©2022 DopeReporters. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by multiplatforms
DAMISI OJO, Akure
An Anglican priest, Rev.Canon Olowolagba has been reportedly kidnapped along Ise Akoko- Iboropa Road in Akoko Axis of Ondo state.
The Cleric was seized alongside his two children and Wife.
The gunmen were demanding N10m ransom Canon Olowolagba, a native of Ikaram Akoko who was abducted with his family members has reportedly thrown the community into a pensive mood.
Residents in the town were said to have organized prayer sessions for the release of the cleric.
Efforts to speak with the monarch of Ikaram-Akoko the Akala of Ikaram, Oba Andrew Momodu and the Bishop of Akoko Anglican Diocese Rt Rev Olajide Bada were not possible at press time.
A community leader and the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Akoko Northwest local government, Sheik Basiru Aminu urged the people of Ikaram Akoko to intensify prayers and admonition on the quick release of the four victims who are illustrious sons and daughters of Ikaram Akoko.
Cases of kidnapping have been so rampant in Akoko land in the Northern part of Ondo state bordering Kogi, Edo, Ekiti states and Northern part of the country.
For a better society
_______________________________
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
The Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Kaduna State, and Vice chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Apostle Emmanuel Egoh Bako on Monday said the citizens of Kaduna State are still patiently waiting to cast their votes in the October 19, 2024 local government elections.
The cleric made the assertion while speaking to newsmen in Kaduna.
“On Saturday October 19, 2024, citizens from all parts of the state came out with excitement to exercise their civic rights. It was a golden opportunity to decide the men/women who will steer the ship of governance in the third tier of government in the state,” he said.
He added that the huge interest in the election was understandably due to the fact that it is the local councils are the first port of call for citizens in setting the agenda for their communities.
Bako, however, lamented that the voters were not allowed to vote, saying that denying citizens their franchise is akin to spilling the blood in the system of democracy.
He added that it is also similar to undoing the progress that the country has recorded after the return of the military to the barracks 25 years ago.
“I call for immediate redress of the circumstances that led to the declaration of winners without contest in the advertised LGA election slated for Saturday, 19th October, 2024,” he stated.
In global best practice, he said that the results of any election can only be announced after voting has taken place, stressing that it is why he is calling on the chairperson of the Kaduna State Independent
Electoral Commission, KADSIECOM, to give the citizens of the state the opportunity to exercise their franchise as the right must not be denied them.
According to him, it is important Nigerians demonstrate that leadership is a noble and high calling, pointing out that the process in which leaders emerge must be credible, not only for acceptability but also for the sake of eternity.
He stressed, “Overall, we are still waiting and we are ready to vote.”
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the Shepherd of Celestial Church of Christ, Nazareth Parish 1, Oluwatosin Alayo, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
The incident was said to have occurred on Monday evening at the residence of the cleric in the Adamo area of the community.
Sources privy to the incident told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the incident occurred barely 24 hours after the church held its annual adult harvest.
A member of the church who craved anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the incident told PUNCH Metro, “We called to congratulate him (the cleric) on the success of the church harvest on Monday evening but could not reach him on the phone. It was the following morning that another member of the church informed us that his home was attacked on Monday evening by some gunmen who took him away to an unknown destination. We are in serious panic and we have also intensified prayers for his safety and freedom.”
Another member of the church who identified himself simply as Taiwo, told our correspondent that the abductors had opened communication with the family of the victim, demanding a ransom of N30m.
“Details of the communication are still unclear, but we got to know that 24 hours after the incident, the kidnappers confirmed the Shepherd’s presence in their captivity and also demanded a ransom of N30m. That is all we know for now,” he added.
Meanwhile, the church has raised the alarm on its various social media platforms, while also calling for prayers.
“A CCC Shephard has been kidnapped and now they’re demanding N30m as ransom. Your prayer is highly needed,” one of the posts read.
“Kidnapping notice: Snr. Evang. Adeyemi Oluwatosin Alayo, Shepherd in charge of CCC Nazareth Parish, Adamo Agunfoye, was kidnapped on Monday, a day after his 21st Adult harvest. Kidnappers are demanding N30m. Please, let’s remember him and his parish in prayers,” another post read.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident. He however denied knowledge of the ransom demanded.
“I can confirm that he was kidnapped. I cannot confirm the ransom demand.”
A 56-year-old Islamic cleric based in Ajasse-Cotonou in the Benin Republic, Alfa Yahya Nafiu, has confirmed that his wife delivered 11 babies in Nigeria’s neighbouring country between July and August this year.
Yahya, an indigene of Onikeke compound, Popo Giwa area, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, said his wife, whose name was given as Chognika Latoyossi Alake, a native of Ajasse-Cotonou, gave birth to the 11 babies in a traditional birth attendant’s home in Porto Novo in Benin Republic between July 7 and August 14, 2024.
