Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has affirmed the appointment of Professor Sunday Amuseghan as the Kalasuwe of Apoiland and Oba of the Ijaws, dismissing an appeal filed by Prince Joseph Orire David challenging his emergence.

Amuseghan, a retired Professor of English at Adekunle Ajasin University and a member of the Ebeli Idumu Ruling House, was appointed Kalasuwe of Apoiland by the Ondo State Government in 2018.

Dissatisfied with the appointment, Prince David, through his counsel, Omolegbon Odusola, instituted Suit No. HOK/10/2018 before the Ondo State High Court.

He argued that he had earlier been selected by a majority of the nine kingmakers and was only awaiting approval by the Ondo State Executive Council before Amuseghan’s appointment.

In response, counsel to Professor Amuseghan, Chief Sola Ebiseni, raised a preliminary objection challenging both the competence of the suit and the jurisdiction of the court.

He argued that the claimant lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to institute the action because he belonged to the same Ogele Idumu Ruling House as the immediate past monarch, Oba Samuel Adetimehin Oladiran.

Ebiseni contended that the registered declaration governing the chieftaincy recognises only two ruling houses-Ogele Idumu and Ebeli Idumu-and provides for the stool to rotate between them.

Ebiseni, who told the court that the immediate past monarch came from the Ogele Idumu Ruling House, argued that only a candidate from the Ebeli Idumu Ruling House was eligible to contest the vacant stool.

The High Court upheld the preliminary objection and dismissed the suit, prompting Prince David to appeal the decision.

In its judgment, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice N.U. Okaisabor, with Justices S. Nwaka Gbagi and P.O. Affen concurring, dismissed the appeal and affirmed the judgment of the High Court.

The appellate court held that both parties agreed the chieftaincy was regulated by a registered declaration made pursuant to the Chiefs Law, which clearly governs eligibility to the stool.

The court ruled that since the appellant admitted he belonged to the same Ogele Idumu Ruling House as the immediate past traditional ruler, he was ineligible to contest the stool under the rotational arrangement and therefore lacked the locus standi to challenge Professor Amuseghan’s appointment.

The court further held that, as an aggrieved party, the appellant ought to have complied with the provisions of Section 13 of the Chiefs Law before approaching the court, a requirement it found he failed to meet.

With the judgment, the Court of Appeal effectively upheld Amuseghan’s appointment as the Kalasuwe of Apoiland, a first-class traditional stool in Ondo State, also known as the Oba of the Ijaws.

A former students’ leader and youth inclusion advocate, Comrade Adesina Julius, popularly known as Prestige, has congratulated the Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Hon. Tayo Koleosho, on his birthday.

Adesina described Koleosho as a public servant whose commitment to youth empowerment and leadership development has positively impacted many lives.

In a goodwill message, Adesina said Koleosho has consistently demonstrated a genuine passion for creating opportunities for young people and preparing them for leadership positions, adding that his contributions to youth development have earned him admiration across Oyo State and beyond.

According to him, Koleosho’s public service record reflects a commitment to good governance, people-centred leadership and community development.

He cited Koleosho’s previous roles as Special Adviser on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs during the administration of the late former Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as examples of his dedication to public service.

Adesina said Koleosho has remained a source of inspiration to many young Nigerians through mentorship, guidance and support, noting that his efforts have helped many youths build careers and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

‘Hon. Tayo’s dedication to ensuring young people have a better future and attain leadership positions speaks volumes about his genuine love for the progress of the younger generation,’ he said.

He described Koleosho as a leader who believes in investing in people, adding that his willingness to support young talents has made him a respected figure among youth groups and emerging leaders.

‘True riches are not found in castles or chariots, but in the number of lives impacted, and Oga Tayo Koleosho is a rich man by this standard. He has been a beacon of hope to young people and a promoter of their interests.

‘His penchant for nurturing and positioning young minds is unparalleled. Through his support, many young minds have secured a future, and his continued mentorship ensures they blossom and impact their respective communities,’ Adesina stated.

He further described Koleosho as a role model whose humility, resilience and integrity continue to inspire those aspiring to leadership and public service.

Adesina also praised Koleosho’s generosity and readiness to help others, saying his belief in the potential of individuals has left a lasting impact on many people.

‘As he marks another year today, I pray that God grants him sound health, long life, and continuous wisdom to keep steering the wheels of impactful leadership. Happy Birthday, sir!’ he added.

Koleosho has served in several public offices in Oyo State and currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, where he continues to support administrative and policy initiatives within the agency.

