Landmark

A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Osogbo has ordered the arrest of United Bank for Africa Plc and four of its top officials over alleged unlawful handling of bank accounts opened for the 30 local government councils in Osun State. The order followed a case filed by the Osun State Government and heard on Friday, January 30, 2026. The suit is marked MOS/601c/2025. In the court order sent to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the magistrate stated that complaints were brought against the bank and its officials for allowing people without approval to operate and maintain 30 accounts opened in the names of the local government councils. The court noted that the defendants were earlier summoned but failed to appear, despite proof that they were properly served. Based on this, the court directed the police to bring the defendants before the magistrate to answer the charges or face further action under the law. The case has been fixed for trial on February 10, 2026. Those listed as defendants ...

By Kola Aderohunmu Recent attempts to frame the 17th Convocation Ceremony of the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, as a political slight against Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, are rooted more in conjecture than in fact. A careful review of the events shows clear national validation rather than any marginalisation. At the heart of the convocation was the formal transfer of TASUED from Ogun State ownership to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The transition was concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Governor Abiodun and the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In governance practice, ministerial representation constitutes full executive presence, making any suggestion of a snub logically inconsistent. The ceremony also marked TASUED’s transformation into the Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, a development that ensures stronger funding, institutional stability...

L-R: Chief of Staff to the Ogun State Governor, Dr Oluwatoyin Taiwo; Chairman, Governor's Elders Advisory council, Chief Olu Okubuyejo; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, Oba Lawrence Adebajo and the member, representing Ijebu-ode, Odogbolu and Ijebu North-East Federal Constituency, Hon. Femi Ogunbanwo, during the commissioning of Abeokuta-Obalende and Osinubi New Town road in Ijebu-Ode Local Government on Friday. Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has cautioned against attempts to create division among residents of Tongegi Island and across the state over ongoing oil exploration activities in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area. The governor gave the warning while commissioning the Abeokuta–Obalende and Osinubi New Roads in Ijebu-Ode, where he clarified that the oil drilling exercise is being carried out by the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and not by the Ogun State Government. Abiodun ex...

Leaders of organised civil society groups, labour unions and youth activists have announced plans to storm Osun State in response to what they describe as the illegal occupation of local government councils and the severe hardship imposed on residents through the diversion and withholding of council funds. This was disclosed by the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), which condemned what it called the complicity of the Federal Government and the Police authorities in allowing Osun local government councils to be occupied by impostors, despite clear and subsisting rulings of courts of competent jurisdiction. Rising from an emergency meeting at its National Secretariat, the newly launched Movement recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo nullified the tenure of the former chairmen and councillors sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November 2022. According to the Movement, the judgment was upheld by the Court of Appeal on February 10, 2025, and reaffirmed...

The President of the Joint Union Action Congress of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCTA/FCDA), Rifkatu Iortyer, has explained why workers under the unions have continued their strike despite a court directive ordering a return to work. Speaking on Arise Television on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Iortyer clarified that the suit filed by the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was directed at her and Umar Abdullahi Saliu, not the entire workforce. “Now, the suit is Rifkatu Iortyer and Umar Abdullahi Saliu,” she said. She explained that after the court ruling, she addressed the press and announced her intention to comply by resuming work, but workers rejected that approach. “So when I came out and I addressed the press again, telling them that, sorry, we all have to go back to work,” she said, adding that staff members objected. According to her, the workers argued that the ruling did not apply to them. “The staffs said, no, you were sued. We ...

The Idanre Development Assembly (IDA) has appealed to the Ondo State Government and other relevant stakeholders to urgently conclude the ongoing process for the selection of a new Owa of Idanreland. In a press release dated January 29, 2026, and signed by its President-General, Dr. Anthony A. Omolola, the Assembly called on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, the Chairman of Idanre Local Government, and the Idanre Kingmakers—under the leadership of the Regent, High Chief Christopher Oluwole Akindolire—to work collaboratively towards resolving the prolonged delay. The group recalled that the late Owa of Idanreland, Oba Dr. Fredrick Adegunle Aroloye, OFR, passed away on July 30, 2024, creating what it described as a significant vacuum in the traditional leadership of the ancient kingdom. According to the Assembly, the absence of a substantive monarch has negatively affected several tradition-linked activities in the town, including the observance of market days and other customary functi...

The Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) has said that it is deeply perturbed by the alleged "misleading, fabricated, and poorly crafted rejoinder" issued by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Ogundipe Stephen Olukayode, "regarding the brutal suppression of peaceful demolition victim protesters at the Assembly complex" on Wednesday January 28, 2026. CHSR said in a statement by its President, Comrade Alex Omotehinse, dated January 29, that as a human rights organization with years of engagement in civic advocacy and state accountability, it "finds it alarming and indeed tragic that a public officer elected to represent the people would descend so low to the level of distorting facts in the public space in order to justify repression, excuse police brutality, and criminalize constitutionally guaranteed peaceful protest." "Contrary to the fabricated lies and claims m...

