The police on Monday arraigned five men before the Lagos State High Court in Tafa Balewa Square for allegedly making a false statement of criminal allegation to the police against the Elegushi of Ikate land, Oba Saheed Elegushi.

The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Ibironke Harrison are  Adeigbagbo Harrison, Prince Toluwoleke Megba, Harrison Soji, Megbalewon Adeniji James and Segun Ekomale (Ikuomola).

The defendants whose residential addresses were not given are facing eight counts bordering on conspiracy, making false statements, and impersonation preferred against them by the police.

The police prosecution counsel, M. Animashaun, told the court that the defendants and others still at large conspired amongst themselves and made false statements to the public officer at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Alagbon, Ikoyi Lagos.

He told the court that on the same day, the defendants made a false statement of criminal allegation to the police against the Al-Mansour family, the information they knew or ought to have known was false.

The prosecutor further told the court that the defendants also made false statements to the police against Mr Chinedu Nweke, Chief Ogunyemi John, and  Monsunmola Ogunyemi.

Animashaun said the alleged offence was committed on November 30, 2022.

The prosecutor also told the court that the first defendant, Adeigbagbo

Harrison, between January and February 1, 2023, at the Itedo community in Ibeju Lekki, with intent to defraud, falsely presented himself as Oni Itedo, the paramount ruler of the Itedo community.

Animashaun alleged that after  Adeigbagbo Harrison falsely assumed the position of the paramount ruler of Itedo community, he conducted himself in a disorderly manner by inciting the youths and members of the Itedo community against Oba Elegushi, conduct which is likely to cause a breach of public peace.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 96, (a), 95, 380 (1) and 56 (1) (a), of the criminal laws of Lagos State 2015.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Following their not guilty pleas the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date and also urged the court to remand them at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

But the defendants counsel Ebun Olu- Adegboruwa (SAN), told the court that the defence had filed bail application for the defendants and then asked the court to allow the defendants continue with the administrative bail earlier granted them by the police.

He said,”They have been attending court faithfully and in furtherance of the pending application for bail we humbly urge my lord to allow the defendants to continue to enjoy the administrative bail granted to them by the police pending the hearing and determination of the application for bail”.

In her ruling Justice Harrison granted the request of the defence counsel.

She held that the court had observed that all the defendants have been attending court faithfully.

“ The defendants are to continue with the administrative bail granted to them by the police pending the hearing of the bail application,” she said.

The case was adjourned till April 8, 2025.

The Alase of Ilase Kingdom in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba John Olaifa, has urged the state government to hasten the repair of the Mayigi Community Comprehensive High School that collapsed and killed a 14-year-old Junior Secondary School 3 pupil, Timothy Amosun, following a heavy rainstorm.

TheNigerian Metro reports that the incident which occurred on Wednesday left nine other persons injured and classrooms destroyed.

The Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade, disclosed in a statement that the sad news was shocking while expressing the governor’s sorrow over the pupil’s death.

Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone conversation on Thursday, the monarch noted that the school was built by the community before it was handed over to the government.

Olaifa noted that the government after the takeover of the school, contributed to the facilities available in it currently.

He appealed to the state government to hasten the repair of the collapsed building so that the learners could continue to access the needed education.

Olaifa said, “The incident is saddening. It was caused by a rainstorm. The school was constructed by the community before the community handed it over to the government.

“Our appeal to the government is to hasten the repair of the school so that the students can continue their learning.”

Meanwhile, Akinmade had in the Wednesday statement noted that the government would be responsible for the medical bills of the injured and that “he had directed the concerned agencies to move the victims who are in critical condition to specialist hospitals within and outside the state, where they are currently receiving maximum medical attention.

“He also mentioned that he had directed the Commissioner for Education to visit the families of the victims and the school to take an inventory of what needs to be done to rebuild the damaged school,” Akinmade said.