The husband of the principal of Ahoro Community Grammar School, Oriire, Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has explained why he eventually cut off communication with the kidnappers who held his wife captive, saying their repeated threats took a severe toll on his health.

Professor Wole Alamu made the disclosure during a thanksgiving service following his wife’s release, recounting how weeks of negotiations with the abductors left him emotionally drained and battling high blood pressure.

Recall that Mrs Alamu was among teachers and pupils abducted by gunmen from the school in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026.

She and the other victims regained their freedom after spending more than 50 days in captivity following a rescue operation.

Speaking during the service, Professor Alamu described the kidnapping as the greatest challenge his family had ever faced.

According to him, he communicated directly with the kidnappers for about three weeks before deciding to block their phone numbers after realising the conversations were putting his own life at risk.

‘When my wife was abducted, I was chatting with the abductors for the first three weeks,’ he said.

‘I was threatened and immediately they threatened me, I was always destabilised.’

He recalled that on one occasion, he had gone for a medical check-up when the kidnappers sent him another threatening message.

‘There was a day I went for a medical check-up. They sent me a text message and I became destabilised. By the time I got to the clinic, I could not even do the check-up because my blood pressure had already increased.’

The professor said the incident convinced him that continuing negotiations with the abductors was endangering his health.

‘That day I decided I would block these people,’ he said.

‘You cannot kill me here and kill her there. Choose one. If you want to take her, she is going to be with Christ. You cannot kill the two of us at the same time.’

According to him, the kidnappers later confronted his wife after discovering they could no longer reach him.

‘They went to her and said, ‘Madam, your husband has blocked us. We are going to kill you.”

He said Mrs Alamu remained resolute despite the threat.

‘She replied, ‘You will not kill me in Jesus’ name.”

Professor Alamu further alleged that the kidnappers left a cutlass beside his wife, apparently expecting her to take her own life.

‘They left one cutlass beside the Madam Principal.’

‘When they came back, they were blaming one another, saying, ‘You left a cutlass beside the Madam Principal so she could kill herself.”

He said his wife rejected the idea and declared her faith.

‘My wife replied immediately, ‘I will not kill myself and you too will not kill me.’ I thank God for that boldness. She spoke positively.’

Reflecting on the ordeal, Professor Alamu expressed gratitude to security agencies for what he described as their swift response after the abduction.

‘Within 45 minutes, the General Officer Commanding of the 2 Mechanised Division was already there. The Commissioner of Police was already there before me. Two helicopters were already combing the forest one hour before I got there. It can only be God.’

He also said the incident attracted support from individuals and organisations across Nigeria and abroad, including offers of assistance from the United States.

Professor Alamu urged Christians to remain steadfast in their faith, saying difficult moments often reveal the true depth of a person’s relationship with God.

Quoting Psalm 126, he said the family’s sorrow had been turned into joy, describing the kidnapping as the greatest trial he had faced since giving his life to Christ in 1990.

‘The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy,’ he said.

The Presidency has reacted to recent comments by Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissing his criticism of the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X on Monday, said Obi’s assessment of the administration was out of touch with developments across the country.

According to Onanuga, the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes are producing visible results in communities across the six geopolitical zones.

‘Obi needs to get off the high of his rabid movement. The unmistakable trail of Renewed Hope shimmers across all villages, towns, cities, and local government areas in all six geopolitical zones,’ he wrote.

He explained that the Presidential Communications Team had been touring the country to independently assess the implementation and impact of government policies while gathering feedback from Nigerians.

‘The Presidential Communication Team has been touring all zones to see things for themselves, feel the pulse of Nigerians, and conduit feedback to the government,’ Onanuga stated.

The presidential spokesman further maintained that there was documented evidence of the administration’s economic reforms and development initiatives.

‘If Obi cares, there’s a digital binder full of reports of Nigeria’s economic turnaround under the current administration, inclusive of many transformative projects, policies, and programmes, such as NELFUND, that are impacting Nigerians at the critical cellular level,’ he added.

Somewhere in present-day Osun State, about a hundred years ago, an oba ordered a manhunt for a troublesome strongman in his domain. The man, Kátákatà, was captured one night, killed and beheaded. His severed head was placed in a pot and brought to the oba. The palace erupted in celebration. At last, the nuisance was gone forever.

But at the height of the rejoicing, another celebration broke out outside the palace. It was Kátákatà himself, arriving with his drummers.

A stunned oba confronted him.

‘But they brought your head to me this morning. It is in that room.’

