Indigenes of Obateru village, near Ughoton, in Ovia North-East local council in Edo, have petitioned the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, over plans to instal Afona Isibor as a priest (Ohen) in the same council area.

In their protest letter, signed by the Uzukpogieva (second most elderly man), Emmanuel Uwagboe and secretary, Kevin Okunzuwa, on behalf of village elders, the indigenes claimed that there was neither a shrine nor a priest (Ohen) in Obateru to warrant such a position.

According to the petition, Mr Isibor and his cohorts, in their deceit and desperation to claim affinity to Obateru, a village they had claimed did not exist, chose another name, Obagbeni, to refer to the same Obateru to deceive the palace.

The Obateru people, who described themselves as the original settlers of the village, with affinity to Ughoton, said only one priest (Ohen Okun) was recognised by the palace.

They appealed to the Benin monarch to investigate Mr Isibor’s alleged deceit and sacrilege and suspend his installation.

They alleged that Mr Isibor, in connivance with some influential individuals in the palace, manipulated facts to deceive the monarch by dragging in Obateru’s name in the controversy, pointing out that it “is currently a subject of litigation at the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal.

“Your Majesty, may we quickly add that Obateru is in court with its neighbouring village, Evbuorokho, over the same contentious issue of its existence as an autonomous village.

While a Benin High Court has given judgment in suit No. HOCK/45/2008, in favour of Obateru village, the matter still pends at the appeal court in suit No. CA/B/609/2015,” the petition explained.

Speaking before palace chiefs, Mr Uwagboe noted that traditionally the Ohen Okun of Ughoton was the only recognised priest within the Ekenwan axis.

“This is the reason why Afona deceitfully corrupted Obateru to Obagbeni to get Oba Ewuare’s II approval to be installed as Ohen, a position that has never existed.

Your Royal Majesty, Afona and his cohorts, on several occasions, have attacked members of Obateru with armed thugs to cause fear and overrun the leadership of Obateru for his selfish and pecuniary gains to further advance his haulage and land-grabbing businesses,” stated Mr Uwagboe.

He added,

“Afona and his sibling, Osazee, have boasted several times that they will use their connections to some influential individuals within the palace to achieve their desire after their failed attempt to arrest elders of Obateru Village with operatives from police’s Zone 5.”

A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Obinoze Alexander, has been arrested for allegedly killing a fellow citizen identified as Flora Gold in South Delhi, India.

The body of the woman was found wrapped in bedsheets and tucked away in a box bed on Friday, April 28, 2023.

DCP (South) Chandan Chowdhary said that they received a PCR call from a person who claimed that a foul smell was coming from inside a flat in Maidangarhi.

“The caller said that a foul smell was coming from a flat on the third floor of the Sriman apartment. The flat has been closed for the last three days,” DCP Chowdhary said.

After a police team rushed to the spot, they found that the flat was locked. The owner of the flat was called and the door was opened with the help of a key maker. “The body of a woman was found wrapped in bedsheets in the box of double bed in the right side room of the flat, a 2 BHK,” he said.

The owner said that he rented out the flat in December 2021 to one Obinoze Alexander for Rs 12,000.

After technical surveillance, the deceased was identified as a Nigerian national and Obinoze was arrested.

“Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the motive and relationship of the accused with the woman,” Chowdhary said.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has given President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime two weeks to increase the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

The association made this known on Saturday in a communique issued at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) extraordinary council meeting held in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The communique was signed by the president, Innocent Orji, the secretary-general, Kelechi Chikezie and the publicity and social secretary, Musa Umar.

It said that the increment should be 200 per cent of the current gross salary of doctors and be in addition to the new allowances included in the letter written to the Minister of Health in 2022 for the review of CONMESS.

The association observed that despite several engagements with the federal government on the need to upwardly review CONMESS, which was last reviewed over 10 years ago, there are no changes.

It added that the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on CONMESS stated clearly that the salary structure would be due for review after five years, but this has yet to be done since the implementation in 2014, though the approval was given in 2009.

“NEC has resolved to issue the federal government a two-week ultimatum beginning on Saturday, April 29, to resolve all these demands, following the expiration of which on May 13, we may not be able to guarantee industrial harmony in the sector nationwide.”

The group also demanded the immediate payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) in line with the agreements reached at the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health.

NARD also demanded the commencement of payment of all salary arrears owed to its members, including 2014, 2015 and 2016 salary arrears and areas of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

“NEC regrettably observed that many state governors are yet to implement the appropriate CONMESS structure, domesticate the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA) or improve on the hazard allowance paid to our colleagues and other health workers while owing a backlog of salary arrears to our members.

“NEC seriously frowned at these negative developments in the states, which have lingered for a long time now, wondering how such state governors get to sleep at night seeing that they are endangering the lives of the citizens of their various states.”

On the issue of compulsory five-year service licensing of doctors being proposed by the House of Representatives, the association vehemently condemned the bill.

It said the bill sought to enslave young Nigerian doctors by restricting their fundamental human rights of freedom of choice and movement, adding that such would escalate the challenge of brain drain in the health sector.

Many people are feared dead after a petrol-laden tanker exploded around the Bauchi road axis in Jos, Plateau state.

According to a witness, the incident happened on Thursday at Bauchi junction leading to the University of Jos hostel.

The witness, who only identified himself as Bash, told Peoples Gazette that the tanker had a brake failure, lost control, and fell into a ditch.

The tanker immediately exploded with cars and buildings around it gutted by fire.