A Magistrate Court sitting in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State last Thursday remanded the traditional ruler of Okai Item, His Royal Highness Eze James Ogbonna and two others in the Nigeria Correctional Centre in Umuahia, the state capital, over a case of alleged murder.

Eze Ogbonna and one Igwe Anyim and Ndukwe Sunday Igara were brought before the court in connection to the alleged gruesome killing of 20-year-old Ndukwe Isaac by angry youths of the community.

TheNigerian Metro reports that the father of the deceased, Mr Isaac Maduka, a native of Umuikpa Akanu, had cried out for justice over the incident which occurred on January 28.

The presiding magistrate, His Worship Elizabeth, however, ordered the prosecuting attorney to remit the case file to the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Although the prosecuting counsel, U.Ekpo, argued that having already filled the information before the court, he ought not to remit the case file again, he accepted the order in the interest of public peace.

Ekpo said the prosecution had shown much seriousness in the case by filing information before a high court, which he said would enable the defendants to appear and take a plea.

But the counsel for the defendants, J. Osisiogu, said the prosecution counsel did not serve any information to any of the defendants even as of Thursday when the matter was going on.

The case was adjourned to March 27 for a hearing.

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A monarch and village Head of Ngo Town in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, His Royal Highness Ujeile Ngere, has raised the alarm over a looming crisis in the community following an order to shut down markets and restrict movement of people by an individual on account of a forthcoming burial ceremony.

This is as the monarch called on the Rivers State Government and security agencies to quickly intervene and avert a possible breakdown of law and order.

King Ngere who made the call during a news briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday, was reacting to a publication by a member of the community ordering the restriction of movement and closure of markets in the community for two days due to a burial ceremony.

Stressing that under his reign, the people of Ngo and Andoni, in general, had enjoyed peace, the traditional ruler described the publication as malicious and inciting, even as he urged the public to disregard the order.

He said, “It is with a rude shock that my attention was drawn to a malicious, inciting, and provocative publication authored by an indigene of Ngo Town, where he ordered the restriction of people’s movement, close- down of Ngo main market and ban on the conduct of burials or any form of ceremony in Ngo Town, effective February 28 to March 1, 2025.

“This purported order is being made under the guise of the burial of their departed chief. This disturbing publication is not only primitive, barbaric, and draconian, but indeed, it is an invitation to chaos and anarchy, with the potential to trigger communal crisis in Ngo Town.”

Continuing, the monarch maintained that the originator of the order had no legal rights to issue such as he was not a member of any of the constitutionally recognised royal families of Ngo Town, describing the move as an affront to the governor of the state.

“In my capacity as the Village Head of Ngo and the custodian of the customs and traditions of my people, I reiterate that such order of shutting down business activities and restriction of people’s movement is unknown in Ngo Town and does not exist even as a bye-Law in Andoni Local Government Area.

“Consequently, the people of Ngo and the general public are hereby asked to disregard such publication in its entirety and also advised to proceed with their lawful businesses.

“For purposes of clarity, it is only the Governor of Rivers State who has the statutory powers to declare curfew or restriction of movement in any part of the state in line with relevant sections of the extant Executive Orders and not an individual or group of persons or family.”

The monarch further called on the Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area, Lazarus  Nteogule, to continue to promote peace, unity, development, and progress in Ngo Town and Andoni LGA in general.

The traditional ruler of Nimo Community in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State, Owelle Maximus Ike Oliobi has dragged two leaders of his town union before a Magistrate Court for allegedly assaulting him and members of his cabinet.

The accused persons who were arraigned before the Abagana Magistrate Court 3 presided by Magistrate Obiora Nwajiaku on Thursday include a 35-year-old Messrs Chukwuemeka Ezeaputa and Chigbo Aniedobe, 39 years, who are youth provost and Ist President-General of the Nimo Town Development Union, respectively.

In the three-count charge in charge No: ANJ/21c/2025, the duo of Ezeaputa and Aniedobe, as well as, “others now at large” were accused of conspiring among themselves to assault “Igwe Maximus Ike Oliobi by pushing and shoving him around in a public gathering”.

