Below The Headlines - 78
Amotekun deploys AI (African Intelligence) to fight crime and big up to the innit boys in London town
Welcome to another week of Nigerian shenanigans. Hope you enjoy the usual selection below.
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Inside Nigeria
A Police Inspector was found dead in Abuja in ‘mysterious circumstances’. It appears he went as he came:
A police inspector, Lawal Ibrahim from Kwali Division, has reportedly died during an alleged sex romp with a lady at Palasa Guest Inn in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.
Abuja Metro gathered that the incident happened last Thursday, around 6:am when the deceased police officer checked into the guest room with a lady identified as Maryam Abba.
It was learnt that the deceased allegedly invited the lady over from Dutse, Jigawa State, after they first met on social media three months ago.
According to an eyewitness, the deceased police inspector allegedly had first round of sex with the lady on the night of Wednesday, until at about 6:am when the lady woke the police officer up and they had another round of sex again.
It was learnt that after the second round of sex, the lady later discovered that the police officer’s breathing became so erratic and stopped moving, in which she sprinkled water on him and still his body was not moving.
One of the most bizarre stories I’ve ever seen:
Residents of the Jacob Beredugo Street in the Ekeki area of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, were shocked when the decomposed remains of a 45-year-old pastor, Esere Okilo, were discovered in his residence.
The late Okilo who hailed from Nembe-Bassambiri had been missing for about 15 months before his remains were discovered on Wednesday.
One of his sisters had decided to check on the residence by looking through the window and saw the lifeless body of his brother sitting on the toilet bowl in only his singlet.
The discovery confused the residents even as many of them claimed they were not aware and did not perceive any foul odour of a decomposing corpse.
One of the things I really hate about Nigerian media is this tendency to go for the ‘mysterious’ as an explanation of things that can be explained with a little more investigation:
A mysterious illness has reportedly affected nearly 50 individuals in Bida Local Government Area of Niger State, with concerned residents saying no fewer than 24 of the affected persons are currently hospitalised.
The illness, which has spread rapidly through several areas, remains unidentified.
Affected areas include Ekoko, Tutijiba, Banin Bida, Laruta, and Edogiful in Bida town, with Laruta being the worst hit.
According to sources from the town, the illness strikes suddenly, causing individuals to collapse into a near-comatose state without prior warning.Symptoms following the collapse include prolonged unconsciousness, fever, body weakness, numbness in the nerves, and difficulty walking or speaking. In some cases, patients were reported to foam at the mouth during the attack.
The majority of affected individuals have been treated at the Umaru Sanda Ndayako Hospital in Bida and the Federal Medical Centre Bida, while a few were referred to specialist hospitals in Gwagwalada and Abuja. Tragically, one patient has been confirmed dead.
The new Alaafin of Oyo had to make a quick dash to Canada to tidy up his affairs there. The trend of Yoruba traditional rulers being people who have spent a considerable part of their adult life abroad continues apace:
According to him, “The attention of the media team to the Alaafin designate, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, has been drawn to a report with the headline, “Alaafin: Owoade puts traditional rites on hold, returns to Canada.”
“This is not only misleading, but also grossly mischievous. The headline is intentionally slanted to be at variance with the body of the story, which is unfair to the Alaafin Throne.
“Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade couldn’t have put on hold the traditional rites he has not started. The Punch even confirmed this in its report: ‘Ten days after receiving the staff of office and certificate of appointment from Governor Seyi Makinde, the new Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has yet to begin the month-long traditional rites to pave the way for his coronation.’
“I wish to state categorically and emphatically that Oba Owoade has not started the traditional rites that will lead to his coronation on April 4, 2025. So he couldn’t have abandoned it midway for Canada.
“More so, the Oyo state government is sufficiently aware of the movement and whereabouts of the Alaafin. The state government is being adequately carried along and in agreement on this issue and others.
“Let it be known that traditional rites can’t be suspended or put on hold once the process commences. Tradition does not permit that. It MUST be completed. It cannot be shifted or broken.