‘Kabiyesi,’ Kátákatà replied, ‘that was not my head. It was your heir’s head they brought.’

How? The oba wondered as his visitor danced away.

Before noon that same day, Àrèmo (the heir to the throne) was brought home dead.

We heard the story many years ago from our fathers who insisted it was true. They pointed to a living old man who was Kátákatà’s ‘apprentice.’

There is another story, far more contemporary, that carries much the same moral.

Journalists often stumble on stories richer than the one they set out to find. The latest controversy in town is that the man we called maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha, died on top of a lady who was his girlfriend’s sister.

I read that Abacha report and felt like I heard or worked on something like that 28 years ago.

So, I went to the library of the Nigerian Tribune in search of the story.

A newspaper archive is a strange place. It lies in ambush and catches you, no matter how alert you are. You go looking for one story, and another (often the better one), walks out to meet you. I was looking for General Abacha’s prized paramours when I found something else: an editor’s prison report more compelling than the tale of a dictator dying in the arms of his girlfriend’s sister.

Mr Femi Adeoti was the editor of the Sunday Tribune during the years of General Sani Abacha’s war against his enemies – the media and the political class. The editor published a story in May 1998 against Abacha and was arrested and detained at Agodi Prisons, Ibadan. There, he lived among, and interacted with, some of the most hardened inmates. He remained in custody until Abacha expired in June 1998.

Because every good editor is first a reporter, Adeoti spent his days in prison harvesting stories. When he regained his freedom, he told story after story about the inmates and the circumstances that brought them to jail.

The man published the first of his prison reports in the Sunday Tribune sometime in July 1998. I stumbled upon it last Friday while digging through the archives for our old reports on what killed Abacha. Then I felt an irresistible urge to reproduce it here because I see it as a metaphor for what I feel about Nigeria and the leaders it is blessed with.

My teacher taught me long ago never to abandon one story for another. I had planned to continue my celebration of Abuja and its budget of bandits but as the Yoruba say, bí ?m?de bá rí oyin, á s? àkàrà nù-when a child finds honey, he throws away his bean cake. I am resisting that temptation. Every story deserves to be told. Tell both, or at your creative best, use one as a metaphor for the other. Metaphor. Yes. I do that here.

The prison story:

‘In Agodi Prisons, Ibadan, I interacted with different characters. The moment they knew me as a journalist, I gained instant recognition and popularity. I kept receiving notes from the inmates-convicts and Awaiting Trial Males (ATMs). The characters were queer. Their stories were pathetic and interesting. The first person whose confession we will take today is a corpse robber.’

The voice above is the editor’s. What follows is the prisoner himself telling his story, raw:

‘My name is…, but the inmates call me Orieku. I was born in 1972. I abandoned school in Primary Two. I just felt like leaving, so I left. I also left home in 1981. Since then, I have slept outside, mostly at Bode and under the Molete Bridge (Ibadan).

‘One night under the bridge at Molete, an elderly man walked up to me and woke me. He was surprised to find me under the bridge at that odd hour, sleeping alone.

‘He asked me to follow him to his house. He lived at Bode near Molete. It was at his house that I discovered he was a Babalawo (herbalist). I wanted to run away, but he calmed me down.

‘I told him how I ran away from home and that my father died in 1973. My mother abandoned me and married another man. I did not want to follow her to her new matrimonial home. The Babalawo said he had a good job for me if I would do it.

‘He told me he (Babalawo) specialized in using human parts for rituals and that he would like to recruit me to look for these human parts. He said I would look for where a dead had just been buried and go there in the night to exhume the body. That’s how I came into the business and became a corpse robber.

‘This Babalawo was the only customer I knew. He would tell me what part(s) of the body he needed. And I would go for it.

‘I had a very reliable informant. He knew almost every village around Ibadan. He would go into these villages to locate where they had just buried somebody. He would come back and give me a ‘perfect’ description of the place. Unfortunately, this informant is dead now. I would go to the location in the dead of the night to perform the ‘operation’. I would dig the grave, bring the corpse out and cut whatever part I needed. I would then re-bury it.

‘I never cared to find out whatever happened after I might have exhumed the corpse. That was not my headache. Once I got what I wanted, my business with the corpse was over.

‘I did not spare even my relations in my business. I went for their body parts and made good use of them.

‘Christian corpses are very difficult to exhume. They are buried more deeply, unlike Muslim corpses.

‘I was in business as a corpse robber between 1981 and 1986. Prices for these human parts were very cheap. Maybe that Babalawo was cheating me. He would pay N500 for head, N100 for fingers, N1000 for the two eyes and N500 for tongue.

