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Farotimi: Police allege witnesses intimidation, oppose bail application

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An Ekiti State Magistrates’ Court in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, sent lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, back to prison after the police vehemently opposed his application for bail, accusing him of intimidating witnesses.

The magistrate adjourned till December 20 to rule on whether or not to admit Farotimi to bail following the stiff opposition by the police.

The police are prosecuting Farotimi on the allegation that he defamed legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola.

According to the police, the activist lawyer defamed Babalola in his book titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.’

Following his arrest in Lagos State last Tuesday, the police took Farotimi to Ekiti State and arraigned him last Wednesday before the Ado Ekiti magistrates’ court where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Last week, the magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, rejected an oral bail application by Farotimi’s lawyer, insisting that a formal bail application should be filed and adjourned till December 10.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, the defence counsel, Taiwo Adedeji, urged the magistrate to admit his client to bail, noting that the offence against him is bailable.
The alleged offences are bailable. Again, the defendant should be considered innocent until the contrary is proved.

“The defendant is a lawyer with a fixed address with 25 years unblemished record and his name is on the roll of legal practitioners of the Supreme Court and others. The defendant has undertaken to make himself available whenever his attention is needed,” Adedeji said.

He urged the court to discountenance all that was contained in the prosecution’s counter-affidavit and grant bail to the defendant.

But the prosecuting counsel for the police, Samson Osodu, vehemently opposed the bail application, contending that Farotimi would likely jump bail.

The police prosecutor also described the defendant as “a social media influencer, who, despite being brought to this court, has been intimidating our witnesses, nominal complainant.”

According to the prosecutor, Farotimi had also said many times that he does not believe in the judicial system.

Besides, he argued that “The affidavit brought by the defendants is not competent because it was deposed to by a litigation clerk.”

Earlier, Osodu had opposed the appearance of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, to defend Farotimi.

After taking arguments from the parties, the chief magistrate, Adeosun, adjourned till December 20 to rule on the bail application.

Meanwhile, the planned protest slated for Ekiti State Command Headquarters of Nigeria Police Force organised by the Take it Back Movement failed to hold on Tuesday as no protester was seen in sight.

A community leader and the Olotin of Ado Ekiti, Chief Michael Osaloni, had on Monday cautioned those planning to stage a protest in the state on Tuesday “to steer clear of Ekiti as they would not like the outcome, they should, in their own interest shelve it or else face the consequences”.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Police Command, Sunday Abutu, had also earlier warned against protests in the state.

“The state here is peaceful, the metro here is peaceful. There is no protest here in Ekiti. As a matter of fact, nobody informed us officially that there would be any protest, we just heard it through rumour.

“Though protest is the right of everyone, when we heard about that, we warned that people should desist from unlawful protest. We are happy Ekiti is peaceful. We are glad and we appreciate the good people of Ekiti State for not joining any form of illegal protest to put the state in a state of chaos,” the PPRO said.
In his reaction to the court ruling, the 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, stated on his X handle, “The ruling on @delefarotimi’s bail application was today adjourned till December 20.

“@DeleFarotimi has been sent back to prison for the next 10 days. See what begging has done? #FreeDeleFarotimiNow,” Sowore stated

Recall that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, had on Monday visited Afe Babalola in Ado Ekiti to plead with him over the case of Farotimi, a move Sowore condemned on his X-handle, saying, “I condemn those who went to beg Chief Afe Babalola today (Monday) over the unjust detention and persecution of @DeleFarotimi”.

 

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Gunmen attack Anambra community, kill one, burn vehicles

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Unidentified gunmen have attacked Amesi community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, destroying its town hall, burning down cars and killing one person.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the incident happened on Friday morning.

It would be the first time criminals are operating in the state after a long while, as a result of measures put in place by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

In Friday’s early morning attack, members of the community described the incident as having caused chaos as the attackers stormed the hall, burning at least three vehicles, 2 motorcycles and firing sporadically.

The identity of the slain victim has not yet been officially released as at the time of filing this story.

A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, a member of the community who inspected the damage called on the state governor to come to their aid.

He said: “Anambra is still bleeding, our towns, our villages, our people—still live under the shadow of fear. We must listen. And we must act.”

A local resident who asked not to be named for fear of attack said: “This cannot continue. We deserve to sleep without fear. We deserve leaders who will fight for our safety, not merely manage our pain.”

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Man arrested for alleged trafficking of girl into prostitution in Bauchi

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The Bauchi State Police Command has apprehended a 26-year-old man, Johnson John, from Gwallameji, for allegedly trafficking a 19-year-old woman, Cecelia Cosmos, into prostitution.

The incident unfolded on April 12, 2025, when John lured Cecelia with promises of a job opportunity in Lagos State.

Cecelia’s mother, Rhoda Cosmos, filed a report with the ‘E’ Police Divisional Headquarters on April 19, 2025, after learning of her daughter’s disappearance.

The investigation revealed that Cecelia was handed over to a woman known only as “Mama,” who trafficked her to Burkina Faso for sexual exploitation.

Following the report, Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, instructed immediate action. John was arrested and confessed to his role in the crime.

The investigation is ongoing, and the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further proceedings. The suspects are expected to face charges in court after the investigation is complete.

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Mysterious Kano ditch of death “swallows” boys amid fear of supernatural forces

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Panic and fear have gripped residents of Musukwani area in Jakara, Kano Municipal Local Government Area, following the mysterious disappearance of two young boys believed to have gone missing inside a large, deep ditch in the neighborhood.

The alarming incident has raised fresh concerns, with locals linking the location to possible supernatural forces due to repeated strange occurrences in the area.

Eyewitnesses say the latest case happened on Monday, April 21, 2025, when one of the boys reportedly removed his clothes and wallet — which contained money — and handed them over to some people nearby before entering the ditch.

“We were sitting here when the boy came, took off his clothes, including his wallet with money, and asked us to keep them for him. He said he was going into the ditch to check something, as they usually store things like rods inside. He never came back. Even after nightfall, we closed our shops and went home. The next morning, there was still no sign of him. His belongings are still with us,” Abdul Basit Yusha’u Safiyanu told Ekwutosblog.

This is not an isolated incident. Just a few days earlier, another boy named Dan Sani also entered the same ditch with a friend and was never seen again. His disappearance remains unresolved.

Musa Hamza, a community leader and maternal uncle of (Dan Sani) one of the missing boys, expressed deep concern and frustration.

 

“He’s my nephew, about 12 years old. He and his friend came to the ditch. He told his friend to wait while he went in. When the friend noticed he wasn’t coming back, he ran home to tell us. We searched everywhere — even the mortuary — but nothing. All we have now are rumors and fear. Even the fire service officers who entered the ditch struggled to get back out,” he lamented.

Efforts to rescue the boys were made by the Kano State Fire Service. According to the commission’s spokesperson, Saminu Yusuf Abdullahi, the service received a distress call at exactly 3:55 p.m. on April 21.

“In response to a call from one Hamisu Wakili, our team rushed to the site in Jakara, but unfortunately, we could not find the missing individuals, and had to call off the operation,” he confirmed in a phone interview with Ekwutosblog.

 

Residents, however, believe the ditch may have more than meets the eye. Some, like Sadam Saraki, linked the area to paranormal activity, claiming it has long been known as a hub for spiritual and mysterious happenings.

Now, the people of Jakara are calling on the Kano State Government and emergency agencies to urgently investigate and take action before more lives are lost.

“People are scared. We can’t sleep with both eyes closed anymore,” one resident said.

The fate of the missing boys remains unknown, as the community anxiously awaits answers.

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