Crime & Court
How Ogun Amotekun shot my son, tagged him cultist – Mother cries out
An aged woman, Amoke Eweje has accused the Ogun State Amotekun Corps of shooting her son, Ayodeji Eweje and tagging him a cultist.
The distraught mother is crying out to the Ogun State Government to help save her only son, Ayodeji, from the operatives of the Amotekun corps, who she said shot him on May 24.
While speaking with newsmen at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, where Ayodeji is being treated, Eweje called for an investigation into the whole scenario and to help salvage the leg of her son from being amputated.
The victim, speaking on his sick bed, said the incident happened when he went to watch the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun when he commissioned the Adigbe-Panseke road in Abeokuta.
“I just returned from South Africa where I had gone to seek greener pastures but on getting to Abeokuta, I saw that the whole thing has changed, and I was excited with the transformation at my area in Adigbe, I decided to take a stroll that fateful day, and as fate would have it, it was the day the governor was commissioning the Panseke-Adigbe road
“I joined other onlookers at the overhead bridge at Panseke when the law enforcement officers told us to leave, I obeyed, but maybe the man thought I was not fast enough, he gripped me and handed me over to the Amotekun corps. After the event, rather than letting me go, the Amotekun men took me to their office at Oke-Ilewo without telling me what my offence was.
“It was in their custody that I was also taken to Imeko, in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State.”
Ayodeji said he did not know any particular reason why the Amotekun men shot him in the leg.
“What I can remember was that on a certain Sunday evening, I was told to come out and on getting out, an officer told me to climb the roof for a certain repair of the office. While doing that, another one came and shot at me, alleging that I wanted to escape from custody,” he explained.
Ayodeji narrated further that he was kept in a dark room for about three months without being charged to court or handed over to the police.
He added that the corps did not allow him to inform his family of his whereabouts, not until recently.
In her words, Ayodeji’s mother appealed to the state government to help in the payment for the treatment of the leg.
She told journalists that she had been searching for her son since May 24 without any clue as to where he was.
However, the woman said somebody who claimed to be calling from the Amotekun office informed her that Ayodeji, her son was in their custody and needed help.
“It was around August that the person called, we quickly rushed to their office at Oke-Ilewo but were told that nothing like that happened. We were told that Ayodeji was not with them.
“Again, a week later, the person called with another number, saying that we need to save my son or he may be tagged a cultist or kidnapper, and get killed. This time around, we were worried, we sought for assistance of a human right lawyer, who helped to petition the Commissioner of Police.
It was through the police that we were able to know that truly, Ayodeji was with the Amotekun Corps and was taken to their Imeko-Afon office for a reason known to them,” she stated.
Mrs Eweje added that the first time she set eyes on her son on his hospital bed, with his leg badly damaged, she cried bitterly.
She said the Amotekun Corps could not provide any answer when she asked why her son was treated that way without informing the family, the police or better still taking the matter to court since May 24.
“Now, they have destroyed his leg, he can not walk again. They just abandoned him there at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta without taking care of his hospital bills.
“The hospital is asking us to pay millions of Naira. The Amotekun is not paying a dime, the hospital also threatened to discharge him if by Tuesday we don’t pay. I know why they are doing this to me, it’s because we are poor and have nobody to fight for us,” she said.
Reacting, the Ogun State Commander of the Amotekun Corps David Akinremi, said Ayodeji and his gang had been on the wanted list of the corps for a long time.
Akinremi, a retired Commissioner of Police said Ayodeji was a notorious cultist, who had been tormenting the Adigbe area of Abeokuta for a long time.
“When he was apprehended at Panseke during the commissioning of Panseke Adigbe road by the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and handed over to us, he was taken into our custody and we began an investigation into his past deeds. It was during the investigation that he escaped to Imeko, where he was apprehended again.
“We tried to profile him again but in the process, he wanted to escape through the ceiling of the custody he was kept in. It was then our personnel shot at his leg, and immediately we took him to hospital for treatment,” the Commander said.
He said the command had been responsible for the victim’s treatment and would ensure that he is okay before he is taken to court.
Two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, are facing a combined 40-year prison sentence for their roles in a romance scam that defrauded a victim of $560,000.
The pair were convicted in a U.S. federal court following a four-day trial and less than three hours of jury deliberation.
A statement by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda revealed that the scheme, which began in January 2016, involved a fictitious persona, “Glenn Brown,” created on the dating site eHarmony.com.
The duo, along with an accomplice, used this fake profile to manipulate a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico, into sending large sums of money under the pretense of aiding a construction project in Malaysia.
Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim transferred $560,000 to accounts in the U.S., Canada, and Malaysia. Evidence presented in court highlighted specific transactions, including a $28,000 wire transfer to an account linked to Daramola.
Daramola then funneled the money to other parties, including a seafood importer in Denmark.
Daramola denied involvement, but FBI investigations revealed incriminating text and WhatsApp messages on his phone, showing he provided bank accounts for multiple fraud schemes.
Ogunlaja, on the other hand, used his Bank of America account to receive fraudulent funds, including $40,000 deposited by the victim in March 2016. Ogunlaja subsequently withdrew and transferred funds to Daramola’s account.
Despite their denials, the weight of evidence led to the duo’s conviction. Both defendants remain on conditional release awaiting sentencing, where each faces up to 20 years in prison without parole. Sentencing dates have not yet been scheduled.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed 27 officers from its workforce over allegations of fraudulent activities and misconduct.
In a statement issued on Monday, the EFCC’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that the dismissal followed the recommendations of the Staff Disciplinary Committee and subsequent ratification by the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
Oyewale stated that the identities of the dismissed officers would not be disclosed, but the Commission remains committed to maintaining accountability and integrity within its ranks.
“Every modicum of allegation against any staff of the Commission would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff of the EFCC against a Sectional Head,” the statement read.
“The core values of the Commission are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard at all times.”
The Commission also warned the public about the activities of impersonators and blackmailers exploiting its name for extortion.
According to the statement, two alleged fraudsters, Ojobo Joshua and Aliyu Hashim, were recently arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuebuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja.
They allegedly demanded $1 million from a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, under the pretense of offering a “soft landing” from a non-existent investigation.
“Olukoyede remains a man of integrity that cannot be swayed by monetary influences. The public is enjoined to always report such disreputable elements to the Commission,” the EFCC emphasized.
The agency reassured Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, promising to uphold transparency and discipline within its operations.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 61-year-old Lagos socialite, Alhaja Aishat Feyisara Ajoke Elediye, popularly known as “Iya Ruka” in the drug underworld, following the interception of a truckload of illicit drugs allegedly linked to her.
The arrest took place on January 1, 2025, at her mansion located at 33 Adebayo Oyewole Street, off Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.
According to a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Alhaja Ajoke’s true identity had been shrouded in mystery for years, despite her alleged role as a key figure in a drug cartel operating from Mushin, Lagos.
The operation began when NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a white Isuzu truck carrying 44 jumbo sacks containing 1,540 kilograms of imported cannabis. The truck was reportedly driven by one of her staff members, 41-year-old Abideen Adio.
Following the interception, the operatives stormed her residence and arrested her.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for the success of the operation.
He praised their efforts in reducing both drug supply and demand across the country, emphasizing that such operational successes were crucial to the agency’s mission.
“The balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction by our operatives continues to yield commendable results,” Marwa stated.
Alhaja Ajoke, who is well-known in social circles, has been on the NDLEA’s wanted list for years for her alleged leadership role in the drug trade. Her arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking in Lagos and beyond.
Investigations are ongoing, and the NDLEA has vowed to ensure that justice is served.
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