“The trailer (tanker) had fuel in it. He was coming from the slope from the University of Jos down to Bauchi junction. It seems the brake failed and the trailer entered a ditch. There was fuel in it and it exploded,” he said.

He further explained how the inferno had a chain reaction, as many cars and houses burnt to ashes.

“There was pandemonium, tension, and all that. I put on my status that Nigerian students should avoid Bauchi junction for now due to the tension,” he added.

He further explained how the tension around that axis led to the burning of a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) vehicle by irate youths.

He, however, couldn’t confirm the level of casualty at the time of this report.

Unity FM, a Jos-based radio station also reported that there were casualties, but they also couldn’t confirm the number.No fire truck to quell the inferno was sighted as per Unity FM report.

Videos and photos making the rounds on social media saw witnesses watching helplessly as the fire wreaked havoc.

Speaking to The Gazette, the Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Plateau State Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the incident, but he could not give further details.

“My DPO is still there. He is still working. They are there and we don’t want to remove them. He is the one that will give me facts on what to say,” he said.

Cautious about being misquoted, he added,

“You people should give us time to gather information and give it to you appropriately so that we will not be misquoted and misunderstood.”

A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Yaba, Lagos, has ordered the remand of a 32-year-old man, Ayomide Adewale, in a correctional centre for allegedly causing the death of his girlfriend, Hannah Eniku.

The Lagos State Police Command arraigned the defendant before Magistrate O.Y. Adefope on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Adewale was said to have given Hannah a concoction with the intent to terminate her pregnancy.

It was gathered that Hannah and the defendant met on Facebook and started dating in June 2022.

When the deceased got pregnant for the defendant, he pleaded with her to abort the pregnancy because he was not financially stable.

In November 2022, the deceased was said to have visited the defendant in his residence at Gospel Street, Mashalashi, Alagbado, Lagos where he allegedly gave her some concoction to drink.

According to the deceased’s mother, she returned home with severe stomach pain and she was rushed to the Ikorodu General Hospital where surgery was performed.

The police prosecutor, Haruna Magaji, told the court that the defendant committed the crime on November 1, 2022, at Gospel Street, Mashalashi, Alagbado, Lagos State.

Magaji said the offence contravenes and is punishable under Sections 147 and 224(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.

The charge read in part;

“That you, Ayomide Adewale, on November 1, 2022, around 6.05pm at Gospel Street, Mashalashi, Alagbado, Lagos State, in the Lagos Magisterial District did cause the death of one Hannah Eniku by giving her concoction with intent to terminate her pregnancy and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 224(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.”

The defendant’s plea was not taken. The prosecutor prayed the court to remand the defendant pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.

Granting the request, Magistrate Adefope remanded the defendant to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending DPP advice.

Adefope also adjourned the case till May 9, 2023, for trial.

Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) candidates threatened JAMB officials and representatives with violence.

The allegation followed reports, which JAMB admitted, that many candidates at the Christ Ambassadors College, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna Centre, could not sit the exam due to technical hitches.

Balkisu Abdullahi, the JAMB supervisor at the centre, explained that the server could not accommodate 250 computers simultaneously, as planned.

The JAMB official accused the candidates’ parents of being unhelpful amid the threats of violence.

“The situation on Tuesday was terrifying as some of the candidates were wielding knives and threatening us when we were explaining the technical hitches and what we intended doing to remedy the situation,” the JAMB supervisor alleged.

She advised parents to guide and teach their children good manners, saying that coming to examinations with knives was unacceptable.

“The parents did not also help the issue when rather than calming their children, some of them were shouting at the top of their voice, threatening to take legal action against JAMB,” stated Ms Abdullahi.

Ms Abdullahi said candidates who missed the examination on the first and second days were asked to submit their examination slips to enable JAMB to reschedule their examination to another day.

The JAMB supervisor stated she regretted the technical hitches, adding that JAMB was working with the centre management to address the issue, just as she assured parents that no candidate would miss the examination.

The Christ Ambassadors College manager, Tosin Akinpeloye, explained that the technical hitches occurred because of a JAMB server upgrade to work well on computers with Co i7 processors.

Ms Akinpeloye said the school’s computer centre had 260 laptops and 20 desktop computers running on Co i5 processors.

“I assure you that all the candidates that will write the examination on Thursday will do so without a hitch,” she said.

The situation was, however, different at Kaduna State University centre, where the JAMB coordinator, Benedict Opke, said the facilities were working perfectly and the candidates were well-behaved.

One of the candidates at the centre, 15-year-old Favour Bamigboye, who wants to become a doctor, said the examination went smoothly without a hitch.

Similarly, some candidates who wrote the examination at Queen Amina College centre commended JAMB and the school management for a hitch-free exercise.

“This is the first time I am writing the UTME, and I am impressed because everything went smoothly,” one of the candidates at the centre, Hafsat Abubakar, said.

A 35-year-old tailor, Sheidu Mukaila, has been arraigned before Zuba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly taking n*de pictures of a suspect at a police station.

The defendant who lives in Bassa village, Abuja, was charged with defamation, printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory and attempt to commit an offence.

The tailor committed the offence while detained at Airport Police Station on April 4.

Mukaila reportedly took n*de photos of one Uja Obiajulu and sent it to his wife.

After arguments from the prosecutor and the defence counsel, the Magistrate, Abdulaziz Ismail granted the defendant N1million bail, with a surety who must be a civil servant from Grade level 7.

The surety must produce a copy of his last promotion letter to the court.

The case was adjourned until May 17 for hearing.