He however lamented that two of the 11 children were lost at birth leaving the rest nine surviving.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro in a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Yahya said, “Yes, it is true that my wife gave birth to 11 children after a long period of pregnancy. They are eight boys and three girls. The babies were delivered in two separate months, July 7 and August 14 at a traditional birth attendant’s home in Porto Novo. She gave birth to six children in July and the rest five in August. We lost two of the children at birth. One out of the first six died while one of the last five children also died but I’m grateful to Allah that the rest nine children and their mother are alive”, he said.
He, however, lamented that his family was having financial challenge due to the huge amount of money required in taking care of the babies and their mother as well as transporting the babies to Ilorin.
“One other major challenge that we are now facing before we could bring the children home to Ilorin to show them to my parents is how to raise money for the marriage rites, as well as medical bills and police report”, Yahya said.
He appealed to both the Federal and Kwara State governments as well as well-to-do people in society to come to his aid by giving him financial assistance to take care of the babies whom he described as a favour from Allah.
Also, the Chief Imam of Iponrin in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, Alhaji Zakariyau Nafiu, who is the elder brother of Yahya confirmed that Latoyosi, who is the third wife of his brother, gave birth to 11 babies in Cotonou.
He said, “My brother’s third wife, Latoyosi, gave birth to 11 children in Cotonou. As it is customary of the Ilorin people, we have informed the Emir of Ilorin, Mai Maitaba Olola wa Alhaji Sulu-Gambari of the birth of the children and other people who are supposed to know of it.”
Also reacting to the news of the birth of the babies, the national president of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, Alhaji Abdulmumini Abdulmalik, confirmed that the father of the children hails from Onikeke Compound, Popo Giwa area of Ilorin.
He expressed delight that an Ilorin indigene living in Cotonou, Benin Republic had been blessed with decuplets.
“While welcoming the decuplets and congratulating the parents on this uncommon blessing, we rejoice with the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during whose reign this glorious history of an Ilorin indigene having decuplets is recorded”, he added.
Abdulmalik appealed to both government and public-spirited individuals, especially the philanthropists in Ilorin Emirate, to support Nafiu financially and materially to enable him to fulfil his parental responsibility.
When Alhaji Yahaya Imam Nafiu, an Islamic cleric and Missioner of the Ilorin Emirate Development Progressive Union in the Republic of Benin, received the unexpected news that his third wife had given birth to not just one, but 11 babies, he was overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the situation. The news left him feeling jittery, and the reality of the financial strain and responsibility of caring for eleven newborns almost made him run away. In an interview with Tunde Oyekola, he recounts his initial fears and how he tried to come to terms with the overwhelming responsibility
Recently, news broke that your wife gave birth to 11 children. How did you feel when you received the news?
My wife, Chognika Latoyossi Alake, who is a native of Ajasse-Cotonou in Benin Republic, gave birth to 11 children in Porto Novo in two tranches. She first delivered six – five boys and one girl – on July 6 and 7, 2024.
On August 14, she gave birth to another five boys. Unfortunately, one of the girls from the first set passed away about one and a half hours after birth, and we later lost another baby. Currently, we have nine surviving children, and they have all been named.
Were these children her first?
No, they are not her firstborn. Latoyossi is my third wife. I had two wives before marrying her. She was previously married and had three children in her first union. She became pregnant nine years after having her last child. This particular pregnancy lasted for about three and a half years.
I left Ilorin in 2008 for Porto Novo in search of greener pastures. I’m 56 years old while my wife, Latoyossi, is 54 years old.
A normal pregnancy is supposed to last nine months. What did you do when there was an unusual delay?
During that period, she visited hospitals, underwent various medical tests and scans, and had three surgeries. The most surprising thing was that each time doctors attempted to operate on her, the incision would close up again. The last doctor, a white man, said he had never encountered anything like it in his long medical career. The doctors also told us that unseen spirits seemed to be interfering whenever they attempted to operate. After exhausting the options at government and private hospitals in the Benin Republic, we turned to traditional birth attendants.
What do you think caused the extended pregnancy?
I’m not certain about what caused it, as it wasn’t her first pregnancy. As I mentioned before, she had three children from her previous marriage. However, I suspect it might have been due to some malevolent forces. We were all deeply concerned when she couldn’t deliver the babies within the expected timeframe.
Were the children born via caesarean section?
No, they were delivered naturally by their mother. They were born at a traditional birth attendant’s home.
Did the doctors confirm there were babies in her womb?
Yes, medical tests confirmed she was pregnant, but the scans didn’t reveal the number of babies. They only indicated that she was carrying babies.
When you were informed that she delivered 11 babies, what was your reaction?
The 11 babies weren’t delivered all at once; they came in two tranches. When I received the call that my wife had delivered six babies, I was terrified because the news was so shocking. Although I had heard of such things happening in other countries, it was unprecedented in Nigeria or the Benin Republic. Initially, I didn’t believe it. I asked about my wife’s condition, and they assured me she was fine. I wanted to speak with her, but they said it wasn’t possible at that moment. At one point, I considered fleeing because I couldn’t fathom how I would feed eleven children in addition to the others I already had. But eventually, I decided to go and see them, believing that Allah, who gave them to us, would also provide for their needs.
