant “is an upright man who speaks the truth.”
He described him as a model journalist and outstanding man and urged his children to emulate the sterling qualities of their father.

Responding, Prince Aleshinloye said that he was overwhelmed with joy with the show of love from members of NUJ by celebrating him.
He disclosed that serving God and taking life easy were the secrets of his good health, and prayed for God’s blessings to rest upon everyone who celebrated with him.
The celebrant was presented with a gift at the occasion by the Union Chairman, Comrade Ademola Babalola.

Also present at the occasion, Hon Gbenga Olayemi,Hon Murphy,Hon Isaac Omodewu, Hon Bolaji Tunji,Hon Bimbo Omiyale, Mrs Ifeanyinwa Omowole NAWOJ National President, NAWOJ BOT member and SSA to President of NUJ, Comrade Bimbo Oyetunde, the VP, B-Zone, Comrade Morenike Tony-Esan, the National Auditor, Comrade Sola Jacobs and a host of others

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Agro Rangers squad of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Oyo State Command have arrested Eight (8) kidnappers that have been terrorizing Ado Awaye, Araromi LCDA, Okaka and Otu in Itesiwsju local government and Ilero in Iwa LCDA.

According to the State Commandant of NSCDC Oyo State Command, CC Iskilu Akinsanya
at around 2115hrs on Thursday 20th of this month, one Chief Jowuro Oke-Ogun Alhaji Baani Abubakar call on Agro Rangers Oke-Ogun Axis that the run away suspected kidnappers that has been operating in Ado-Awaye, Araromi Lcda, Okaka and Otu in Itesiwaju local Government and Ilero Lcda were spotted in Bobajiroro Hotel, Oke Adeta, ISEYIN.

At the Bobajiroro Hotel Six (6) male and two(2) female Bororo suspect were arrested. During cross examination of the suspects, the trailed suspect to the scene of the arrest Umaru Lawal M 25yrs, “m” declared that the number used in tracking him belong to his friend. Further interrogation revealed that those numbers were stored on his phone with different codes such as 52,42,33 etc. Umaru later agreed to help the corps in getting his friend.

Meanwhile, names and identities of the suspects were giving as, Umaru Lawal 25yrs male from Ado-Awaye,(2) Umaru Saliu 27yrs m from Ado-Awaye,(3) Abase Musa 30yrs m from Odo-Ogun ISEYIN,(4) Barika Idris m from Ipapo Itesiwaju local govt,(5) Abdulahi Kanti 25yrs m from Odo-Ogun ISEYIN,(6) Boto Dengi 30yrs m from Fasola Oyo,(7) Fatimo Kiri teenager 8yrs f from Ilero,(8) Adiza Adamu 20yrs f from Ilero, Iwa Lcda.

Items recovered from the suspects includes (1) Boxer red Motorcycle with ref no BDJ 580 UL(2) Boxer red Motorcycle reg no EGB 628 UF(3) 4 Tecno phones(4) 1 QUP phone(5) 2 Itel phones(6) A sum of #32,510,00.(Thirty-two thousand five hundred and ten naira). The suspects will be handed over to Oyo State Police Command Anti-Kidnapping Squad for further investigation and prosecution.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

The Muslim community in Oyo State has protested Governor Seyi Makinde’s outright cancellation of Hijrah Holiday in the state, describing Muslims serving in Makinde’s government as hypocrites.

The TMC expressed its displeasure in an open message sent to Governor Makinde-led government on Friday.

The letter reads: “Muslims in Oyo State in agony that our fantastic Christian Governor Seyi Makinde has jettisoned the First Of Muharram holiday granted us by the epitome of Religious Justice Ishaq Abiola Ajimobi (May Allah bless his gentle soul). Political Prostitutes within the Oyo State Muslim Ummah said Makinde was from a Muslim Family. He sent people to hajj and built Mosques.

“We referred them to Qur’an 2; 120,

The Jews and Christians Will Never Be Pleased With You…

“Seyi wears no cassocks but is certainly an evangelist in power. I offer my cap for his political sagacity and the use of Muslim sycophants. The Holy Quran didn’t mince words in the Holy Qur’an.

“The hypocrites would be at the deepest place in hell fire where they will have no helper.

“Are we protesting? Yes, but I know it is a waste of time. Is it necessary and not extremely fatuous to be talking to the deaf?

“Makinde is planting wind he would certainly reap the whirlwind. He is not a student of history but one thing is certain which he himself has acknowledged publicly.