The Ogun State Government has commenced activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state with the weekly commissioning of major road projects across different parts of the state. The Golden Jubilee celebration began last week with the commissioning of the Wole Soyinka Train Terminal and the Sagamu–Ayepe Road in Sagamu Local Government Area. This was followed by the commissioning of Afon Palace Road in Imeko/Afon Local Government Area. As part of the ongoing activities, Governor Dapo Abiodun will on Friday, January 30, 2026, commission the Abeokuta–Obalende Road and the Osinubi New Town Road in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area. According to the state government, the road commissioning exercise is designed to showcase key infrastructure projects delivered across the three senatorial districts as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. Other programmes lined up to commemorate the milestone include an inter-faith thanksgiving service scheduled for Monday, February 2, 2...

L-R: Task Team Leader, Nigeria for Women Project, Micheal Ilesanmi; Country Director, World Bank Group, Matthew Verghis; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Vice President, World Bank Group, Galina Vincelette, and the Operations Manager, World Bank Group, Taimur Samad, during the visit of the World Bank Group to the Governor's office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta on Wednesday. The Ogun State Government and the World Bank Group have jointly invested over N5 billion in women-focused empowerment and livelihood initiatives over the past six years, Governor Dapo Abiodun has disclosed. The governor made this known on Wednesday while receiving a delegation from the World Bank Group, led by its Vice President, Ms. Galina Vincelette, at his office in Abeokuta. Governor Abiodun said the investment was deployed through the World Bank–supported Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) and the state’s domesticated empowerment scheme, Oko’Owo Dapo, which was established after the success of the initial pro...

L–R: Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya; Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and the Paramount Ruler of Yewaland and Chairman, Ogun State Council of Obas, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, during the commissioning of the Afon Township Road in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on Wednesday commissioned the Imeko-Afon Township Road and ordered the immediate reconstruction of the Olorunda–Imeko Road. The Imeko-Afon Township Road, originally constructed in 1959 by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was commissioned at a ceremony held in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area. Speaking at the event, Governor Abiodun said the decision to reconstruct the Olorunda–Imeko Road followed his personal experience while traveling on the road earlier in the day, describing its condition as deplorable. Acco...

 Sterling One Foundation, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the United Nations System, and partners of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) will convene the ASIS 2026 High-Level Policy Engagement on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.  The session will bring together senior government leaders, chief executives, development partners, investors, and civil society leaders to advance results-driven partnerships for inclusive growth, foundational learning, women and youth empowerment, and national development  delivery. The engagement, co-hosted by the Office of the Vice President, and Sterling One Foundation, will serve as a national platform to translate continental commitments into country-level action — aligning policy reform, private sector mobilisation, and development finance around  Nigeria’s most urgent priorities, including education, jobs, skills, financial inclusio...

  The United Bank for Africa (UBA) under the watch of Mr Tony Elumelu seems to be literally swimming in troubled waters as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) instituted a N4.3 billion alleged forex fraud case at the Ikeja Special Offences Court against the bank and four others. Other defendants in the case are Muyiwa Akinyemi; Amangbo Stephen; Gesos Global Service Ltd, and Fedat Global Ltd. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Rahman Oshodi, however, adjourned the case until April 21 for the arraignment of the defendants, following their absence in court on Monday. There was also no legal representation for any of the defendants. When the case was called, EFCC counsel, Mr Temitope Banjo, announced his appearance and expressed surprise at the absence of the defendants. Banjo informed the court that all the defendants had been duly served with the charge and other court processes. The prosecutor further told the court that the second and third defend...

Following the suspension of the selection process for a new Awujale of Ijebuland by the Ogun State Government, a group of residents on Monday staged a peaceful protest across parts of Ijebu-Ode in support of the government’s decision. The protesters, under the banner of Ijebu Sons and Daughters and Ijebu-Ode Progressive Youths, marched through major roads in the town carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “Awujale stool is not for sale,” “Governor Abiodun, save Ijebuland from crisis,” “We want the best prince as Awujale,” and “Let there be a free and fair selection process.” The procession converged at the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Secretariat, where the Chairman, Hon. Dare Adebiosu, addressed the crowd. Hon. Adebiosu assured the protesters that the Ogun State Government has no preferred candidate, explaining that the suspension was aimed solely at ensuring strict adherence to due process. “The government is not interested in who eventually emerges as Awujale,” he said. “The dec...