“Kabiyesi’s trip is within the timeframe allowed by his coronation on April 4, 2025.
“Oba Owoade only returned to his Canada base to officially put things in proper order in his workplaces and other engagements in Canada.”
One of the ways Christianity was able to make an end run around traditional religions in Nigeria was by being cheaper i.e. eliminating the need for costly sacrifices. That revolution has now seemingly expired with traditional and Abrahamic religions being as one again:
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two suspected fake pastors, Prophet Bassey Umoren and Prophet Elijah Anietie, who were found with fetish items in the Rumuduru community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
The suspects, who operated separate churches, were handed over to the police by residents of Rumuduru, led by their President, Henry Worlu, on January 20.
According to the police spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the suspects were found with various items, including a firearm cartridge, small wooden caskets, a sword, a fake Nigerian Navy identification card, and thousands of photographs.
Other items seized included children’s footwear, a police lanyard, and various crosses and spiritual materials.
During interrogation, Bassey admitted to using spiritual materials to heal individuals suffering from spiritual afflictions.
He also claimed to have used a small casket and “miracle life oil” to pray for people with mental issues, promising recovery within three months.
The police are currently investigating the matter, with the suspects and recovered exhibits in custody.
Public infrastructure update:
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command has arraigned 16 suspects linked to the vandalism of public properties.
The FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh said the suspects were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja on Wednesday, to “face charges of vandalizing critical government property and the unlawful possession of stolen items”.
In a statement on Friday, the PPRO said the arraignment followed an “intensive crackdown on scrap yards, commonly known as panteka, culminating in the arrest of multiple suspects and the recovery of substantial quantities of stolen and vandalized government assets.
The recovered stolen items include manhole covers, armored cables and streetlights.
Amotekun has proudly defended its use of African technology and AI in tackling the menace of insecurity:
Fielding questions from newsmen in Osogbo, Mr Omoyele said the founders of Amotekun deliberately embraced African science as part of the method with which the corps would combat crime and criminals.
He said the corps, under his command, retained the ideology but advocated that they should be allowed to carry sophisticated weapons which bandits and armed robbers wield as well.
He urged stakeholders in the security sector to pave the way for Amotekun personnel to carry sophisticated weapons to match that being carried by criminals to ensure a balance of force.
Omoyele said: “People that established Amotekun believed that we need some forces, especially African science that can withstand similar forces that would be wielded by the enemies, when you see most of these bandits or when you can arrest or conquer them, you will see a lot of charms on them. They even recite incantations. So, we are not abandoning the use of spiritual forces, it is part of our system and we are always combat-ready, weapon-wise and spiritually.
A gruesome story. And here is no honour among thieves or Yahoo Boys for that matter:
A 22-year-old Precious of Oroakpo community, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, has admitted to the police that he sold one of the triplets of a family in the community for N200,000 to two Yahoo boys, who later killed her in the area.
Precious who was paraded alongside the elder sister of the triplets by the Police said the remains of the little girl were buried in a shallow grave in the community, adding that at the time he was arrested by community youths, he had not been given the N200,000 promised him by the Yahoo boys.
He said: “They are triplets about 10 years old and sisters to my girlfriend (pointing at his girlfriend standing beside him). I first told my girlfriend that she should give me one of the triplets to sell to the boys but she refused, walked away from me. I went to her again.
“But later I sent somebody to call one of the little girls, when she came, I led her to the boys who killed her in the village in my presence and buried her.
“I was arrested by the community youths the following day when they were looking for the little girl.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, who paraded the two suspects said the elder sister in her confessional statement admitted that the boyfriend earlier informed her of his plan, which she did not concede to, adding that the elder sister, however, failed to raise the alarm or even alerted her parents of the sinister plot by her boyfriend.
“The boyfriend came to the elder sister of the triplets to give him one of the triplets, so they could use for rituals. She declined but she did not raise any alarm, either by reporting to her parents or the community. That same day one of the triplets got missing,” the police spokesman said.
