Crime & Court
Ajimobi Vows to Prosecute Perpetrators of Bodija Crisis
OYO state governor, Sen Abiola Ajimobi on Friday vowed that the perpetrators of the Bodija Market crisis will be prosecuted and made to rehabilitate the burnt police station.
The Governor, who visited the market, the burnt police station and the Central Abattoir at Amosun in company of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Odude, reiterated that his administration will not tolerate hooliganism and thuggery, saying that government will not fold its hands and allow some dissidents to destroy its seven years labour of restoring peace and safety in the state.
https://iso.keq.mybluehost.me/oyo-butchers-commend-govt-as-ibadan-central-abattoir-commences-operation-2/
Governor Ajimobi condoled with the traders and people at the Bodija Market, assuring that the government may reopen the market within the next 48hrs after due consultation with the security agencies, the community and market leaders and the leaders of the local government area.
The governor stated that only an enemy of development and progress will condemn the action of the government to relocate the butchers to the central abattoir, explaining that the management of the Central Abattoir is being handled by the 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Ibadan and its Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), the National Butchers Union of Nigeria (NUBN), the Oyo State Government and the Public Private Partnership arrangement.
He said that the Central Abattoir at Amosun village is an ultra-modern facility equipped with state – of – the art facility, pipe borne water, animal health centre, police post among others, noting that the health condition of the general public is one of the primary concerns of the government and proper hygiene should be put in place in an environment where meat is being produced for millions of people.
The governor said that the Bodija Abattoir was closed last year due to the poor hygienic situation of the abattoir as the cow dung was left unpacked for four months, saying, “the market was closed in 2017 for three days because of the sanitation implications. There was unhealthy treatment of cattle blood, offensive odours, unhygienic spread of meat, air pollution due to gaseous emission from the cow dung and the government was concerned about the likely epidemic disease from flies spread.
“We are talking about the general health of the people and not just the minute section in the market as every citizen of the state has one or two things to do with the Bodija Market. The decision to have a central abattoir for the Ibadan butchers predated my administration and we saw the need to relocate the butchers as well. We started discussing with them since five years ago before we eventually relocated them this year.
“We had series of stakeholders’ meeting and signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the smooth relocation. All parties agreed to our resolutions and that is why I am surprised that we still have dissidents fomenting trouble. We are always in the habit of politicizing issues in the state. Majority of the butchers have moved and we have received commendations from their union, National Union of Butchers of Nigeria.
“Let me assure you that the perpetrators of this violence will not go unpunished and they will rehabilitate the police station. People must be allowed to pay for their deeds. We did not destroy anybody’s stall or shop but government’s slaughter slabs. Or is there any crime in destroying what is not useful for the government again? We have not stopped them from selling meat at the Bodija market but no more slaughtering of cow there due to the poor hygienic condition. There was also resistance when butchers were moved from Gege to Bodija, so the resistance is not new but the crisis and violence were unnecessary.
“We are working at reopening the market at the earliest possible time as we do not want to deprive our people their means of livelihood. But, we must be assured that adequate measures are put in place to forestall the repeat of the crisis. We may likely open the market in the next 48hours,” Governor Ajimobi said.
Speaking, the Babaloja of Bodjia Market, Alhaji Sumaila Jimoh appreciated the governor for the swift action in quenching the crisis, appealing that Governor Ajimobi should temper justice with mercy and reopen the market.
Alhaji Jimoh said that the Bodija market people are peace loving but some butchers were always fomenting trouble even with the traders at the market, commending that the government has done well by relocating the butchers to the central abattoir at Amosun Village.
The Ogun State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Sagamu has adjourned the trial of the driver involved in the road crash that affected former heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, to June 2, 2026.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun, fixed the new date to allow the prosecution to file fresh charges in the case.
The defendant, Adeniyi Mobolaji, is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous and negligent driving resulting in death.
It was gathered that the matter had been adjourned about four times to enable the prosecuting counsel, G. O. Ogunyomi, amend the charges before the court.
Mobolaji was accused of reckless and negligent driving, contrary to Section 6(1) of the relevant law, as well as driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm, and damage to property under Section 7(1).
He was also alleged to have driven without a valid national driver’s licence, contrary to Section 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act.
Ruling on the prosecution’s application for adjournment, the magistrate granted the request and fixed June 2 for proper hearing. The defence counsel did not oppose the application.
Speaking after the proceedings, counsel to the defendant, Abiodun Olalekan, said the adjournment was necessary to ensure justice for all parties involved.
The 46-year-old defendant was involved in the fatal crash that claimed the lives of Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami, along the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway on December 29, 2025.
The Lexus SUV conveying the boxer collided with a stationary truck, leaving Joshua and the driver with minor injuries.
Joshua was later discharged from the hospital after being certified clinically stable.
The deaths of Ayodele and Ghami drew widespread reactions within the international boxing community, where both men were regarded as key figures in Joshua’s camp.
Their remains were subsequently repatriated to the United Kingdom, where a funeral prayer was held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations against the defendants.
Kyari was arraigned alongside his two brothers, who were accused of swearing to false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the origin of certain properties.
However, the court ruled that the anti-drug agency failed to establish that the properties allegedly not declared by Kyari were actually owned by him.
Justice Omotosho explained that ownership of landed property could be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession by connection.
According to the judge, the prosecution did not present any of these forms of evidence to prove that the properties located at Fountain Estate in Karsana, said to belong to Ramatu Kyari, were owned by the suspended police officer.
The court also held that the prosecution failed to produce material evidence linking Kyari to properties located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, as well as properties in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In his defence, Kyari maintained that the properties in Borno State belonged to his late father, who bequeathed them to him and his siblings.
The judge held that the prosecution failed to prove otherwise.
Justice Omotosho also faulted the prosecution for charging Kyari’s brothers with conspiracy, describing the allegation as unsubstantiated.
He described the NDLEA’s case as weak and lacking credible evidence, adding that the defendant had served the country well and should not be subjected to persecution.
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