Crime & Court
Suicide: We knew about Asiwaju’s death through Saturday PUNCH – Brother
Segun Akintola, the elder brother of a furniture seller, Michael Asiwaju, who committed suicide at a hotel in FESTAC, Lagos State, says the family received the news with a rude shock.
He said he knew about the death after a friend drew his attention to the story in Saturday PUNCH.
Contrary to his popular name, the brother said the businessman’s real name is Dare Akintola.
Segun stated that the deceased adopted Asiwaju in his company’s name, Asiwaju Royal Furniture, adding that he did not know how he came about the name Michael.
Our correspondent had reported on Saturday, January 19 that Asiwaju took a poisonous substance suspected to be Sniper, after he was accused on Twitter of raping women.
He responded to the allegation in several tweets on January 12, claiming that two of the women were actually his girlfriends whom he had spent money on at a club.
Although he admitted having sex with them, he said it was consensual, adding that one Blessing instigated the allegation to blackmail him.
He said his ailing mother died after reading the rape allegation online and expressed his intention to kill himself.
“Goodbye I’ll die soon. (I) am gone,” he had tweeted at 7.35pm on Saturday, January 12.
Afterwards, he checked into the hotel with the name Prince Moses. He was found dead in his room around 12am the following day with two bottles of Sniper he was suspected to have taken.
His body was evacuated by the police and deposited in Mainland General Hospital morgue, Yaba.
In an interview with our correspondent during the week, the deceased’s elder brother, Segun, said the family hails from Ojo, Lagos State.
He said he was relaxing at home on Saturday morning when a friend alerted him to the story on his brother’s death.
Segun said, “I was at home when a friend called me and drew my attention to a publication in Saturday PUNCH. He said my brother was reported to have killed himself and that his picture was on the paper. I rushed to the bus stop to get the paper. After reading it, I went to inform our family members.
“When I called his (Asiwaju’s) line, a policeman picked the call. He asked me to come to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Panti. On getting there, the policeman said my brother’s corpse had been deposited in the morgue. He took me and some family members to the morgue to check the corpse.”
Contrary to Asiwaju’s claim, Segun said their mother was alive, but ill. He said their ageing mother had not been informed of the incident in order not to worsen her health condition.
He explained that Asiwaju hardly came to the family house in Ojo since he returned from abroad about five years ago.
He said, “We saw each other last June at Alaba Market. He said he would soon go back to Abuja. He told me he had a house around Lekki but I did not know the place. He was running the Asiwaju Royal Furniture at Alaba before he travelled abroad. I also had a furniture shop in Alaba. His name is Dare Akintola. Asiwaju is his company’s name but I didn’t know where he got Michael from. He was 33 years old and he had a 10-year-old son.
“When I read what he wrote on Twitter, I was shocked. I was surprised he could be writing all those things. Our mother is alive, but she is sick. He was not a troublesome person. His only problem was that he hardly came home. The last time he saw mum was about five years ago. They only spoke on the phone and he sent money to her often. We are afraid to inform her about his death.”
Segun, who described his brother as a brave person, said he did not believe he could poison himself because of the allegation.
“Dare (Asiwaju) that I know, if you point a gun at him to kill himself, he would not do so. He was our parents’ last born. Our father died long time ago,” he added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed that the family had identified the corpse, adding that investigation was ongoing on the incident.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned popular social media influencer and relationship therapist, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, widely known as Blessing CEO, before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over an alleged N36m fraud linked to a property transaction.
Blessing CEO was docked before Justice Deinde Dipeolu on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
At the resumed proceedings on Thursday, defence counsel, P. I. Nwafor, told the court that the defendant had refunded part of the money allegedly obtained from the complainant.
According to him, the influencer had refunded N24m out of the N36m involved in the matter and was making moves to settle the outstanding balance.
“We have an application to make. The defendant approached the nominal complainant and refunded N24m out of the N36m,” Nwafor said.
“We are asking for a short adjournment to resolve the outstanding balance. The nominal complainant agreed that if the balance is paid, they can prevail on the EFCC to drop the case.”
But prosecuting counsel, Suleiman I. Suleiman, opposed the request, insisting that the anti-graft agency was not part of any settlement discussion between the parties.
“The complainant here is the Federal Government of Nigeria, and we are here for the arraignment. We urge that the defendant take her plea, as that is the business of the day,” he said.
Ruling on the submission, Justice Dipeolu held that any discussion between the defendant and the nominal complainant would not stop the criminal proceedings.
“The defence and the nominal complainant can have discussions even during the pendency of the charge. It does not affect the proceedings before the court. The defendant will take her plea,” the judge ruled.