A feature on the self help militias in northern Nigeria defending their communities against bandits and terrorists:
The emergence of self-help militias in Nigeria has become a significant phenomenon in the country’s counterterrorism efforts, raising complex questions about the nature of security, governance, and the role of non-state actors in conflict resolution.
Since late 2013, one of the most prominent vigilante groups contributing to security efforts in the North East has been the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). The group has been credited with providing valuable intelligence to security agencies, which has led to the arrest and prosecution of several Boko Haram suspects. They have also participated in joint operations with security agencies, resulting in the rescue of kidnapped victims and the recovery of stolen properties.
Aside from the CJTF, other groups, such as the Kesh Kesh vigilante group and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), have also played significant roles. Though these militias have no legal standing, authorities continue to support their operations with multimillion-naira donations. Their involvement extends to assisting with the resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs) and serving as community police for many local areas.
Some of these groups have lobbied for their formal legalisation and integration into state forces. At a press conference in May 2016, Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari recommended that “for those who have received military training, it will be advised either to recruit them if they are within the age bracket of recruitment in the military or the police.”
Outside Nigeria
Ogogoro is so back:
West africa has long been a source of booze. In Yoruba mythology Obatala, a deity sent to create humans, stumbled on palm wine and fell into a drunken slumber before completing the task. Some of the world’s first rums were made by Africans enslaved in the Caribbean, who may have brought knowledge of local tipples with them. Yet today there are few African names in the global market for high-end spirits. Some entrepreneurs are trying to change that.
Amma Mensah, the British-Ghanaian owner of Reign Rums, and Lola Pedro, of Pedro’s ogogoro in Nigeria, see the business as an act of reclamation. Ms Mensah’s distillery sits on a former colonial plantation that she says was owned by white Europeans until a decade ago. Her bottles are decorated with war horns, crowns and golden stools, insignia of power among Ghana’s Ashanti kings. Ms Pedro seeks to popularise ogogoro, a smoky, spicy spirit made from fermented palm sap, partly because it was once a symbol of anti-colonial protest (in the early 20th century British colonisers banned the drink, because it was seen as a threat to pricier imports).
Both women are targeting the luxury market. Unlike informally produced ogogoro, which is cheap and has not quite shed its illicit reputation, a bottle of Pedro’s costs at least £60 ($74). Ms Mensah’s rums, aged in repurposed barrels previously used to make cashew-apple brandy, retail at between £48 and £96 a bottle. She serves fancy shops and bars in Accra, Ghana’s capital, as well as in London, and has plans to expand to America. Besides Nigeria, Pedro’s is sold in Ghana and Britain, with Kenya, South Africa and France next on the list.
Why were Nigerian Pastors invited to President Trump’s inauguration?
Two high-profile Nigerian clerics took part in events surrounding the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday.
The visits of Pastors William Kumuyi and Nathaniel Bassey served to underscore the ties between Christian evangelicalism and the incoming US administration.
[…]
In a statement from the Global Crusade ministry, Pastor Kumuyi said he was participating in inauguration-related festivities to "celebrate a return to religious freedom in America and support for other nations in combatting religious persecution".
Trump is popular with evangelical Christian voters in the US and has promised to uphold Christian values.
In 2019, during his first presidential term, Trump hosted the first meeting of foreign ministers focused solely on religious freedom. In a 2020 Executive Order, he wrote that "religious freedom for all people worldwide is a foreign policy priority of the United States".
Dion Forster, professor of public theology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, says both Trump and Pastor Kumuyi will benefit from the Nigerian's invitation to the inauguration.
He says Pastor Kumuyi can demonstrate that he is a friend to the most powerful man in the world.
For his part Trump and his team can use the pastor's popularity to gain influence, the professor argues.
"The genius - and I hate to use that word - of the Trump political machine is that they really know how to work outside the traditional structures of national politics," he says.
