Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has signed into law, the 2016 appropriation bill of over 135 billion naira. Tagged “The Budget of Revival” has been formulated in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to make life easy for the common man as promised during campaign. The 135, 303, 100, 010 budget in the 2016 fiscal year, has capital expenditure of N70, 407, 990, 843 and recurrent expenditure od N64, 895, 109, 167. The Governor assured of judicious implementation of the budget in accordance with the re-branding programme of his administration in clear departure from the culture of the past. Governor Mohammed Abubakar thanked the Legislature for the speedy passage of the bill into law, adding that such action further confirms the Assembly’s concern for the plights of the people and the determination of the law makers to support the executive to improve the life of the common man. The appropriation bill, which is the first by the administration of Governor Mohammed Abubakar was presented to the Bauchi State House of Assembly early in the year and was just passed into law last week. [myad]
Senior Special Assistant to the President of Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, has said that when his boss came to power on May 29 last year, his intention was not to sack any of the civil servants he inherited from his predecessors.
He said that the president believed that all the civil servants should amend themselves to the change mantra, but regretted that a lot of them simply would not want to accept change.
Garba Shehu who spoke to newsmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today was specific about the National Orientation Agency (NOA), which he said had remained unconcerned about its main role of enlightening Nigerians on the activities of the government.
“We have an agency like NOA with 773 offices nationwide, each has not less than 5-7 staff, well equipped but you know also, sometimes democracy has its own dark side.
“The President came and he wanted to really be fair to every Chief Executive if he wanted to fire people on assumption he would have done it and he would not have violated any rule, but he decided to give everyone a chance to see whether they would imbibe the change mantra, or they prepared to come along.
“I will say with all sincerity that I know that the NOA had worried us in government, the people and the leadership never believe in what we are doing, they never believe in change, they just fold their arms and watch us from all this period 8-9 months when they are there, I believe the new leadership would begin to formulate things for agencies like that.”
Garba Shehu revealed that Buhari government would soon embark on what he called direct conversations with Nigerians through town hall meetings nationwide.
“I know that there is a plan that Professor Osinbajo the Vice President would start town hall meetings in zones and then it would be broken down to the state and so on. The government realizes that there is a need to take information to the people and there are steps that are been taken in order to ensure that is done.” [myad]
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has directed police to arrest on sight anybody trying to cause political trouble ahead of the re-scheduled April 9 Area Council elections.
The directive is coming on the heels of the recent political violence in Gwagwalada Area Council, which the minister condemned in strong term. The violence occurred yesterday morning during a political rally.
The Minister warned that security breach in whatever manner is not acceptable in the FCT, even as he made it clear that politics need not be taken as a do or die affair.
Musa Bello said that political violence has no place in the history of the capital city, adding that he had already directed that all perpetrators be arrested and brought to book.
The Minister asked the political gladiators not test the will power of the government, assuring that his government would not condone this barbaric behavior from any body however highly placed in the society.
“The Security Agents must fish out perpetrators of this violent attack and be made to face the full wrath of the law because nobody is above the law.”
Musa Bello assured the residents of the FCT that the security agencies are on top of the situation and therefore advised them to go about their lawful businesses.
It was reported that in Dobi village, Gwagwalada Area Council, supporters of the current Chairman of the Gwagwalada Area Council and that of his political god father, all belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had a violent clash leading to the death of one Haruna Adamu. [myad]
A 12 year old girl, called simply as Queen, has narrated to Operation Rescue (OPER), a human rights group, led by Princess Elizabeth Egbe, how her father, Mr. Bamekpa impregnated her after several sexual escapades and caused the four-month pregnancy to be aborted.
Queen;s father, a native of Imiringi in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, allegedly started to defile her at the age of 11. He was alleged to have serially raped and eventually impregnated her and then he forced her to abort the through a crude process that currently threatens her life.
Queen told the human rights group that she ran away from the house when she could no longer bear her father’s devilish craving, adding: “there was nobody to help me. He kept doing it despite my efforts to stop him. It was a painful and violent experience. I ran away from home because there was a time I bled so much from my private part.”
