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Oyo Lg Boss Denies Kidnapping Allegation
THE Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan Southeast Local Government area of Oyo state, Hon. Teslim Ajimobi has denied an allegation of involvement in a kidnap saga.
According to the council gaffer, Teslim, the story linking him to an alleged kidnap upon which a Hausa auto dealer in Sabo, named Danladi, petitioned the police, causing his arrest and detention for six hours, was entire falsehood, cooked up by elements seeking to cause needless panic and confusion among Ibadan residents.
He urged his supporters to disregard the entire story as false, malicious, unwarranted, stressing that it was a targeted attempt meant to bring his name into disrepute. Speaking further, brother to governor Abiola Ajimobi, Teslim maintained he had not been to any police station in the last one year, not to imagine being released by one anti-kidnap police squad after 6 hours for partaking in a supposed kidnap saga.
Refreshing your memory, the story which was broken on an online medium two days ago alleged the governor’s brother was arrested after a petition by one Danladi who claimed to have been threatened by Teslim that he (Danladi) would be dealt with.
On why he could be alleged of such involvement, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said, “I am a politician. It must be a design by one of those seeking my fall. But this one seems a joke carried too far”.
“I hereby state categorically that I have never been involved in any crime in my life, whether kidnap or any other one. While I admit I know Danladi, being a friend of my younger brother, I am not aware of any kidnap attempt on him by anyone, least of all by me! As Caretaker chairman of Ibadan Southeast Local Government, I have been discharging the duties of the office without any fear or let.
“My attention was drawn to the story which had been circulating on an online medium by a friend who had read same. At first, I did not understand it, not because of the language, but the fact that I was actually deep into some discussion when my attention was drawn to it, and could therefore not fathom how such a character could be me.
“In the past four or five weeks, there has not been any single day I have not been in the office. I have been engaged most often by issues which have to deal directly with the people of Ibadan Southeast. I cannot therefore imagine spending whole six hours in police custody. This seems the wish of the enemies. Fortunately, it is not the wish of God for me,” Ajimobi continued.
A Magistrate Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has granted human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, bail to the tune of ₦30 million. The court also mandated Farotimi to provide three sureties with landed properties within its jurisdiction.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered Farotimi to refrain from granting media interviews and to submit his international passport to the authorities. The case has been adjourned to February 13, 2025, for further proceedings.
Farotimi, who had been remanded at a correctional center in Ado Ekiti, arrived at the court premises on Friday at approximately 9:45 a.m. He was conveyed in a prison van accompanied by a police escort. Upon arrival, the embattled lawyer raised his hands in appreciation of a cheering crowd that had gathered outside the court to show their solidarity.
The human rights advocate is facing prosecution for allegedly defaming a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola. His arrest has ignited widespread public outcry, with many Nigerians and civil society groups condemning the action and demanding his immediate release.
Farotimi’s detention and subsequent arraignment have fueled debates about the boundaries of free speech and defamation laws in Nigeria, with critics arguing that the case may stifle dissenting voices in the country.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has declared that the era of armed and bank robberies in Lagos State is a thing of the past, attributing the success to the collaborative efforts between the police and the state government.
Egbetokun made this statement on Thursday during the 18th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Security organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He noted that since 2007, only one bank robbery had been successfully executed in the state, which occurred in 2014.
“There was a time when armed robbery and bank robbery were common in Lagos. However, I can confidently say that since 2007, only one bank robbery succeeded, and that was as far back as 2014. The days of armed robbery and bank robbery are gone,” he said.
The IGP commended the Lagos State Government for its consistent support, emphasizing the critical role it has played in maintaining security in the bustling economic hub of the nation. He highlighted the challenges posed by the state’s continuous internal migration, with thousands of people moving into Lagos daily, creating additional security demands.
“What we are doing here today is the usual assistance the state government has been giving to the police. Without this, we would have been overwhelmed with insecurity in Lagos State,” Egbetokun added.
At the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu further demonstrated his administration’s commitment to security by donating over 250 brand-new patrol vehicles, along with hardware, communication gadgets, and protective gear to the police.
In his address, Sanwo-Olu outlined the government’s efforts to scale up the use of technology and data for improved security and traffic monitoring. He revealed plans to deploy drone technology for surveillance of waterways and densely populated areas.
“The EGIS component of our mapping and digitalization has almost been completed. Lagos is now properly mapped, and drone technology will be deployed to enhance monitoring, crowd management, and traffic assessment. This will ensure real-time responses to incidents,” the governor explained.
Chad announced Thursday that it was ending military cooperation with former colonial power France, just hours after a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international opinion of its decision to end the accord in the field of defence signed with the French Republic,” foreign minister Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement on Facebook.
Chad is a key link in France’s military presence in Africa, constituting Paris’s last foothold in the Sahel after the forced withdrawal of its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“This is not a break with France like Niger or elsewhere,” Koulamallah, whose country still hosts around a thousand French troops, told AFP.
At a press briefing after a meeting between President Mahamat Idriss Deby and Barrot, Koulamallah called France “an essential partner” but added it “must now also consider that Chad has grown up, matured and is a sovereign state that is very jealous of its sovereignty”.
Barrot, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening, could not immediately be reached for comment.
– ‘Historic turning point’-
Chad is the last Sahel country to host French troops.
It has been led by Deby since 2021, when his father Idriss Deby Itno was killed by rebels after 30 years in power.
The elder Deby frequently relied on French military support to fend off rebel offensives, including in 2008 and 2019.
It borders the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya and Niger, all of which host Russian paramilitary forces from the Wagner group.
Deby has sought closer ties with Moscow in recent months, but talks to strengthen economic cooperation with Russia have yet to bear concrete results.
Koulamallah called the decision to end military cooperation a “historic turning point”, adding it was made after “in-depth analysis”.
“Chad, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, undertakes to respect the terms laid down for its termination, including the notice period”, he said in the statement, which did not give a date for the withdrawal of French troops.
The announcement comes just days after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye indicated in an interview with AFP that France should close its military bases in that country.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye told AFP on Thursday.