‘Throughout my career as a corpse robber, I sold only to that Babalawo. He would not allow me to sell to any other customer. He would always threaten me with charms.

‘Then I left the business. Why I left was a long story.

‘You see, my customer, that Babalawo, told me to look for the smallest toe on the left leg. And that it must be fresh. He said I must produce it within two days.

‘It was a difficult task. I got in touch with my informant. He set at work. He told me a man was buried that morning in central Ibadan. I will not tell you the exact area, because people will easily remember the man.

‘After giving the description, I prepared for my mission. I gathered my tools – digger (pick axe), cutlass and shovel. I set at work. I located the grave with ease because it is a popular area in Ibadan.

‘They buried the man in an uncompleted building. So, nobody stayed near the building. I started work at about 1.30am, the grave was not deep, so the job was easy.

‘Immediately I took the corpse out, I knew there would be trouble. The man was having beads on his neck, his two hands and legs. He was a Babalawo! I just summoned up courage and cut the toe. I put it back roughly and left the place hurriedly. I was afraid.

‘I went straight to my customer and gave him the toe. The Babalawo was very happy and told me to come back later in the morning for my money.

‘Because it was an emergency case, he said he would pay me N1000 for the toe. I was happy and went home to sleep.

‘But when I woke up in the morning, the unusual happened. My wife suddenly woke me up and shouted: ‘What is wrong with your leg? Why the blood?’ I checked my leg and discovered that the smallest toe on my left leg was gone! The very toe that I cut from the dead Babalawo that night. I was terribly afraid and could not sleep again.

‘I jumped up and went straight to my customer’s house. Immediately he sighted me, he began to rain abuses on me. He was angry and cursing me. ‘Why should you cut your own toe for me because of N1000?’ he shouted at me. ‘Why didn’t you tell me it is your own toe? I wanted the toe of a dead person, not a living human being.’ I tried to explain, but he would not listen. He just threw the toe at me and refused to pay me any money. He said the toe did not work because it was the toe of a living person. I took the toe, wrapped it in a paper and hid it from my wife. It became rotten and was carried away by a rat. The mark on my leg is this. You can see it (shows the editor his toeless leg).

‘Why people call me Orieku (rat head)? Well, not much. They had wanted to call me Orioku (ghost head), but that would be too frightening. So they chose Ori Eku.’

Orieku said he left the business in 1986 and joined a popular theatre group in Ibadan as an apprentice. Then he diversified into petty stealing and burglary. It was that new vocation that took him to Agodi Prisons where he met the editor.

I read his story several times and saw the leadership of this country in Orieku. Nigeria’s political class is that corpse robber. The man thought he was cutting someone else’s toe. He discovered he had amputated his own.

It is common in Yorubaland to hear ‘A?eni n ?e ara r?`.’ The man who thinks he is cutting another person’s flesh may well be slicing into his own body. Those who think they are harming others often end up destroying themselves. The Kátákatà story, the corpse robber’s missing toe, and today’s politicians are all versions of the same tragedy: public wrongdoing is ultimately self-harm.

In 2022, we got the famous instruction: ‘Grab it, snatch it, and run with it.’ If that season sounded brazen, the politics of 2026, as the country marches towards 2027, is even shriller. The scramble has become more desperate, the appetite less restrained. Little seems to matter anymore; not truth, not decency, not even who dies – so long as the grave robbers return with enough body parts to satisfy their dibias.

They are all stuck in the capital. Politicians who created bandit and terror groups in order to win elections; they can no longer go home to enjoy their loot. Those who dared return have found their own lives looted by the monsters they created. In destroying this republic and its democracy, they have turned their swords against the very sheath that once protected them. Every budget they poison with phantom projects and agencies, every institution they weaken with incompetent heads, every election they steal, every school abduction and terror act they condone with appeasement appears to injure someone else. But, one morning very soon they will wake up to discover that the missing toe is theirs.

Nigerian singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has gifted his former record label signee, Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel popularly known as Mayorkun, a Tesla Cybertruck.

Davido shared the news on his Instagram page, where he posted a photo of the electric vehicle along with a short message to the singer.

‘My gift to you. I love you iammayorkun,’ he wrote.

The Tesla Cybertruck is known for its stainless steel exterior and distinctive design.

Depending on the model and condition, the vehicle is estimated to cost between N195 million and N300 million.

Mayorkun was signed to Davido’s record label DMW from 2016 to 2021, his debut single ‘Eleko’ was released under the label.