Queen continued in sob: “when I became pregnant and he heard about it, he handed me over to a lady who took me through an unsuccessful process of abortion. I have been suffering series of health issues after the abortion.”
Queen’s uncle, David Apigi, confirmed her story which he said shocked him, saying: “my niece told me the trauma she has been passing through in father’s house and how her father has been using her, turning her to his second wife.
“She said he had sex with her to the extent that he aborted her four-month-old pregnancy. She ran to me and begged me not to allow her to return to her father’s house because she was tired. I decided to accommodate her. The father started looking for her without knowing she was with me.”
He said that he reported the matter to the Kolo Police Station but asked them to hold on to enable him make some investigations, adding that after his investigations, he called his cousin, Rex Ogboku, in Abuja who reported the matter to the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
But FIDA was sluggish in the way it handled the matter, Apigi noted, saying: “my cousin, Rex Ogboku, in Abuja called FIDA to inform them about the situation. But the way FIDA was going about the issue was too sluggish for my liking. I decided to contact the Operation Rescue.
“We went back to the police and the Otuasiga Police Station arrested the man. The process through which the Otuasiga Police Station was handling the case was not satisfactory. “Imagine a situation where somebody was arrested and while in detention he was still having access to his phone, making calls. He even called me. He called my uncle, trying to plead with him for settlement. I moved the case to Kolo Police Station.”
He said his niece’s father was notorious for sexual perversion, alleging also that he had slept with his biological sisters and that the suspect repeatedly had carnal knowledge of his cousin’s daughter and forced her to commit abortion five times. He said some of his victims were ready to testify against him.
Egbe also lamented the condition of the girl and called on the society to protect the girl-child. “Our investigations showed that the little girl had been perpetually raped by her father who impregnated her and forced her through abortion that has left her with so many health problems. “When the girl was pregnant, she did not know. Her stepmother discovered she was pregnant and informed the father. The father handed her over to a lady who took her to a quack doctor for an abortion.
“After the abortion, the girl came back home and discovered she was bleeding from her private part. The father took her to that same lady who then took her to other places. The girl is still in pains and highly traumatized. She has been going through series of medical treatments.
“We want the police to really investigate this matter and get to the root of the case. We want the doctor to be arrested, and we want everybody that is involved to be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to other people who are involved in this act of perpetual evil against the girl-child. The girl-child is tender and has a lot to contribute to nation-building.”
Our neighbours to the West, the Republic of Benin, have just concluded a Presidential election, which has been considered free, fair and peaceful, from the first round, to the run-off which produced businessman Patrice Talon as winner and next President of that country of about 10 million people. Commentators have noted with delight the manner in which incumbent Prime Minister and Talon’s main challenger, Lionel Zinsou, graciously admitted defeat even before the release of final, official results, and congratulated the winner. Zinsou has been compared to former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan. In a continent threatened by a renewed appetite for sit-tightism by its leaders, it is exciting that some politicians are setting good examples. In the last one year, we have had the example of Jonathan in Nigeria. And now Zinsou, in the Republic of Benin. We hope that there will be more of their kind.
For, indeed, Africa has been raising some anxiety about the prospects of democratic consolidation. In Burkina Faso, the President had to be chased away after 27 years of corrupt and ineffective leadership. In Congo Brazaville, which held its election the other Sunday, President Dennis Sassou Nguesso is sitting tight. The February 2016 election in Uganda saw Yoweri Museveni’s forces brutalizing the main opposition leader, Kizza Besigye. Two women politicians were also stripped naked and publicly humiliated for daring to decamp from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). In Rwanda, President Paul Kagame had to change the Constitution so he can have a third term in 2017.
