Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, has called for justice over the killing of a party member, Khalid Adeyemo, popularly known as Paul Moor, while pledging continued support for his pregnant widow.

Alli made the pledge on Monday during a condolence visit to the deceased’s family in Ward 06, Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.

Moor was reportedly killed last Friday in an incident allegedly involving hoodlums associated with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Describing the death as painful and tragic, Alli called on security agencies to investigate the incident, apprehend the suspected perpetrators and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.

The senator, who represents Oyo South Senatorial District, said the circumstances surrounding the killing must be thoroughly investigated and the family assured that justice would be served.

During the visit, Alli provided financial assistance to the deceased’s pregnant wife and mother, promising to support the widow and ensure she receives necessary care after childbirth.

The Oyo APC Chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, also commiserated with the family, urging them to draw strength from their faith as they grapple with the loss.

He prayed for God’s comfort and strength for the bereaved family to bear the tragedy.

Gunmen have abducted 20 members of the National Youth Service Corps travelling to various orientation camps in the South-East and South-South states.

The corps members were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, when the vehicle was intercepted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road by Umunoha community in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has triggered a fresh search operation by security agencies in the state.

Confirming the abduction, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, told Channels Television that the corps members were on their way to their respective orientation camps when they were attacked.

Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Audu Bosso, had visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

He added that the police, alongside other security agencies, had intensified efforts to rescue the victims safely and arrest the perpetrators.

According to him, security operatives were combing the surrounding bushes in search of the abducted corps members, while a Rapid Response Team had also been deployed to track the kidnappers.

The police spokesman said the operation was aimed at securing the safe and unconditional release of the victims.

The latest incident comes weeks after another group of NYSC members was abducted in Kogi State while travelling along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in the Ofu Local Government Area.

PUNCH had reported that armed men emerged from the bush around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions.

Several passengers were abducted, while others escaped into the surrounding bush.

The Kogi State Police Command later confirmed that 11 victims, including drivers of the two buses, had been rescued, while security operatives continued the search for other victims.

The military subsequently announced the rescue of 21 kidnapped victims, including 15 corps members, from the Egume-Ochaja forest in Kogi State.

The repeated attacks involving corps members travelling between states have renewed concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling to fulfil their national service obligations.

For now, the focus of security agencies in Imo remains the safe recovery of the 20 abducted corps members and the apprehension of those behind the attack.

No fewer than 29 people have died after allegedly consuming a suspected contaminated alcoholic beverage in Araromi-Obu and other communities in the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Awolowo-Ajaka, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists in Akure.

Awolowo-Ajaka said 60 cases had so far been recorded, with three victims currently receiving treatment in hospitals and 27 others under medical observation.

He said 95 per cent of those affected were males aged between 16 and 55 years.

According to him, the affected communities include Orita Odigbo, Araromi-Obu, Newtown, Odole, Okele and Oniparaga.

The commissioner said the victims exhibited symptoms including headache, body pain, general weakness, visual disturbance, difficulty breathing and altered consciousness.

He added that some of the victims deteriorated rapidly, leading to death within a few hours.

Awolowo-Ajaka said the pattern of illness and the reported history of exposure had raised strong epidemiological suspicion that the victims were exposed to a toxic alcoholic substance.

He, however, stressed that the exact cause of the deaths had not been established through laboratory testing.

“The pattern of illness and reported history of exposure have raised strong epidemiological suspicion of exposure to a probable toxic alcoholic substance. However, we are yet to have laboratory evidence of the cause of the deaths,” he said.

The commissioner disclosed that 36 blood and urine samples had been collected from victims for laboratory analysis, while samples of the suspected alcoholic substances had also been submitted for toxicological investigation.

He said the investigation was being conducted in collaboration with relevant regulatory and security agencies.

As part of measures to contain the situation, the state government has imposed a temporary ban on the production and sale of locally brewed alcoholic herbal beverages in the affected local government area.

Awolowo-Ajaka added that several suspects found selling the substance had been taken into custody.

He urged residents to avoid alcoholic products from unlicensed sources and seek immediate medical attention if they experience blurred vision, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness, confusion or loss of consciousness after consuming alcohol.

The commissioner advised residents to take anyone exhibiting such symptoms to the General Hospital, Ore, or the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo, without delay.

He assured the public that the state government was working with national and international partners to identify the exact cause of the deaths and prevent further loss of life.