The defendant were further alleged to have on 20th February, 2025 at the venue of a funeral ceremony for the wife of Chief Bobby Chinedu-Moore, SAN, threatened to deal with the monarch and members of his cabinet.

The prosecutor said the offences are punishable under sections 496(a), 252 of the Criminal Code cap. 36 vol. 11 Revised Laws of Anambra state of Nigeria, 1991 respectively.

The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to all the three charges respectively.

Magistrate Nwajiaku declined the prosecution’s application to remand the accused persons, but instead granted them bail in the sum of N300,000 each with two sureties, who must be residents within the magisterial jurisdiction.

The matter was thereafter adjourned to April 2, 2025 for continuation of hearing.

The traditional ruler of Oriendu Autonomous community, Ohuhu, Umuahia Abia State, His Royal Majesty, Eze Phillip Ajomiwe, has lamented the failure of security agencies and the government over the continuous dumping of dead bodies suspected to be ritual victims at the Imo River boundary. He said he had reported the discovery to the state government and security agencies, particularly the police without any action taken.

Ajomiwe, who has consistently been calling on security agencies in Imo and Abia states to beam their searchlight within the area to apprehend the perpetrators, had disclosed that his community had seen no fewer than 40 dead bodies tied in sacks and dumped inside the river, stating that they did not know those behind the heinous crime.

In an interview with TheNigerian Metro on Sunday, Ajomiwe said, “Yes, we saw more than 30 corpses in our Abia and Imo states boundary but not at a go. It happens every week since last year. We have been reporting the sightings too.

“The discovery was not at once but since 2024 at the NNPC pipeline and inside the river. The recent one was last week with the discovery of the lady floating in the river as well as a floating bag containing human body parts.

“We have been reporting even to the police. Last year, we discovered three decomposing bodies. I called the police immediately and also informed the government. I called the Mayor and he sent officials but the bodies were already decomposed.

“When people from Imo State brought dead bodies into our pipeline area, I called the police and it was even my vehicle that was used to convey the police to the area in September. When I informed the Mayor, he sent the Department of State Security who came and we had a meeting with them.

So, I didn’t keep silent. I reported to our House of Assembly representative and he asked me to write to the Speaker through him, which I did, but was told then that the House had yet to be reconstituted. He asked me to write to the Commissioner of Police, which I did.”

He said for a long time, he had been reporting about the insecurity and car snatching in the community to the police to no avail.

According to him, “This issue didn’t start today. That of last year was on September 9. I am organising the letters (I have written) because my subjects who heard about it have been calling me and I have discussed it with the Commissioner for Information who informed me that they had the State Executive Council meeting on Monday and that I should bring the copy (of the letters) to him.

“Good a thing, the letter I wrote then, I went to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and when he saw this recent letter, he said that he was updating it, but what of the one I had written? I wrote about the body dumped on the pipeline, as well as a vehicle we recovered that was abandoned along our road. Even someone who was kidnapped. It was my car that was used to go there and took them to the police headquarters. My community thought that the victim was a kidnapper.

“What else can we do? When we talk, it is a problem and when we don’t talk, it is the same. My community has been scaring them (suspects) away but they are always armed. How many are we? This is one of our predicaments. We have done all we could to let the government hear this, yet they have done nothing.”

According to him, people have also vandalised the 500 KVA transformer installed by their son and a General in the Army at Umurum Ekeoba which was inaugurated by the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, the same week with that of the MTN mast which was vandalised, though the police a few days ago said they were tracking the suspects.

Reacting, the Abia State Government expressed its knowledge about the report.

The state Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, on Monday, told our correspondent that he had spoken with Eze Ajomiwe on the matter, saying, “The state government is investigating the matter.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO DSP Maureen Chinaka, could not be reached for her comments as she did not pick up her calls when our correspondent her number on Monday.