In Burundi, the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza waged a similar war against the people, leaving over 400 dead, and he remains in office by force. In Equitorial Guinea, Gambia, Cameroon and Zimbabwe, the maximum rulers in power are determined to die in office. The people of the Republic of Benin deserve to be congratulated for further raising our hopes about the power of the people and the prospects of democracy in Africa. They were the true winners. But for me, the hero is the incumbent President, Thomas Boni Yayi. When he steps down on April 6, and hands over power after completing two terms as President, he will be greatly missed by his fans and perhaps derided almost to the same degree by those who have accused him of running a government that promoted cronyism, corruption, clientelism, media repression and official opaqueness. But my bet is on him being well-remembered in the long run, for his services to his nation, the sub-region and the continent. He also did not try to change the constitution or manipulate the process.
Patrice Talon, Yayi’s arch-enemy, who did not pull punches during the campaigns has accused Boni Yayi of creating a “banana Republic” which has become “the laughing stock of the world.” Talon is wrong; he is guilty of that newly discovered disease called Trumpism, named after the first host of the virus: a certain fellow currently seeking to be President of the United States called Donald Trump. Elected President in 2006, Boni Yayi was again re-elected in 2011, and although he faced much opposition, including assassination attempts, he has managed to survive the various intrigues that dogged his Presidency. He has also successfully organized elections and ensured a smooth succession.
Zinsou is a member of the ruling party but there was no evidence that his party or the incumbent President tried to subvert the people’s will, despite Yayi’s undisguised support for him. Domestically, President Yayi may not have fulfilled all the promises he made to the people in 2006 and 2011, but he is leaving behind a country that is much better today than he met it. The Republic of Benin used to be a communist enclave, which has gone through many transitions, from communist dictatorship to a Presidential multi-party system. Under Yayi’s watch, the country’s profile rose. Benin is far from being a banana republic. Yayi gave his country a new bounce, a stronger voice and presence within the international community, and greater stability within its borders.
President Boni Yayi is also Nigeria’s very good friend. Nigeria’s relationship with her Francophone neighbours is a major plank of her foreign policy process. The closeness of those Francophone countries to France and the dominant influence of France in their affairs has always been part of the sub-text of our interaction within the sub-region. Benin is particularly strategic: close to half of its population boasts of historical and cultural connections with Nigeria, making the geographical boundaries, largely artificial. Long before Boni Yayi became President, the relationship with Benin Republic was not always smooth. The trigger areas included ideological differences at the time Benin was a communist enclave under Mathieu Kerekou. During the civil war also, there were allegations that Benin provided a support base for the defunct Republic of Biafra.
Nigeria is Benin Republic’s main export market. But it is also the biggest smuggling route into Nigeria. With the Lagos port not functioning efficiently, and our customs tariffs so high, Nigerian businessmen found solace in the Cotonou port, creating a revenue crisis for Africa’s largest economy, and informal trade link that has not been properly measured. Anything that could be smuggled into Nigeria went through the Cotonou port. It still happens. Across the land border between the two countries, the Beninoise gendarmes constituted themselves into a threat to Nigerian communities. They still pose a threat, but just occasionally now. Due to the factor of proximity, Nigeria’s biggest challenge with its immediate neighbours has always been one of security. Criminals have turned trans-border organized crime into a major source of economic leakage and basic insecurity. There was the case of one Hamani Tijani based in Benin Republic who operated across the border. Nigerian criminals also commit atrocities inside the country and they slip into neighbouring Benin. The borders between both countries have been porous forever.
There are many Nigerians living in Benin Republic and vice versa due to linguistic and cultural affinity. But whereas in Nigeria, we accommodate our neighbours living among us, Nigerians living in Benin Republic have not always had it easy. In one instance, Nigerians in Benin were repatriated in their thousands. What has been demonstrated is that Benin Republic’s closeness to and seeming dependence on Nigeria could pose a threat to Nigeria’s security. For example, petrol smuggled from Nigeria finds a ready market in Benin Republic. In 2003, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had to close down the border between the two countries. Benin’s economy went into instant coma.
In 2006, Boni Yayi assumed office as President. In fairness to him, he took Nigerian-Benin relations far more seriously than did his predecessors. As spokesman to President Jonathan, I had the privilege of watching him closely. President Yayi was always a delightful visitor. He referred to President Jonathan always as his “elder brother”, and his own country, the Republic of Benin as “Nigeria’s 37th state.” He didn’t just say it. He meant it. And he repeated that phrase at every turn. Of course, he wasn’t asking Nigeria to annex his country. It was his way of emphasizing the strategic importance of good relations between both countries.