Who are the Innit boys? A long feature on how Nigerians in London and how they found a life in football:
This is a story about football and belonging in the soul of the city, but to tell it, I must start with conflict. Our stories in the diaspora begin far from London. History remembers the years 1967 to 1970 as the Nigerian civil war, the Biafran war, a brutal fight for freedom, a struggle to remain whole. The war has its origins in the terrors of the colonial period. There is no us without the violence that birthed Nigeria, without the scars of empire mapped on her skin. In the 17th century, the British first arrived in the region. Slowly, they bled the land of its fruits and came to bathe in its gold. By the early 1900s the empire had carved lines into west African earth, reaching from the coastal plains and rainforests in the south and sprawling inwards, to the Sahel savannahs in the north. Four hundred ethnic groups with their own languages, their own cultures, their own sense of identity, now fused into one. Britain titled this new, giant state the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.
[…]
Nigeria’s 2023 African Cup of Nations team included five British-Nigerians. Alex Iwobi, nephew to Jay-Jay Okocha, was raised in Newham, east London, as was defender Calvin Bassey. Ademola Lookman, Ola Aina and Semi Ajayi are all from the south of the city. They are a new generation, joining a long tradition of London-raised Nigerians opting for green and white. Collectively they have been termed the “innit innit boys”, an affectionate nod to their British accents. Iwobi, speaking in an interview about the decision to play for Nigeria said: “I always felt at home in England but more connected to the west African nation.”
This group of players was key to the team’s run to the tournament’s final, Nigeria’s first in a decade. The team reflected Nigeria and her children as they exist in the present day: families spread across continents, frayed by the aftershocks of colonialism and war and political turbulence and economic turmoil, reuniting briefly under the banners of the Super Eagles. In the national team, they find themselves again. For 90 minutes, Nigeria is whole.
Been a while we had news from Grenada. Let’s check on them to see how things are going:
China and Nigeria have the highest percentage of Citizenship by Investment (CBI) approval for 2024, with over 2,000 of the approved 5,443 new citizens representing these nations. Government earned EC$472,981,142 for the year.
Latest data from the CBI units shows that 23% of 1,252 of the approved new citizens were Chinese, while 19% or 1,034 were Nigerians. The data released on the Units website shows that approved citizens representing a wide cross-section of nations including Great Britain, South Africa, Benin, Pakistan, USA, India, Vietnam, Ukraine, Turkey and Iraq.
Finally, we have a Nigerian who can speak Welsh:
Kayode Aseweje moved to Wales from Nigeria in 2019 to study Law, and is making headlines after learning Welsh as a way to get to know Wales and Welsh culture better.
Kayode’s inspiring Welsh language-learning journey began on Duolingo in 2021, before he moved on to a Learn Welsh course for beginners in 2023.
Kayode works as a paralegal for the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, having graduated from the University of South Wales, and follows a Learn Welsh course through the Work Welsh scheme run by the National Centre for Learning Welsh.
The Work Welsh scheme strengthens Welsh language skills in the workplace, offering varied, flexible, and fully-funded training to employers.
Kayode explains: “Before I came here to study, I didn’t really know much about the language, and knew very little about Wales as a country. As I was living in Wales, I wanted to learn more about the language.
“I enjoy learning about new things, about history and culture, and learning the language is a way for me to get to know Wales a bit better.”
Kayode has an interest in languages, and can speak French, English, Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin (Creole) and a bit of Hausa. “Language is about culture”, Kayode explains, and he says that the best thing about learning Welsh is that it has helped him have a better understanding of Wales.
“I’ve been learning about the Mabinogion legends, about songs, and discovering new things. I’ve learnt about the national anthem, and I’ve visited Evan and James James’ memorial at Parc Ynysangharad in Pontypridd.”
The Nigerian sextortion scheme that led to the death of a young man in Michigan a couple of years ago has a new twist:
An Alabama man pleaded guilty to money laundering tied to a Nigeria-based sextortion scheme that led to a Michigan teen’s death by suicide.
Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 29, of Huntsville, is among five U.S. residents linked to the scheme.
He will be sentenced April 24 by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker in Grand Rapids.
Sextortionists convinced boys and young men to create nude images then blackmailed them to send money. The payments were made through online cash applications.
