Breaking News: ORIRE ABDUCTION: "Why We Sidelined Seyi Makinde"
By Mogaji Wole Arisekola
Fresh details have emerged from a source who requested anonymity regarding the circumstances surrounding the successful rescue of the victims abducted in the Orire kidnapping incident.
According to the source, security agencies allegedly arrested family members of suspected Ansarul terrorists, one after another, across Katsina, Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Zamfara, and other states as part of intelligence-gathering efforts that reportedly contributed to the successful rescue of the victims.
The source further claimed that Governor Seyi Makinde was not informed about the rescue operation that eventually led to the victims' release.
It was also alleged that communication between the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government deteriorated after the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Ogundoyin, initially announced that the terrorists had demanded a ransom—a claim that was later reportedly denied by the kidnappers themselves.
According to the same source, security authorities in Abuja have allegedly placed Governor Seyi Makinde under increased security scrutiny because of his reported relationship with a governor from Nigeria's North-East who is said to be under investigation over allegations of sponsoring terrorism.
The source also alleged that the leader of Miyetti Allah, Mr. Bello Bodejo, was arraigned in court last week over allegations of receiving money allegedly meant for terrorists from the same governor. These allegations are currently being contested before a court in Abuja.
In the opinion of the source, the once-close relationship between Governor Seyi Makinde and President Bola Tinubu is no longer what it used to be. Whether this situation is temporary or permanent remains unclear. However, many observers believe that close cooperation between both governments is essential to maintaining peace and security in the country. It has therefore been suggested that respected Yoruba traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo, should intervene to help foster reconciliation in the interest of national unity and regional stability.
Regardless of political differences or divergent opinions, the successful rescue of the victims is a development worthy of celebration and gratitude. Above all, we give thanks to Almighty God for preserving their lives and granting them freedom. Congratulations to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde, and everyone who contributed to the successful operation that led to the victims' rescue.
Like Oliver Twist, I humbly appeal to President Bola Tinubu to also secure the rescue and release of the two groups of abducted students from Borno State, including children as young as three years old, who remain in captivity. The first group was abducted in May, around the same time as the Oyo schoolchildren, while the second group was kidnapped in June as they sat for their WAEC examinations.
Mr. President, Nigerians will be deeply grateful when these innocent children are safely reunited with their families.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
Is Lagos State for Everybody or Only a Selected Few?
Around 3:20 a.m. last night, our 7-month-old baby girl started crying with a very high fever. She had been running a temperature for the past two days, but it became worse during the night. When I checked with the thermometer, her temperature had risen to 38.5°C.
My wife and I were worried. It was raining heavily, and without a car, we didn't know how we would get her to the hospital.
We used a towel soaked in water to gently wipe her body and help reduce the fever while we waited for the rain to ease.
Then I remembered the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency-LASEMA number, 112. I called at about 4:07 a.m., hoping they could help. A lady answered and asked about the emergency. I explained that my 7-month-old baby had a high fever, it was raining heavily, and we couldn't get to the hospital. She could hear my baby crying in the background.
I asked if they could send an ambulance. She immediately took my address and a nearby landmark.
At about 4:27 a.m., I received another call from the Lagos Emergency Response Call Centre. The officer informed me that an ambulance had already been dispatched. He asked how the team could locate my house because it was still dark and there might not be anyone outside to direct them. I asked if I could send my live location, but he explained that he was calling from the control centre and was not with the ambulance team.
By 5:07 a.m., the rain had stopped. I received another call informing me that the ambulance was waiting at Checkpoint Bus Stop. My wife, our baby, and I quickly took a motorcycle there, and to my surprise, the ambulance was already waiting for us.
The medical personnel welcomed us into the ambulance and asked about our baby's condition. They asked which hospital we normally used. I mentioned the new Primary Health Centre at Ilepo, but explained that it does not operate 24 hours a day. They agreed and advised us that the best option was to take our baby to GeneralHospital Badagry where she could receive proper emergency care.
I believe the ambulance couldn't reach our house because of the heavy rain and the poor condition of the Ibiye–Checkpoint–Magbon road to our street. This is another reason why that road needs urgent attention from the Lagos State Government and the local government. Good roads save lives during emergencies.
One thing that amazed me was that the ambulance came all the way from Badagry General Hospital about 24 kilometres to Checkpoint Bus Stop just to respond to our emergency. Wow. Honestly we are still shock. I only see this happen in developed countries.
For that, I sincerely commend the Lagos State Emergency Response Team. They proved that the emergency service is working and that lives truly matter.
The journey to the hospital was smooth. The Lagos–Badagry Expressway from Agbara Junction to Badagry is now a modern six-lane road with no potholes. Credit goes to former President Muhammadu Buhari for starting the project, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for continuing it, and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for ensuring the reconstruction around Badagry, including the road leading to the General Hospital. Good roads make emergency response faster and more effective.
At the hospital, we were asked to open a new patient file because records from the Primary Health Centre could not be accessed there. I believe Lagos State should work towards creating a unified electronic medical record system so that patients' records can be accessed at any government hospital. I no there is existing smart card, we have that with our Lagos health insurance but had expired. I'll renew it.
We paid ₦2,000 to open a new file. The doctor attended to our baby immediately and requested a Full Blood Count (FBC) test and a malaria test, which cost ₦8,000. We also bought the prescribed injections and medications from the hospital pharmacy for about ₦4,000.
The leadership of Ansaru terrorist bastards will not recover from this Oyo kidnap. Every single member of their immediate and extended family, accomplices, and informants were reportedly arrested and detained. Everyone. Their homes demolished, their cattle destroyed. They cried, begged and groveled. They felt the weight of the federal government. They have been seriously degraded! #SayNoToTerrorism #UniteAgainstTerror 💙
EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede has revealed how Yahoo boys (internet fraudsters) stole N7.2m from a judge’s bank account, prompting the judge to call him at 1am over the issue.
Speaking further, Olukoyede said he told the judge that the incident occurred in a state where the EFCC had been restrained by a court order from investigating certain financial crimes, but the judge insisted that her case was an exception.
He added that the commission acted swiftly and recovered the full amount stolen before 6pm the following day.
He also noted that if an application comes before that judge to stop the EFCC from carrying out its mandate, she will refuse it because she has become a victim.
Here is the so called DG of the “non existent” Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) receiving a delegation of foreign investors alongside the Ambassador of Thailand in his “non existent” office at the federal secretariat.
What is going on in Abuja?!!
“A man who cannot fix ordinary political party cannot fix Nigeria. A man who carries his wealth to Tax Haven instead of putting it in Nigeria is not patriotic enough to lead Nigeria. A man whose only business is supermarket, import finished goods and sell here cannot solve our unemployment problem…..”
Adams OSHIOMOLE