According to one of the charges, Blessing CEO allegedly obtained N36m from one Mrs Ifeyinwa Nonye Okoye between July 14 and 17, 2024, under the guise of securing for her a six-bedroom detached duplex located at No. 1B, Tunbosun Osobu Street, off Kuboye Road, Lekki, Lagos.
The EFCC alleged that the representation was false and violated Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.
The second charge accused the defendant of fraudulently converting the said N36m, property of the complainant, to personal use, contrary to Sections 383 and 390 of the Criminal Code Act.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following her plea, the prosecution urged the court to remand her in a correctional facility and fix a date for trial.
However, the defence counsel informed the court that the defendant had only been served with the charges on May 14, 2026, adding that efforts were ongoing to file her bail application.
He thereafter appealed to the court to allow the defendant remain in EFCC custody pending the perfection of her bail conditions.
Justice Dipeolu granted the request and ordered that Blessing CEO be remanded in EFCC custody.
The case was subsequently adjourned till June 5, 2026, for commencement of trial.
Crime & Court
Nursing Mother Bags 20 Years For Terrorism Support, Illegal Possession of 302 Rounds Of AK-47 Ammunition
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced a woman, Halima Haliru Umar, to 20 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of 302 rounds of AK-47 live ammunition and attempting to support acts of terrorism.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa handed down the sentence after the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts in a four-count charge filed against her by the Department of State Services.
The DSS had arrested the convict in Plateau State and subsequently arraigned her before the court on March 11.
The prosecution reviewed the facts relating to counts three and four, to which the defendant pleaded guilty, prompting the court to adjourn for judgment.
Delivering judgment, Justice Yilwa held that the defendant, by pleading guilty, admitted to the facts presented by the prosecution and failed to provide any defence against the allegations.
The defence counsel, Hamza Dantani, had urged the court to temper justice with mercy, describing the convict as a first-time offender who was remorseful.
He further told the court that the defendant is a nursing mother of a one-year-old child who was arrested alongside her.
According to him, the defendant did not waste the time of the court as she admitted to the offences during arraignment.
Counsel for the prosecution, Caliistus Eze, also informed the court that there was no record of previous conviction against the defendant.
Justice Yilwa thereafter sentenced Umar to 20 years’ imprisonment on count three and one year on count four.
The judge adjourned the matter till July 9 for the commencement of trial on counts one and two, to which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
Crime & Court
UNIBEN killing: Edo security squad arrests 12 suspected cultists, seals initiation centres
Security operatives in Edo State have arrested 12 suspected cultists and sealed two apartments allegedly used as initiation centres during coordinated raids across parts of Benin City following the killing of a young man near the gate of the University of Benin.
The operation, code-named “Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers,” was carried out by the state’s Special Security Squad after the killing recorded on Sunday, May 10, 2026.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Patrick Ebojele.
According to the statement, the Chief Security Officer and Principal Security Officer to the governor led the raids conducted in Ekosodin, Isihor, Old Road off S&T Barracks, Airport Road, 19th Street Ugbowo, Ogba-Evbuodia and Evbuomore Quarters, all in Benin City.
Spokesman for the security squad, Noah Idemudia, alleged that some youth leaders within communities in the state were aiding violent crimes and harbouring criminal elements.
He said intelligence reports indicated that sophisticated weapons used in deadly attacks were often traced to communities across the state.
“Reports reaching us indicate that some persons are allegedly harbouring criminals. Intelligence reports also suggest that sophisticated weapons used in deadly attacks on citizens are allegedly sourced from communities.
“The governor is warning community leaders to maintain peace in their various communities and ensure that no unlicensed weapons are found in their possession, as they will be held liable and treated as criminals,” Idemudia said.
He, however, clarified that the 12 suspects arrested were not directly linked to the killing near the university gate.
According to him, the suspects were allegedly identified as members of different cult groups after security operatives reportedly discovered symbols, signs and other incriminating materials on them during the raids.
Idemudia added that the suspects had been handed over to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Nigeria Police Force for profiling and further investigation.
Speaking on the properties sealed during the operation, he said one of the apartments was allegedly being used as a cult initiation centre.
He explained that operatives came under attack while attempting to arrest suspects at the location, forcing authorities to seal the premises and invite the property owner for questioning.
He added that another apartment raided allegedly contained shrines and fetish items scattered across several rooms, which investigators suspect were being used for initiation into different confraternities.
According to him, the owner of the property had also been invited for questioning by security agencies.
“The governor has warned those sponsoring cultism and violent killings in the state to desist immediately.
“Anyone found aiding criminality in Edo State will face the full weight of the law, as the state will no longer be conducive for criminal elements,” Idemudia added.
He also warned against unlawful gatherings, alleging that some cult groups were planning anniversary celebrations across the state.
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