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Akpabiogate: It’s a shame he hasn’t resigned as Senate President – Akeredolu
Nothing short of outright resignation of Godswill Akpabio as Senate President, seems satisfactory to Betty Akeredolu, wife of Rotimi Akeredolu, the late Governor of Ondo State, following the sex-for-favour scandal, involving him and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi Central at the National Assembly.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, practically set the Nigerian political firmament on fire when she alleged, last Friday that her refusal for the Senate President to bed her after several attempts, was at the root of the frosty relationship which came to the fore on Thursday, February 20, when the duo confronted each other on the floor of the Senate.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a guest on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS, gave instances where Akpabion told her that she could only have things easy if she could take care of him and allow him to take care of her, adding that her refusal to accede to the request had made her being handed the short end of the stick.
Reactions have trailed the revelation, with Ireti Kingibe, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s current colleague, and Abiodun Olujimi, trying to pour cold water on the issue, urging the Kogi Senator, who had actually taken out a N130billion suit against the Senate President, to sheathe her sword.
But in her own riposte, Akeredolu, in a piece titled: Godswill Obot Akpabio vs Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan: MATTERS ARISING, currently going viral on social media, took a different side altogether, praising the Kogi Senator for daring the odds in bringing the matter to the public arena.
She wrote: “In more civilised climes, Akpabio would have, by now, stepped down from office to clear his name and fight his battle. Drafting his wife to fight Senator Natasha is highly disingenuous and an attempt to dodge the bullets thereby throwing his wife under the bus. Dem miss road be dat!
“Back to the crux of the matter. In the first instance, reassigning seats without one’s knowledge is wrong! It’s disrespectful and infringes on one’s right. Even if it had been done in the past and men for what ever reason, cowardly, decided to keep mute, but a bold Natasha, belled the cat by saying in an unequivocal terms, that it was wrong and we took notice. A wrong approach can be corrected no matter how long it had been applied.
“That’s the argument. Some unserious women are talking “cho cho cho” blaming Natasha for being sentimental, and that has been Natasha’s way. What a pointless argument!. Natasha voiced her frustration, “having endured a lot”, according to her. That’s courage! That’s the kind of women we should support to represent us at the national assembly.
“Nigerian women have been so mistreated and overpowered in all spheres of life and consequently, cowed into silence. Is it not a BIG SHAME that Nigeria has only 4 female senators out of 107? We sure needed Natasha’s outburst for the country to take a second look at the National assembly to know what is happening in those chambers.
“Not a few Nigerians believe that our interests are not represented at the National Assembly tagging it as a retirement home which calls for an overhaul. Like Rosa Park, Natasha is on the part to making history. Nigerian women should rally round her. We need more of her type come next dispensation. Good girls don’t get corner office, according Millie Odiambo, the popular Kenyan female legislator.”
It was another day of misery in Kwara State, when daredevil terrorists reportedly stormed Yashikira Community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, and as has been the case in many of the attacks, abducting scores of residents including women and children.
But, apparently to register their authority, the gunmen, who were said to have operated for hours without challenge from the security operatives, were said to have torched the palace of the Emir.
The attackers, which reportedly occurred late Sunday night were said to have announced their presence through heavy firing and after storming the palace of the monarch during the period, set it on fire before whisking away their victims, but a similar attempt at the police station in the community, was repelled.
While some of the residents, narrated how the spent hours without resistance, leaving behind destruction and fear in the border community, another account said the villagers were caught unawares as the gunmen invaded the town under the cover of darkness.
However operatives made up of the police and military personnel, were said to have launched a manhunt immediately for the immediate rescue of the victims, including throwing a cordon in the area as part of the mission.
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
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