Throughout his tenure as President, he has managed to build a strong, personal relationship with every Nigerian President, starting with President Obasanjo whom he refers to as “his father.” In his position as Chairperson of the African Union, and as mediator on many issues within ECOWAS, President Boni Yayi always supported the Nigerian interest. No other Francophone country or leader within the sub-region has tried as much to build a stronger relationship with Nigeria. It should therefore not be surprising that under Boni Yayi’s watch, the frictions that used to affect Nigeria-Benin relations were reduced to the barest minimum.
The lesson of this is that country-to-country or government-to-government relations are often influenced by the chemistry between the leaders of the respective countries. Boni Yayi has proven himself to be a great diplomat within the sub-region and a forthright marketer of his country’s interests. It was indeed proper that President Muhammadu Buhari not only attended Benin Republic’s 55th independence anniversary last August but that the government also provided logistics support to ensure the success of this month’s Presidential elections in that country. The principle of reciprocity requires that we support countries, which extend the hands of fellowship and co-operation towards us. The only problem with our foreign policy process is that we often do not know where to draw the line and act in enlightened self-interest. We must keep an eye on Patrice Talon as he assumes office as the President of the Republic of Benin. He seems to have a talent for the melodramatic.
It will be in his interest to learn from President Boni Yayi and seek to sustain a tradition of amity and brotherliness that has resulted in better Nigeria-Benin relations since 2006. Patrice Talon may be tempted to embark on an internal mission of vengeance, and extend that arrogance beyond the borders. His supporters are already suggesting that as soon as Boni Yayi loses his immunity on April 6, Talon who was once accused of being part of a plot to poison President Yayi (he was pardoned in 2014) should take his pound of flesh. The “King of cotton” as he is called, should resist the likely temptation to follow the script of the sycophants who are now getting ready to call the tunes of his Presidency.
The people of the Republic of Benin by voting for an opposition candidate have spoken clearly that they want change. The change that they seek cannot be the humiliation or the harassment of Boni Yayi. They want a different kind of change. Despite post-communist era stability, Benin remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The people want greater prosperity, they want the challenges of energy and infrastructure and access to education further addressed; they want a more productive economy, they want jobs, they want national progress. Focusing on these priorities will move Benin Republic closer to the people’s expectations, and indeed beyond the politics of vendetta which seems to be a growing sore point in Africa’s politics of succession. [myad]
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has said that he is waiting for advice of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice before enforcing the resolution of the National Assembly to seal off the Kogi House of Assembly complex.
Arase who spoke to newsmen in Abuja during an exercise tagged ‘Walk Against Crime’ organized as part of activities to mark the police week, said the position of the Senate had been sent to the minister for his advice on the matter.
“What I have done is to send the papers to the minister of Justice for his advice. I am a police officer; I also need the advice of a legal expert to actually know the way forward. Once I get the response of the minister, I will be able to take a decision,” he said.
The Senate had directed the IGP to seal the Kogi Assembly complex, pending the resolution of the political crisis in the house. Arase
On the exercise, the Inspector General said that it is part of the police week aimed at connecting with other Nigerians.
According to him, the mental and physical health of a police officer determines his or her level of work he or she can do.
The walk took off from the Force Headquarters to the Unity Fountain in Maitama, and back to the Force Headquarters.
Those who participated were the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, representatives of the Chief of Naval Staff, NSCDC, FRSC, Musicians and Sports men among others. [myad]
Suspected kidnappers, today, abducted a senior military officer serving with the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, near Kaduna, Colonel Samaila Inusa in Kaduna.
A statement by the spokesman of the One Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Colonel Usman Abdul, said Inusa was abducted yesterday at about 7:30pm along Kamazo road, near NNPC junction, Kaduna.