Mayorkun released his debut studio album ‘The Mayor of Lagos’ in November 2018.

After his exit from DMW in 2021; he released ‘Let Me Know’ and his second studio album ‘Back in Office’ in October 2021, under the Sony Music West Africa division.

Founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has criticised the recent ban on preaching in commercial buses, alleging that it amounts to unequal treatment of Christians and warning against what he described as ‘attempts to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation’.

Speaking during a church service, Ibiyeomie argued that Christians should enjoy the same freedom to publicly practise their faith as Muslims, insisting that freedom of religion must apply equally to all Nigerians.

‘Allow Christians alone. As we allow Muslims, also allow Christians,’ he said.

According to the cleric, if Muslims are permitted to publicly use loudspeakers for religious activities, Christians should also be allowed to preach in public places, including commercial buses.

‘If Muslims can also raise their microphone, we are free to preach. There is freedom of religion. Nobody is warning the Muslims. You should not stop us from preaching,’ he said.

Ibiyeomie urged journalists reporting his sermon to present his comments accurately and avoid taking them out of context.

‘Don’t edit what I said. Put it as I said it. We want peace. Don’t turn my words,’ he said.

The pastor maintained that he would not remain silent if Christianity was being unfairly targeted or discriminated against.

‘I will never be alive to see Christianity be humiliated in Nigeria. Never,’ he declared.

He further alleged that there were efforts to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation but insisted such attempts would not succeed.

‘They want to turn Nigeria into an Islamic nation. Some people think I’m joking. It’s coming, but it can never be. Nigeria will never be an Islamic nation,’ he said.

Ibiyeomie added that some Christians would rather leave the country than be prevented from freely practising their faith.

‘If you want peace, as you practise your religion, practise your Christianity,’ he said.

The cleric also criticised what he described as the silence of many Christian leaders, alleging that some had compromised their independence because of political patronage.

‘Most preachers can’t talk because they’ve taken money from the leaders. Go and ask your president if I’ve taken one dime from him so I can talk. You can’t take money from a man and talk to him,’ he said.

Rejecting claims that his views were influenced by ethnic considerations, Ibiyeomie said he had consistently spoken out on national issues regardless of who occupied the presidency.

‘I will never be a tribalistic preacher. Never,’ he said.

Drawing a comparison between the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the current government, he argued that many religious leaders who were outspoken in the past had become silent despite the country’s worsening challenges.

‘Jonathan was here, they were shouting. It has come now, everyone is quiet. Even preachers are quiet,’ he said, attributing the silence to tribal and political sentiments.

The pastor also faulted lawmakers for focusing on issues such as restrictions on public preaching while, according to him, failing to adequately address insecurity, terrorism, hunger and attacks on Nigerians abroad.

‘Terrorism is a problem. Hunger is a problem. Nigeria has a problem,’ he said.

He urged authorities to avoid policies capable of creating religious tension, insisting that lasting peace can only be achieved when adherents of all faiths enjoy equal rights under the law.

‘If you want peace, as Muslims practise their religion, allow Christians to practise theirs,’ he added.

A new study suggests that people who consume the highest amounts of artificial sweeteners may experience a significantly faster decline in memory and thinking skills, particularly adults under 60 and people with diabetes.

The findings, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, indicate that high intake of artificial sweeteners is associated with cognitive decline equivalent to about 1.6 additional years of brain ageing.

Researchers followed 12,772 adults in Brazil for approximately eight years, examining their intake of seven common sweeteners found in diet drinks, sugar-free desserts, flavoured water, and tabletop sweeteners.

These included aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose. Six of the seven sweeteners were linked to faster cognitive decline, while tagatose was the only one not associated with worsening brain function.

Participants completed detailed dietary questionnaires and underwent repeated cognitive assessments measuring memory, verbal fluency, working memory, and processing speed.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease, the researchers found that participants with the highest intake of artificial sweeteners experienced a 62% faster decline in overall cognitive function than those with the lowest intake.

The difference was comparable to about 1.6 additional years of brain ageing. Even those with moderate sweetener intake experienced a 35% faster cognitive decline, equivalent to roughly 1.3 extra years of brain ageing, compared with participants who consumed the least.

The association was particularly strong among adults younger than 60, who experienced faster declines in overall cognition and verbal fluency. A stronger link was also observed among people with diabetes, who are more likely to rely on sugar substitutes to reduce their sugar intake.

When the researchers examined the sweeteners individually, aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame K, erythritol, sorbitol, and xylitol were all associated with faster cognitive decline, particularly memory loss. Tagatose was the only sweetener that showed no significant association.