What happened next?
About a week after delivering the six babies, my wife began to complain of stomach pain and had difficulty eating. Despite the traditional birth attendant’s advice not to take her elsewhere, we decided to visit a hospital. The doctor there recommended another scan, which revealed that more babies were still in her womb, though the exact number wasn’t clear. We returned to the traditional birth attendant, who admitted that he had known there were more babies but didn’t want to alarm her. He instructed us to return when she showed signs of labour. When she started experiencing labour pains, we took her back, and she delivered another five boys, one of whom later passed away. The last set of babies are two weeks old and are all healthy.
As an Islamic cleric, how do you describe the birth of 11 children by a single woman?
The birth was nothing short of a miracle from Allah; something no human can fully comprehend. It is an inexplicable wonder (Ise Olorun ni, awamaridi si ni ti enikankan ko le mo).
Are twins common in your family?
No, twins are not common in my family. Only one member of my family has given birth to twins and they are two girls. Since then, no member of my family has had multiple births.
What has it been like feeding the babies?
The first five babies were breastfed by their mother for the first few days, but she soon became overwhelmed, and we had to switch to formula. They consume three containers of formula daily.
How are you coping with this situation?
Although we are not wealthy, we are relying on Allah, who blessed us with these babies. We are appealing to both the Federal and Kwara State governments, as well as to philanthropic individuals in society, to assist us in caring for these gifts from God.
What are your plans for the babies?
Strictly following our tradition in Ilorin, when the babies were born, I informed the Magaji of our compound, who is the head of the family, and other family members. Baba Magaji then informed the Emir of Ilorin about the great gift bestowed upon our family. I came to Ilorin on Tuesday this week, and we visited the Emir, HRM Maimataba Alhaji Sulu-Gambari, on Wednesday to celebrate the blessing of the eleven children. The Emir offered special prayers for the children and the entire family and gave us gifts to help take care of them. We have also informed the governor about the children. However, one significant challenge remains – bringing the children and their mother from Benin Republic to Ilorin so that the Emir and our family can see and pray for them. I don’t have the funds to transport them. Another challenge is that I have not yet performed the necessary traditional rites for my wife, which is also costly. Although we have fulfilled the Islamic requirements for marriage, we still need to complete the traditional ceremonies before she can travel with me to Ilorin. Therefore, I am appealing to philanthropists and well-to-do individuals to come to our aid so that the babies can be well cared for and brought to see my family.
Prophet Ikechukwu O. Samuel has warned the Igbo race to be wary of betrayal tendencies among them in order to avoid further calamity.
In a special message titled; ‘Urgent Heavenly Massage For The Igbos Worldwide’, Prophet I.O. Samuel issued a grave warning to the Igbo people worldwide, urging them to act swiftly to avert a potential leadership crisis among them.
The cleric, who hails from Awka in Anambra State, expressed deep concern over what he perceived as a betrayal of key leaders within the Igbo race.
Prophet Samuel’s message centered on the metaphor of “Joseph,” referring to critical leaders whose potential has been compromised. He warned that failure to support and uplift the leaders could result in severe consequences for the Igbo people, including the loss of prominent figures and prolonged suffering.
In the statement, Samuel recounted his experience of receiving the revelation while on a prayer retreat for Shiloh Word Chapel International. He highlighted the recent death of some Igbo leaders and emphasised the need for unity and self-protection among the Igbo people.
He said, “I cry for Igbos, why did you sell
all the Josephs I sent to you? And why did you sell your last Joseph? The last Joseph will consume you all in the leadership, if you don’t pray and get him out of the prison to the Palace On Time. Get him out alive and healthy, if not many known names will not see the promised land of the Igbos alive. I can no longer hold back this message in my spirit. We lost few so-called Igbo Leaders under 21 days; from 25th JULY To 27th, I was on the Prayer Mountain For Shiloh Word Chapel Intl; 13th Year Anniversary; sad news came from UK about great friend brother and leader and I cried to God, asked deeper questions. In the spirit, God said ‘vomit the message you swallowed Samuel’. I prophesie with tears and my heart bleeds for the Igbo people; listen to me for 30 years of my life as a prophet from the age of 14, I have so much avoided Igbo prophecies because of complications of our race and lack of true leadership, head acceptance or one Voice. This act stopped all our Josephs sent by God to deliver us all.
“Finally, Igbos arise, love yourselves again stop spilling the blood of your innocent brothers in the Eastern Holy Land again. Be warned. build and restore security in your own villages; my Igbo brothers listen once more Rivers State; Kano; Abuja and Lagos State etc will always make you cry, build your own land and secure your people in love,” Prophet I O Samuel declared.
The prophet called for the Igbos to end internal conflicts and restore security within their villages. He stressed that dependence on external regions like Rivers State, Kano, Abuja, and Lagos could lead to continued hardship. Instead, Samuel advocated building and securing their Igbo lands through collective effort and love.
The cleric added that the urgent message was a plea for the Igbo people to embrace solidarity and proactively safeguard their future.