The indictment said the five U.S. men collected proceeds from sextortion through online payment systems.
The alleged money launderers would keep about 20 percent, convert the rest to bitcoin and send it to Nigeria, federal prosecutors said.
The plea agreement said Robinson agreed to forfeit $56,672.36, which represents his proceeds. He admitted that he laundered money to obscure the identities of those involved in sextortion.
Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and Samson Ogoshi, 21, both of Lagos, Nigeria, were earlier sentenced by Jonker to 17 ½ years in prison for conspiracy to sexually exploit minors.
Jordan DeMay, a high school student in Marquette, Michigan, died by suicide after he was sexually exploited by the brothers, federal prosecutors said.
A deportation from Canada has been ordered:
A Nigerian man who came to Canada to study will be deported after a judge on the province’s highest court said he waited too long to appeal his sentence for fleeing from police in a high-speed chase.
Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Anne Turner rejected Efua Oribhabor’s request, saying appeal extensions are not granted automatically.
“The onus is on the applicant to show why they should receive an extension… while the accused asserts that he had a continuous intention to appeal, and that he has a reasonable excuse for the delay, there is a dearth of evidence to support this claim, and his actions indicate otherwise,” Turner wrote.
Oribhabor also argued the trial judge didn’t understand the immigration consequences he was facing and made an error by not ordering an “impact of race culture assessment report” before he was sentenced. Turner said that would not have made a difference in whether he was deported or not.
“The sentence imposed by the (provincial court) judge had no impact on the collateral consequence of the accused’s immigration status,” Turner wrote.
“It was the conviction, for an offence of serious criminality, not the quantum of sentence, that triggered the deportation proceedings and deportation order… Even if a panel of this court reduced the accused’s sentence on appeal, the immigration consequences would not be remedied.”
Oribhabor could not be reached for comment over the weekend. His lawyer, Jean-Rene Kwilu, said he could not speak on the matter unless his client gave him permission.
Oribhabor was given a bachelor of environmental studies degree at a University of Manitoba graduation ceremony on June 7, 2023. A few months before, on Jan. 3, he was charged with flight while pursued as well as drug possession and firearm-related offences.
Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said there was also “a collision involving a police vehicle.”
Oribhabor was convicted of flight from a peace officer after a trial in April, with the judge finding the accused led the police on a chase through the icy streets of downtown.
More on Peter Odemwingie’s new career as a golfer:
“It took me a year to hit another ball but I truly fell in love with golf during a trip to Turkey. The holiday package we chose came with one golf lesson so I went down early morning and hit a few putts and did okay. It was really exciting for me, not just hitting a few balls but walking into the shop and seeing all the golf gear.
“Once I came home, I had a meeting with the PFA [Professional Footballers’ Association] and it was at The Mere Hotel. I didn’t even know there was a golf course there but I popped into the shop and bought my first set of clubs. Then I drove to a nearby American Golf driving range and just pounded balls.
“People would tell me I could get a lesson, but I would hit 500 balls a day as I was just so keen. It was pretty ridiculous, people even started calling me the new Moe Norman.”
Those clubs would get plenty of use in the years ahead as Odemwingie continued to play. His first official round would come at The Belfry where he played alongside his then-neighbour, Jamie O’Hara. The two soon realised this wasn’t a course for beginners, but they had been bitten by the golf bug.
After moving to Stoke, Odemwingie found himself on the course more regularly, playing with Peter Crouch, Charlie Adam and Jack Butland. They’d play regularly at Royal Birkdale and even found time on a pre-season trip to Dubai to try courses in the Emirate.
If you’re the owner of the Canadian Loud that was on its way to Nigeria (see Point 7 in my Nigeria Travel Note) please contact Canadian customs:
The Canada Border Services Agency on Wednesday announced its agents had seized more than 1,300 kilograms of contraband cannabis while inspecting a container last month in the Port of Montreal.
The inspection of the container, ostensibly carrying vehicles and vehicle parts, took place Dec. 27 and revealed contraband in the form of 1,384.5 kilograms of cannabis wrapped into 3,113 sealed packages concealed in 59 sports bags.