“The numerical superiority of the Muslims. Nobody has lost a fight for justice. It may be prolonged but it would be won at the end of the day. You will hear from us soonest.”

It will be recalled that the administration of the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi used to declare a work-free day across the state in commemoration of the new Islamic calendar year, Muharram 1, (Hijrah) but the incumbent Governor Makinde has outrightly canceled the holiday without giving reasons to supports his decision.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has felicitated Muslim faithful in the state on account of the New Year Hijrah 1442 AH, which begins today. However, the National Council of Muslim Youths Organisation (NACOMYO) has vowed to mobilize against the re-election of the governor for refusing to declare a public holiday to commemorate the Islamic New year.

Governor Makinde, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, congratulated the Muslim Ummah in the state on the opportunity to witness a new Islamic year, urging them not to relent in praying for the state and the country.

The governor, who stated that Hijrah began when the Holy Prophet Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Madinah, enjoined Muslims to continue to demonstrate good neighbourliness, love and dedication to the state. He urged them to work deliberately to ensure peaceful coexistence at all times.

According to him, the essence of Hijrah is that it is a process of transfer to a better situation, a search for an environment more favorable to continuous and constructive effort. He noted that Muslims in the state should follow lessons taught by Prophet Muhammad following his immigration to Madinah.

“The Holy Prophet, following his immigration to Madinah, taught a lot of lessons including worship to God, brotherhood, good neighbourliness and good welfare for the people, among others. In short, the Hijrah teaches that wherever Muslims go, they should bring goodness to that land. Muslims should work for both moral and material goodness of the society.

“Therefore, I urge the Muslim Ummah in the state to continue to show their dedication to the wellness of the state, contributing their quota in different ways to its development and I assure that the administration will continue to fulfill its promise to uplift the state and and move its people from poverty to prosperity.

“I commend the Muslim Ummah for the immense contributions they continue to make to the progress of our dear state and wish them a successful and prosperous Hijrah 1442 AH.” the statement concluded.

However, the NACOMYO in reaction to the non-declaration of a public holiday in commemoration of the Islamic New Year has vowed to mobilize against the re-election of Engr. Seyi Makinde as the governor of Oyo State in 2023.

The Islamic group disclosed this on Thursday at a special prayer and lecture for the commencement of Hijrah 1442 in reaction to the failure of the governor of declare a public holiday in the state to celebrate the new hijrah calendar.

The state Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Dawood Afolabi, who stated this in his lecture on the topic, ‘Political development in Oyo State and the Muslims,’ also accused the governor of marginalising Muslims in the state.

“It is disheartening that despite the promise of fairness and justice by the administration and continued lip-service to same at functions, Muslims are still being treated with disdain in government appointments,”Alhaji Afolabi said.

He went further: “The glaring marginalisation in the composition of state executive, appointment into boards of tertiary institutions and the jettisoning of merit in the choice of head of Saki Zonal TESCOM are clear signals that Muslims should not trust the current helmsman in Oyo State.

“We should, therefore, keep our gunpowder dry and prepare for the next election. The withdrawal of ‘first Muharram’ as work free day in the state is another indicator. We, however, put our trust in Allah for a better deal via change of hands in government by 2023.

“Nevertheless, we wish to commend the Chairman of TESCOM, Pastor Akin Alamu, for the twin decision of cancellation of Christian Religious Knowledge questions from the grading modules of the Computer Based Test and for the adjustment of the timetable.

“We commend governors Oyetola and Ganduje of Osun and Kano respectively for the sustenance of Hijra holiday. Your names are written in gold as we pray that God strengthens your holds on power.

“Apart from the global health challenges, the hydra-headed problems of corruption, insecurity, fake news, and murder after rape still scare us in the country. These and other impediments to growth and development seem to defy all known panacea. We have no other option than to turn to Allah in true repentance to get relief.”

It will be recalled that the administration of the late former Governor Abiola Ajimobi used to declare a work-free day across the state in commemoration of the new Islamic calendar year, Muharram 1, (Hijrah) but the incumbent Governor Makinde has outrightly canceled the holiday without giving reasons to supports his decision.

By Oluwakemi Ishola 

A non-partisan grassroot awareness forum, Peoples’ Awareness Initiative (PAI) has announced a stay at home order for residents of Akinyele local government area of Oyo State on September 1st, if the Nigerian police fail to re-arrest Sunday Shodipe on or before the 31st of August of this year.