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) have issued a stark warning that the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State represents a serious threat to national peace, constitutional governance, and Nigeria’s still-consolidating democracy. Addressing journalists at a joint press conference read by Baba Abubakar El-Nafaty, Chairman of the Elders Forum of the CNCSOs, the groups said their intervention was compelled by what they described as a “solemn patriotic duty to defend constitutional democracy, protect the mandate of the people of Rivers State, and avert a dangerous political precedent.” “What is unfolding in Rivers State goes far beyond local politics,” the groups declared. “It represents a critical test of Nigeria’s commitment to constitutional governance, separation of powers, and democratic stability." Tracing the roots of the crisis, the CNPP and CNCSOs insisted that the turmoil did not arise from ...

Before the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church was that lonely voice sounding the alarm that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is bad for Nigeria. Long before Shettima was chosen as Tinubu’s running mate, Primate Ayodele had warned the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate not to allow such a ticket because it would not help the nation. Among his warnings were that the ticket would be seen as an attempt to Islamize Nigeria and that it would lead to religious crisis in the nation. He stated that God is against the ticket and that it is against God’s plan for the country. These were his words: “APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket is an Islamic and jihadist agenda that God is against for Nigeria. This is also an attempt to silence Christians in Nigeria, and it will lead to a serious religious crisis in the country. “APC has committed a very big blunder; God will not support the APC for this mistake, it’s against the plan of God...

Amid reports of the alleged disqualification of some of its members by the council of kingmakers in the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the Council of Otunbas in Ijebuland has declared that no law prohibits holders of the Otunba title from ascending the Awujale stool. The Otunbas made the clarification in a letter addressed to the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council. The letter was jointly signed by the council’s chairman, B. Alebiosu; second vice chairman, Akin Osiyemi; and secretary, Ayodele Osibogun. They stated that holders of the Otunba title have, at various times in history, ascended to obaship positions, stressing that the title has never constituted a barrier to kingship. According to the council, the Awujale stool is a sacred traditional institution rather than a political office, warning that any selection process that excludes otherwise eligible candidates could result in legal challenges, communal disharmony, and irreparable damage to the integrity of the Ijebu traditional...

The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court in Freetown has sentenced the Head of Operations at the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Fredrick Caulker, to a total of forty (40) years’ imprisonment for corruption-related offences involving the misappropriation of public funds. Delivering judgment at the Main Law Courts Building, Court of Appeal Judge, Honourable Justice Aiah Simeon Allieu, found Caulker guilty on four counts of misappropriation of public funds, contrary to Section 36(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 12 of 2008, as amended by the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2019. The offences related to PAYE and withholding tax payments made by the Small Holder Commercialization Agri-Business Development Project (SCADeP) to the National Revenue Authority According to the prosecution, the accused, of No. 38A Taylor Street, Wellington, Freetown, abused his position as Head of Operations at UBA by diverting tax payments intended for the NRA into accounts other than the designated NRA accoun...

The Ogun State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, in conjunction with the Ijebu Ode Local Government, has dismissed as false and misleading a report circulating on social media alleging the suspension of the Kakanfo of Ijebu land, Chief Abimbola Okenla, the Lapoekun of Ijebu land, Chief Tunde Odulaja, and the Madasa of Ijebu land, Chief Lekan Oshifeso, from the Council of Chiefs. The two authorities categorically state that no such suspension has been effected or approved by any recognized traditional institution or by the Ogun State Government, describing the report as the handiwork of mischief makers bent on causing confusion and disharmony within Ijebu land. Chieftaincy matters are governed by established laws, customs, and due process, none of which has been initiated in respect of the named chiefs. The public is therefore urged to disregard the report and rely solely on official government channels for accurate information. Signed: Hon. Dare Alebiosu Chairman, I...

  The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, signing the condolence register of the wife of the first civilian governor of the State, Chief (Mrs) Lucia Onabanjo, in Ijebu-Ode on Thursday. Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has announced the constitution of a committee to organise a befitting burial for the former First Lady of the state, Chief Mrs. Lucia Onabanjo. The committee will be chaired by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi. Other members include the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area, Mr. Dare Alebiosu, and the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo. Governor Abiodun disclosed this on Thursday during a condolence visit to the Onabanjo family in Ijebu-Ode, following the passing of the former First Lady. Describing the late Mrs. Onabanjo as an exemplary First Lady, the governor said she used her position to render selfless service to God and humanity. He stressed that the state would be fully involved in giving the wife of a for...

The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, signing the condolence register of the wife of the first civilian governor of the State, Chief (Mrs) Lucia Onabanjo, in Ijebu-Ode on Thursday. Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has announced the constitution of a committee to organise a befitting burial for the former First Lady of the state, Chief Mrs. Lucia Onabanjo. The committee will be chaired by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi. Other members include the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area, Mr. Dare Alebiosu, and the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo. Governor Abiodun disclosed this on Thursday during a condolence visit to the Onabanjo family in Ijebu-Ode, following the passing of the former First Lady. Describing the late Mrs. Onabanjo as an exemplary First Lady, the governor said she used her position to render selfless service to God and humanity. He stressed that the state would be fully involved in giving the wife of a former go...