Inusa, who was said to have been driving in his car with his wife inside, were said to have been blocked by the abductors who pulled the wife out of the car, took over his car and drove off with him towards Abuja road.
Colonel Usman said: “the abductors dropped off his wife and left with him in his car. They car headed towards Abuja. Anybody with useful information or assistance should please assist in tracking these abductors. They are in a Mercedes Benz GLK Black colour with registration number Abuja, KUJ 154 TZ.
“This happened at about 7:30pm on Saturday 26 March 2016.”
The statement requested members of the general public to assist in fishing out the abductors by providing any useful information through the following phone numbers: 08033865572,
08030489203, 08023445961, 07038025282 and 08058130703.
The abduction of the army officer came one week after President of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Emmanuel Dzigau and two other clergies were abducted on Monday last week along Abuja Road.
The clergy men are yet to regain their freedom as their abductors who had earlier demanded for N100 million ransom later reduced their demand to N50 million and threatened to kill them if the money was not paid in time. [myad]
A house wife with three children, Kemi Dayo Kamorudeen has narrated how an Islamic spiritualist, known as Alfa hypnotized her and turned her into sex slave for many years now without the knowledge of her husband.
Kemi told newsmen that while she and her husband were living at Akute, a border town between Ogun and Lagos states, she had a dream one day and that since her husband was away at work at the time, she had to turn to Alfa Shehu Lukman for help.
“The dream was frightening. I narrated the dream to him and he told me that a spirit husband was behind my problem. He said the problem required an urgent solution so that the spirit husband would not be able to kill me.
“He told me that after I had taken my bath the following day, I should call him and he would come with the medicine. The following morning, I took my bath and called him.
“When he came, he brought out a razor and some medicine he had prepared and said he would need to make an incision on my private part. I asked why he couldn’t just explain how it would be done so that my husband could do it for me when he came back from work but he said that it was a taboo for husbands to handle such medicine.
“He told me that to ward off the spirit husband, the incision was just the preliminary treatment. He said the medicine would be rubbed on the incision after it had been made.
“I agreed to it and he was making the incision when he suddenly grabbed my neck and forced himself on me. He raped me on the three-seater couch in our sitting room.”
Kemi explained that after Lukman had had his way with her, he brought out some drugs and a Qur’an and told her that if she dared to disclose what he did to anybody, her husband and children would die while she would run mad.
She said as she was visibly shaking in fright, he made her swear to secrecy with the Qur’an.
The 45-year-old artisan said, “He told me not to worry and that the spirit husband would leave me alone so far as I heeded his instructions. I asked why he would do such a terrible thing to me when he knew my children and husband.
“He said what was done was done. He said he used a medicine on me while raping me and that he would leave me to my problem if I decided to make a scene. He said I would simply run mad.
“He said another condition that would make me to retain my sanity was that anytime he needed sex and he called me, I must always heed his call wherever I was and that I must not tell anyone.”
“I have been his sex slave for the past two years because of this. He calls me anytime he wants sex. Sometimes he sleeps with me in our house when my husband is away, sometimes he demands that I should come to his house in Akute.”
Asked if Lukman’s wife and children were not usually around when he slept with her, she said he has a dedicated room where he slept with her.
Asked how she did not summon the courage to tell her husband in the last two years, she said she was just too afraid that Lukman might make good his threat.
Kemi said she was also afraid that Lukman could reverse a spiritual help he rendered to her youngest child, who is now 22 years old.
“There was a time my daughter woke up and was complaining of some problems. I took her to the Alfa and he said she needed a spiritual bath. That was before he first forced himself on me. He took her for the spiritual bath and she became well,” she said.
Asked if she followed the spiritualist and her daughter to the spot where the spiritual bath took place, she said Lukman forbade her from following.
Kemi’s husband said he simply could not believe that his wife was going through such a thing without telling anyone.
“I told her that she must not go that day and that if he was indeed as powerful as he claimed to be, he should kill me before the next day,” Kamorudeen said.
Kamorudeen said one of their children, a university undergraduate, was travelling to school and had accident that affected her legs few years ago.