PAI, in a statement signed by Dr. Abiola Aranni and made available to the Pacesetter News on Wednesday, also demanded that the police should provide to the public detailed information about how and those involved in the escape of Shodipe from lawful custody after his initial arrest.

The statement reads:

”An organized non-partisan, grass-root awareness forum, Peoples’ Awareness Initiatives (PAI) has been forced to decry in strongest term, the incessant killings of innocent souls and conspiracy that enveloped the leaky security situation since the inception of assassination outbreak in May 2020 within Akinyele Local Government Area (LGA).

“Definitely, the manner and sequence of the attacks; the seeming perfect coordination of all the assaults, inability of the security agencies to curb the ceaseless brutal murder, the escape of the suspects from the police custody, ungracious immunity of arrest to some fingered VIPs; all these give much to ponder on the seeming invincibility of the syndicate and how these assailants are well connected with the security agencies.

“Ahh! The people of AKinyele LGA are breaking out in a cold sweat and could no longer condone making the community a hot ‘spot’ for ritual killers where brutal murders mostly for rituals and other circumstances will be happening almost on daily basis. It’s potentially risky to live or move around any time within Akinyele LGA. No doubt, we are totally out of our depth.

“How does Oyo State Government curb this disaster as soon as possible? Can we rely on these security operatives anymore? Do you want to allow these criminals (wolf in sheep’s clothing) to kill us all? Are we animals? How do we manage seeing our next neighbours been raped and or axed to death for rituals almost on daily basis? The fear of who is the next victim is the beginning of wisdom for all of us. Are we not doomed?

“People of Akinyele LGA are still in the heat of the moment in spite of the public outcry on the gruesome murder of:
“Barakat Bello at Akinyele Town (May 31, 2020),
Azeezat Somuyiwa at L-Adisa area (June 5, 2020), Grace Osiague at Idi-Ori area (June 13, 2020), Mujeeb Tirimisiyu at Tose area (June 23, 2020), Olusayo Fagbemi Aisha at Sasa area (June 24, 2020), Dolapo Bamidele and her mother Deola Bamidele who were cold-bloodedly macheted at Alaja area (June 29, 2020), Another woman, name unknown who was killed at Elekuru area (July 1, 2020)
Omotoke Grace at Onikoro area Moniya (July 20, 2020).

“Disgustingly, Mrs Oladejo Funmilayo was freshly gruesomely murdered at Onikeke village, Akinyele town on 13th of August, 2020 after the purported escape of the suspects, Mr Sunday Sodipe and his reemergence around Onikeke area where the last brutal murder later occurred.

“Earlier on, precisely on 17th of July, the suspect, Mr Sunday Sodipe and his purported master, Mr Adedokun Yunusa (herbalist) were paraded by the police and they confessed their involvement in the serial manslaughters which was covered by the media including the social media.

“So, PAI on behalf of the good people of Akinyele LGA hereby charged the Nigerian Police whose custody Mr Sunday Sodipe was kept to reproduce and re-parade him on or before 31st of August, 2020 (two weeks from now).

“PAI also demands explanations from the Nigerian Police to the public the circumstances that orchestrated his supposed escape and why other fingered VIPs who are allegedly backing the murder syndicate are not paraded and detained up till now.

“In the light of the failure of the Police to meet the above demand, PAI thus calls for ‘a stay at home order on Tuesday, 1st of September, 2020’ as a civil way of registering our protest over the leaky security situation in Akinyele LGA.

“So, if unfortunately this exercise would occur in the event of failure of the security agency concerned to bring Mr Sunday Sodipe and his other cohorts to justice, the good people of Akinyele would observe ‘a stay at home order’ on Tuesday when:There will be no market activities within Akinyele LGAN, No transportation except for emergency situations within Akinyele LGA,No social activities within Akinyele LGA.

“Conclusively, we wish to state categorically clear at this juncture that this call is not in any way meant to invoke any security threat to the public but to charge the concerned authority and the Oyo State Government in particular to swing into serious action in putting lasting solution to the ceaseless killings in our state particularly in AKinyele LGA.

“The primary responsibility of government is to provide security for all and sundry, irrespective of any consideration. Where this fails, despondency may set in, leading to a loss of confidence in government. It is imperative that people should not be allowed to take recourse to self-help in an attempt to secure their lives and properties.

“Your Excellency, the Governor of Oyo Stae, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde, you owe the people of Akinyele Local Government Area, and by extension all residents of Oyo State the duty of ensuring that they live, transact business and interrelate under a secure, peaceful and harmonious environment. However, the current security situation within the local government area cannot guarantee any of these.”