The researchers stressed that the study does not prove artificial sweeteners cause memory loss or accelerate brain ageing. Because it was observational, other factors, including overall diet, lifestyle, and underlying health conditions, may have contributed to the findings.

Even so, the results raise fresh questions about the long-term effects of sugar substitutes, which are widely marketed as healthier alternatives to sugar.

The researchers said more studies are needed to determine whether artificial sweeteners themselves contribute to cognitive decline or whether the observed link is driven by other health and lifestyle factors. Until then, they suggest moderation may be the most sensible approach to consuming sugar substitutes.

The Oyo State Government has commenced a fresh enforcement exercise against non-compliant billboard operators, sealing more than 18 billboard structures operating without the required approvals across the state.

The enforcement, carried out by the Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA), is aimed at restoring order in the outdoor advertising sector, improving public safety and ensuring strict compliance with the state’s signage regulations.

According to a statement issued by the agency, the affected billboard structures were identified during compliance verification and inspection exercises conducted across the state.

The agency said the action followed several demand notices, stakeholder engagements and repeated opportunities given to operators to regularise their operations before enforcement commenced.

It listed the infractions to include non-payment of assessed billboard and advertisement fees, operation without valid permits, display of advertisements on unregistered structures, continued use of structures previously marked for compliance, erection of billboards without approval, failure to meet structural and environmental standards and the placement of billboards in unauthorised locations.

OYSAA clarified that only billboard owners and practitioners found to have violated the regulations were affected by the exercise.

It stressed that operators with valid permits, approvals and verified evidence of payment were not impacted.

The agency said the enforcement involved inspection and verification of approval and payment records, sealing of non-compliant structures, removal or deactivation of unauthorised advertisements, documentation of affected structures, issuance of final compliance directives and commencement of processes to recover outstanding statutory fees and enforcement costs.

Speaking on the exercise, the agency said the action underscored the determination of the state government to sanitise the outdoor advertising industry.

‘The enforcement reflects the determination of the Oyo State Government to promote discipline, fairness and professionalism within the outdoor advertising sector,’ the agency stated.

It added, ‘The affected operators had been given sufficient notice and opportunities to comply before enforcement began.’

Reiterating the objectives of the exercise, OYSAA said, ‘Our objective is to protect law-abiding practitioners, improve road safety and ensure that all operators meet the same regulatory obligations.’

The agency further warned that the ongoing exercise was only the first phase of a wider compliance campaign.

‘This enforcement exercise marks the beginning of a wider compliance campaign across billboard corridors and other strategic locations in the state. Operators who fail to regularise their structures risk further administrative or legal action,’ it said.

OYSAA also urged billboard owners, businesses, religious and political organisations, as well as corporate institutions, to verify the status of their advertising structures, renew expired permits, settle outstanding assessments and obtain the necessary approvals before erecting or displaying new advertisements.

The long-running rift within the Okoye family has taken another dramatic turn, with singer Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy, declaring that he may never forgive his twin brother, Peter Okoye.

Speaking during an interview, Rudeboy expressed deep disappointment over the events that have unfolded between them, insisting that the wounds caused by the family dispute run too deep for him to simply move on.

The singer said he was particularly hurt by the actions of his twin brother, whom he accused of allowing family disagreements to escalate beyond reconciliation.

According to Rudeboy, trust has been completely broken, making forgiveness an extremely difficult decision despite repeated calls for peace from fans and well-wishers.

‘I don’t think I can forgive my twin brother. What happened is something I never expected from my own blood,’ he said.

He maintained that the issue was no longer about music or the P-Square brand but about betrayal within the family, adding that some actions leave permanent scars.

Rudeboy also suggested that the crisis had reached a point where rebuilding the relationship would require far more than public apologies or reconciliation efforts.

‘The problem is not music. It’s deeper than that. It’s about family, trust and betrayal,’ he stated.

The singer stressed that he had remained silent on several occasions in the past to protect the family’s image but felt compelled to speak because of the recurring controversies surrounding their relationship.

He added that while many people continue to hope for another P-Square reunion, such expectations fail to acknowledge the emotional damage caused by the prolonged family conflict.

Rudeboy noted that he has chosen to focus on his personal life, children and music career rather than dwell on unresolved disputes, saying peace of mind now takes priority over everything else.

The latest remarks have reignited conversations among fans, many of whom had hoped the famous twins would permanently put their differences behind them after previously reuniting following years of separation.