Alert News

Monday Lines 1 OPINION:Ibadan Is Oyo By Lasisi Olagunju  (Published in the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, 19 January, 2026) On Monday, 25 March, 1946, Chief I. B. Akinyele, Chief James Ladejo Ogunsola, Messrs D. T. Akinbiyi and E. A. Sanda, the very cream of the Ibadan educated elite, met behind closed doors with Oyo town delegates at the secretariat in Ibadan. One of them got home that day and wrote in his diary that they “could reach no agreement because we (Ibadan) flatly refused to pay one penny towards the Alaafin's salary.”  Yet, some 84 years earlier (1862), the same Ibadan went to war against friends, family, and acquaintances in support of Alaafin. Ibadan destroyed Ijaiye because its ruler, Kurunmi, was rude and unruly to the Alaafin. He had to die because he refused to recognise the king whose father made him Aare, and who made Oluyole Basorun of Ibadan. Ibadan of 1862 served Oyo and its Alaafin; that of 1946 damned them. Between the first stance and the sec...

APC E-registration: Gov Okpebholo Gets Registration Card ... Urge Members To Register At Various Wards Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo has been officially registered as a  bonafide member of the All Progressive Congress, APC. The exercise was carried out through the ongoing e-registration process in his hometown,Irrua, Edo State and subsequently received his registration card as the first member of the party in the State. The governor who expressed satisfaction at the exercise called on members of the APC and intending ones to freely join the party in its membership drive towards the forthcoming general elections.  Speaking to journalists after receiving his registration card, Gov Okpebholo thanked the e-registration team and appealed to members to come out in their numbers and register to become full members of the party in the State. "I want to appreciate the APC e-registration team for the exercise. I am happy and delighted at this e-registration exe...

Enabulele Commends Super Eagles On AFCON 2025 Third-Place Finish By Editor  The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has congratulated Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, on their hard-fought third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), describing the achievement as a proud moment for the nation and a strong statement of character by the team. In a statement issued by his Media Officer, Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele praised the Super Eagles for ending the tournament on a high note, highlighting their resilience, discipline, and mental strength in the tense third-place encounter against Egypt, which ended goalless after regulation time before Nigeria triumphed 4–2 on penalties. According to him, the team’s performance, particularly in the face of stiff Egyptian resistance, reflected the true Nigerian spirit of determination and belief. He commended the technical crew led by Coach Eric Chelle ...

Edo Governor Receives Released AAU Students, Cautions Against Violence By Editor  Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has received the students of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, and others, who were recently released following their arrest in connection with the Ekpoma protest, assuring them of his administration’s commitment to dialogue, reform and the overall development of the university and the state. The governor spoke during a stakeholders’ engagement held at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Benin City, which brought together students of Ambrose Alli University, government officials and other critical stakeholders. Addressing the gathering, Governor Okpebholo said he was deeply pained by the violent turn the protest took, especially given his strong commitment to the revival of Ambrose Alli University. The governor said, "I was highly in pain when I saw what was happening in my place. The day I was sworn in, I said I was going to revive Amb...

Enabulele Extols Bendel Insurance Feeders As Edo U-15 Stars Shine At Chief of Defence Championship By Editor  The Executive Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Hon. Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has commended the Bendel Insurance FC Feeders team for their outstanding performance at the Chief of Defence Staff South-South Under-15 Football Championship held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Receiving the team after they presented their trophy, Enabulele described their outing as clear evidence of Edo State’s growing strength in grassroots football development. In a statement by his Media Officer, Edoko Wilson Edoko, the Sports Commission boss expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that the championship featured both military and civilian teams across the South-South zone. While the military side exited early, the civilian category represented by Bendel Insurance Feeders recorded an impressive run, finishing as first runners-up. “We are e...

Corruption In Judiciary: Pastor Bakare Calls For Instant Reforms ...Laments Judges View  Bench As Their ‘Work-Chop' Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin  The Serving Overseer of Citadel Global, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has called for immediate personal and institutional reforms to tackle widespread corruption within Nigeria’s justice sector. The lawyer-turned-cleric described Nigeria’s justice sector as a haven of corruption, cautioning that both lawyers and judges must implement personal integrity reforms or risk condemning the country to continued “bondage.” Pastor Bakare spoke as the keynote speaker at the 22nd Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture (Fawehinmism), hosted by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch, on the theme “Integrity Deficiency in the Justice Sector: Whither the Legal Profession.” He lamented that judges now view the bench as their ‘work-chop,’ citing political interference in judicial appointments and conflicting court rulings as serious problems confr...

Family Of Release Abducted Doctor Insists Paid N50 Million To Secure Son Freedom  Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin  Following the insinuation to the earlier report spreading the rounds that, the Auchi hunters and local vigilante rescued Dr. Abu Ibrahim Momoh Tahir, a medical doctor who was kidnapped in Auchi, a new fact has emerged. The twist in the whole story is, the father of the abducted medical doctor, Dr Ibrahim Tahir has revealed that a staggering ransom of N50 million was paid to secure his freedom. It would be recalled that the freed doctor was kidnapped alongside his late brother 13 days ago. With his brother, Abu Tahir, later died in the hands of the kidnappers. It was learnt that the kidnappers had earlier demanded a ransom of N200 million, which was later reduced to N100 million, but tragically, Abu Tahir was killed while the saga lasted. The father revealed that the N50 million was paid in two instalments of 20 and N30 million respectively before he was freed....