“My last born, who introduced the Alfa (Lukman) to us, was undergoing Qur’anic studies under him at the time. While we were in Ife for her elder sister’s treatment, she was alone at home.
“She said she was sleeping in the sitting room one afternoon when the Alfa came visiting to sympathise with us on the accident. She said when she told him that we were not around, he suddenly grabbed her neck and attempted to molest her but she quickly raised the alarm.
“Our landlady at the time came out when she heard the noise but the Alfa quickly told the woman that he was just trying to continue the Qur’anic studies and she was proving stubborn. He used that opportunity to escape that day. My daughter too could not tell the woman what actually happened.”
Kamorudeen said he could recall that since they left Akute two years ago, his wife had visited the place more than 30 times.
When contacted at Otun Abule, few kilometres from Akute area in Ogun State where he carries out his spiritual consultations, Alfa Lukman, said he is 52 years old and an indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun State expressed shock about everything the woman had said against him.
“There is no quarrel between us, so I don’t know where all these rape allegations are coming from. I am really shocked but truly, they consult with me regularly on spiritual issues.
“I am a spiritual doctor to the woman and her children. It is true that I made incisions on her, but it was not on her private part. It was just beside her private part, on the inner part of her thighs.
“I have been a spiritualist for more than 30 years and I do not lie. It is true that I also did a treatment for her daughter which required a spiritual bath. There is nothing strange in that. There is a stream not far from here where she had the bath.
“I knew the girl first when she was my pupil. She then introduced me to her parents. Her mother consults me all the time and so do the children. But I never slept with or raped the woman before. I also never attempted To Molest her daughter.”
Asked if he ever called Kemi in recent times, he said he only called her about two weeks ago to find out if she was visiting the area.
“She had told me before that she was attending an event around here. So, I called two weeks ago to know about the event.”
Likman insisted that he was fund of checking on her welfare, saying:“before that last call, I had not even spoken with her for about four months.”
The husband of the woman, 50-year taxi driver, Kamorudeen, who reached out to activist, Esther Ogwu, of the Esther Child Rights Foundation, for help, said he wants justice but does not know the appropriate step to take.
The case has yet to be reported to the police, but Ogwu said the authorities would be notified when necessary.
“People should be careful the kind of people they turn to for help. At this point, I can only advise people who may be in a similar situation to always confide in a third party.
“I believe Kemi. He probably simply preyed on her fears. It is also possible that this Alfa might be doing the same thing to other people in that community. They should seek help because whatever he is feeding them is just lies to keep them enslaved.”
Personal assistant to Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of conduct Tribunal (CCT), Ali Abdullahi is facing a case of alleged bribe involving the sum of N10 Million.
Ali Abdullahi is facing a two-count charge for allegedly providing false information to the EFCC during the commission’s investigation of a case of false asset declaration by a former official of the Nigerian Customs Service, Rasheed Owolabi.
Abdullahi told the EFCC that N1.8 million collected from Owolabi was meant to assist his (Abdullahi’s) father’s medication, but during a cross-examination, Owolabi said he paid the money to Umar who demanded N10 million to influence his case before the tribunal.
He claimed that he paid the money to the tribunal’s chairman, Danladi Umar, through a Zenith Bank account belonging to Abdullahi, with the account number: 1002849471.
The charges proffered against him read : “That you Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja within the judicial division of the court did make a statement to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with the EFCC, while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office that the sum of N1.8m paid into your Zenith Bank Account Number 1002849471 on December 12, 2012 by one Rasheed Owolabi was a payment made to assist you to settle your father’s hospital bill; which statement you knew to be untrue and thereby committed an office contrary to section 39(2)(a) of the EFCC Act, 2004 and punishable under section (39) (2) (b) of the same act.”