The container was bound for Nigeria, the CBSA said. The value of the contraband, which was turned over to the RCMP, is estimated at more than $12.8 million.
The federal agency used its announcement to remind the public that “despite the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Canada, importing or exporting cannabis in any form without a permit or exemption authorized by Health Canada is a serious criminal offence subject to arrest and prosecution.”
Who is Moses Itauma?
The future of British boxing had already been announced before Tyson Fury made his ring walk in Saudi Arabia last month. It took Moses Itauma, a teenager from Kent by way of Slovakia, only 117 seconds to knock out Demsey McKean on the undercard of the so-called Gypsy King’s second loss — and final fight, if his latest retirement claim is to be believed — against Oleksandr Usyk.
Itauma’s victory over a credible fringe contender was not supposed to be so devastatingly simple, but the southpaw is on a trajectory unmatched since Mike Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion in history at 20 years and 145 days old. Manufactured hype is part of boxing’s doctrine, but he is truly a bona fide prodigy.
[…]
As a 15-year-old he was invited to Lawrence Okolie’s training camp as the 2016 Olympian prepared to successfully challenge for the WBO cruiserweight title in 2021. Okolie still says it was the hardest spar of his career. Itauma is an explosive puncher with brilliant hand speed and quick feet, and is effective as both the aggressor and a counter-puncher, but most impressive for his age is his preternatural composure.
Within the space of a year, Itauma had shared the ring — and, by insider accounts, held his own — with Anthony Joshua, Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce, famously arriving at Joyce’s gym wearing his school uniform.
[…]
Itauma has just returned from his village in northern Slovakia, about 15 minutes from the Polish border, where he celebrated Christmas with his family. His mother, Martina, a teacher, was born there. His father, Charles, a doctor, is Nigerian but moved to Moscow on a study exchange programme.
The pair met in London and communicated in Russian before returning to Slovakia, where Itauma was born. His first name is actually Enriko, in homage to the pop star Enrique Iglesias, of whom Martina is a fan, but Itauma prefers to go by his middle name. He stresses his family moved to London when he was four years old because of the opportunities available, but the racism they faced as one of few mixed-race families was also a factor.
A piece on African publishing, an industry I became somewhat familiar with in the course of writing Formation:
Even though he trained as a computer scientist in Nigeria, Othuke Anthony Ominiabohs always wanted to be a writer. In 2015, he self-published his first novel, “Odufa: A Lover’s Tale,” to good reviews. But he soon faced the challenges confronting many self-published authors: how to promote the book and make money from it. In time, he sold 2,000 copies, and, along the way, identified the gaps in the Nigerian and African publishing industry.
In 2018, he founded Masobe Books with the explicit aim of closing those gaps and amplifying diverse regional voices. (Masobe means “Let us read” in the Isoko language spoken in Nigeria.) To drive sales, he has been collaborating with a pharmacy chain and other businesses, engaging social media influencers, convening a book club and giving discounts to bookstores.
The strategy has paid off. Ominiabohs says he has published over 100 titles and sold over 100,000 book copies. Some titles, including “Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad,” by Damilare Kuku, and “Broken: Not a Halal Love Story,” by Fatima Bala, have received a rapturous reception from readers in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.
Beyonce’s mummy commissioned a Nigerian artist to design the cover of her new book:
Kelani Fatai calls himself one of the "luckiest" artists from Africa after he was commissioned by Tina Knowles to paint the cover of her forthcoming book — a task that he says changed the trajectory of his entire career.
The Nigeria-based painter says he was first commissioned by Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange, in 2023. And when she later asked him to paint the cover of her book, Fatai couldn't have been more ecstatic.
"I thought it was a joke, like I (didn't) really believe it. I (didn't) think I was fit for that standard," he tells the USA TODAY Network. "But she made what I thought was a joke reality, and she really guided me."
Knowles — affectionately dubbed Mama Tina by many fans — announced she is releasing a memoir titled "Matriarch" on April 22.