General
Witness Says Iba Monarch Abductors Got N15.1m As Ransom
By Dipo Olowookere
“My abductors demanded N500m ransom but my family paid N15.1m to free me” the traditional ruler of Iba Town, Oba Goriola Oseni, told a Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere.
Oseni said this on Friday while giving evidence at the commencement of trial of the four men accused of kidnapping him.
The accused are Duba Furejo, Ododowo Isaiah, Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh, who were first arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo on October 24.
They are standing trial on an eight-count bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, robbery, armed robbery, stealing and kidnapping preferred against them by the Lagos State Government.
At the commencement of hearing, the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem (SAN), who led a team of lawyers for the state, obtained the leave of court to exclude the public from the trial.
In an oral application, Kazeem told the court that the accused were part of a criminal enterprise, therefore, it would be in the interest of justice and the safety of the witnesses for the case to be closed to the public.
The court granted his request despite the objections of all the three counsel for the accused.
Mr Selowei Baidi was for the first and second accused, Mr. J. O. Egwuaroje for the third accused while Anthony Onwueze represented the fourth accused.
Justice Taiwo, in her ruling, said that there was nothing prejudicial about Kazeem’s application and assured the defence counsel of fair hearing.
She ordered all journalists in court to identify themselves with their official identification card in order to be allowed to cover the proceedings.
Led in evidence by Kazeem, Oseni, 73, testified as first prosecution witness and narrated how at about 8:00pm on July 16, he was kidnapped while watching TV in his palace.
Oseni told the court that he was held in captivity for three weeks in an unknown camp.
He described his abductors, about nine, as shirtless, heavily armed men wearing only black trousers.
He said, “This is the king, the gunmen said. I asked them, ‘what can I do for you?’ Then they grabbed me. I was in only a boxer because I was preparing to take a bath.
“My Olori (Queens) came in and asked them where they were taking me to but they fled when the gunmen released some bullets in the decking of the room.”
He said the gunmen dragged him out of the palace and shot sporadically, in the process, killed his security guard and a motorcyclist.
He said they demanded N500m ransom but his family paid N12m and then another N3.1m to another group of the kidnappers, totalling N15.1m, following which he was released.
The Oba’s son, Prince Kazeem, who testified as the second prosecution witness, said he delivered both ransom money of N12m and N3.1m to the abductors at a canal near Igbehinadun in Iba.
He said they negotiated the ransom from N500m to N40m but they couldn’t raise that amount, especially after the government refused to pay any ransom.
The militants, he added, gave him directions to the drop off point on phone after warning him not to tell anyone.
Justice Taiwo adjourned the case till November 18, following a request by the prosecution for time to present more witnesses.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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