“That you Ali Gambo Abdullahi, sometimes in August 2013 at Abuja within the judicial division of the court did make a statement dated 13th August 2013 pertaining to N1.8m paid into your bank account by one Rasheed Taiwo, which is inconsistent with the statement you made on August 12th, 2013 to one Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, a detective with EFCC while in the course of the exercise of the duty of his office and thereby committed an offence contrary to section (39) (2) (b) of the EFCC Act 2004.” [myad]
A man has narrated how a Lagos State Customary Court Judge snatched his wife by taking advantage of small understanding between him and his wife, and then went ahead to marry the woman. This is even as the judge has been suspended by the Lagos state government. The man, Razak Adeyeri, Ayeni alleged that the judge, Ishola Adeyeri, hurriedly dissolved his marriage and later married his wife, Doyin, when they started having marital problems and approached his court to resolve the issue. Adeyeri and Doyin got married at the Orile Agege registry in Lagos on December 31, 2015. Ayeni, who runs an education advisory company in Egbeda, Lagos, had initially called for help to get custody of his two children, whom he said were taken away from him and made to live in the house of the judge. He said: “when I married my wife, I invested N5 million in her school business. But the success of the business caused problem. I could not control her again. “She had to move out of the house and rented an apartment in our area. After 10 months, I took her to court, thinking I would be able to resolve the matter through an alternative dispute resolution. But the judge, Dr. Ishola Adeyeri, hurriedly dissolved my marriage and impregnated her three months after the dissolution of my marriage. “What really pained me was that the ruling was obnoxious. He denied me access to my children. He ordered that I could only see the children in the school premises once in a week. He took over the business I started with the woman. He still wanted to send me to jail. He had been using the police to harass me. He brought the police to my house and I was detained at Abbattoir Police Division.” It was learnt that Ayeni was later arrested in February and charged to court for alleged assault and planning to kill Adeyeri. He said that he spent two days behind bars at the Kirikiri Prison after he was remanded. He was again charged for assault in another court. The day after he was released, he said the police again came for him and he had to flee his home because he feared for his life. “He used his office to destroy my marriage. He dissolved my marriage in February 2015 and my ex-wife gave birth to his child in March 2016. That shows he impregnated my wife just three months after he dissolved our marriage,” Ayeni had said. But he has finally got custody of his children. However, Adeyeri could only respond to the allegation through a text message saying: “I am sorry, I am not obliged to talk to the press.” This was even as the controversial wife, Doyin, who is the founder of Greatest Kiddies Foundation, a private school in Egbeda, Lagos, alleged that Ayeni did not get the custody of his children legally but that he invaded her school and took the children forcibly. The woman said that there was no truth in the claims that her ex-husband invested N5 million in her school business. She said: “We got married about seven years ago, but my school has been in existence for 12 years. He did not pay a dime in my business. “He lied by saying I took his children to another man. He was the one who threw me out of his house with the children, saying they were bastards. “We started having problems when I had a miscarriage and he beat me afterwards. He said I had used the unborn child for rituals. He also took me to court and asked for divorce.” But when asked if it was the same judge, who ordered their marriage dissolution that she remarried, she said, “don’t I have the right to remarry whoever I like after he divorced me? If I was impregnated by the judge, was it when I was still in his house? We had separated since 2013. We were formally divorced February 2015. I remarried in December 2015. I have freedom to marry whoever I chose to marry. “He has continued to threaten my life. People in the neighbourhood can testify to this. I am away from the school now because on March 1, he came to beat me up in the school. I landed in the hospital. I was forced to labour on March 8. The very day he wanted to send me out of his house, he beat me. I have never had a rest of mind since 2013. “What else does he really want from me? After all, he said he was not interested in the relationship again. Since he came to forcibly take the children from the school, I have not set my eyes on my children.” It was gathered that the Lagos Judicial Commission has suspended Adeyeri after a complaint was lodged against him. The commission was said to have summoned him and Ayeni, before deciding that the judge had taken an action that amounted to misconduct. There are unconfirmed reports that he has been finally sacked. The spokesperson for the commission, Moses Akinniyi, said that he was not in a position to either confirm or deny the dismissal of the judge. He, however, said that the case was indeed brought before the commission.
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Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has signed into law, the 2016 appropriation bill of over 135 billion naira.
