Crime & Court

Suicide: We knew about Asiwaju’s death through Saturday PUNCH – Brother

Published

11 months ago

January 26, 2019

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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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Crime & Court

PHOTOS: Makinde Joins EFCC In Anti-Corruption Road Walk, Rallies Support For Campaign

Published

4 days ago

December 9, 2019

admin

Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde on Monday joined officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, in a road walk to commemorate the International Anti-Corruption Day.

The governor, who used the occasion to mobilise the people of the state in the fight against corruption, noted that no meaningful development can take place in a society that fails to curb corruption.

He describe the fight against corruption as duty in which all citizen must partake to secure better life and atmosphere for good governance.

“Do you want good road? Do you want stable electricity? Do you want security? Do you want good healthcare? Do you want free education for children? We must all rally against corruption,” he declared.

Governor Makinde was accompanied by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun; Deputy Chief of Staff, Mojeed Mogbojubola, and other top government functionaries.

The Ibadan zonal head of the Commission, Friday Ebelo, had earlier addressed journalists to intimate them on the essence of the day and why the EFCC was marking it with a road walk.

“Corruptions remains the most potent threat to human existence. It is at the root of every tragedy that ever befell mankind. It has also been identified as the ultimate potential impediment to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed for full actualisation by the year 2030.

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“It is the realisation of these threats and the need to nip them in the bud that countries of the world came together under the auspices of the United Nations to pass the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2003. As of today, 186 member-states are parties to the treaty. The document currently has 140 signatories and 30 ratification. Those are in addition to the full involvement of notable Non-Member states of the global body,” he recalled.

Ebelo reeled out to the press some of he successes of the zone for the year.
“In the last one year, particularly from January 2019 till date, the zone received 691 petitions. 213 of these were returned unapproved as issues raised therein did not fall under the purview of our mandate.

“In the course of investigations, the zone arrested 878 persons. Out of the 268 prosecuted, 171 have been convicted. Our investigations also led to temporary fixing of 1044 bank accounts, while 56 automobiles and 14 houses were impounded. We equally have several laptops android phones and many other electronic devices confiscated in compliance with court orders,” he said.

The rally took off from the premises of the Ibadan zonal office, through Dugbe, and came to a halt at the take-off point.

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Official of sister security agencies including the Department of State Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, among others, as well as members of non-governmental organisations participated in the road walk.

Crime & Court

Court Orders DSS To Release Sowore, Bakare Within 24 Hours

Published

1 week ago

December 5, 2019

admin

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the DSS to release Omoyele Sowore and Bakare within the next 24 hours.

More details shortly

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Crime & Court

PHOTOS : EFCC Storms Yahoo-Boys Den, Arrest Kingpin, 26 Others

Published

1 week ago

December 4, 2019

Idowu AYODELE

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan zonal office, has busted a Lagos hotel believed to be a hideout for internet fraudsters.

The target, as reliably gathered was one Rasaq Balogun, a suspected internet fraud kingpin, whose illicit activities dominated intelligence gathered from the recently arrested ‘police spies’ during a raid on their Abeokuta base.

The EFCC added that Balogun harbours an army of young men recruited to carry out financial frauds through the use of the internet.
Some other were also arrested at his Beckley Estate residence, also in Lagos State.
The raid on his hotel, Modzak Hotel, at Abule-Egba, Lagos State, sufficiently gave credence to the suspicion as a retinue of young men were caught haboured in his hotel with no specific mission.

The suspected kingpin and 26 other young men ranging between the ages of 18 and 35 years were arrested at the scene. Some other were also arrested at his Beckley Estate residence, also in Lagos State. They were all brought to the Commission’s Ibadan zonal office for further interrogation.

Officer of the anti-graft agency also recovered three vehicles, fetish item, laptops, mobile phones and documents suspected to contain fraudulent data from the suspect.

The indicted will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

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