In a case that shook the Christian community in Cross River State, a self-proclaimed cleric and church founder, Apostle Favour Mexy Okoise has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple counts of rape and false pretences by a High Court in Calabar.

The church founder, an indigene of Esan West, Edo State, who formerly ran a fellowship before converting it into a full-fledged church, The Refiner’s Fire Church, was found guilty in two separate cases—HC-12C/2024 and HC-FC-5C/2024—on June 16 and 17, respectively.

The first case involved three counts of rape of three different ladies and one count of obtaining by false pretences, while the second centred on the rape of a 16-year-old minor.

Reports said that the court proceedings began in 2023.

The case was reportedly initiated by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP), under the leadership of Okoi E. Ukam, Esq., and prosecuted by Cletus Adama, Esq., both of the Cross River State Ministry of Justice.

Legal practitioner Doris Nduanusi, Esq., who watched brief on behalf of the victims, disclosed that Okoise manipulated young female members of the church by coercing them into sexual acts under the guise of spiritual initiation.

“He told them it was a rite of passage to be used by God and referred to it as a ‘special dealing’ with the Holy Spirit,” she said.

Although the Ministry of Justice led the prosecution, significant support came from the Gender and Development Action (GADA), a civil society group led by Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo.

“It was a collaborative effort that ensured the voices of the victims were heard,” Nduanusi stated.

Despite his conviction, church members were reportedly told that the church founder was “on the mountain interceding for their destinies” since his remand in February 2024.

“It was only after the judgement that some began to realise they had been deceived for over a year,” Nduanusi added.

The convicted pastor remained unrepentant throughout the trial, a fact noted by the presiding judge in her ruling.

“He showed no remorse for his actions,” the court observed.

Concerns have now shifted to the operational structure of the church, which allegedly continues to function under a new location in the Nassarawa axis of the city, despite the conviction.

“The government must take urgent steps to dismantle the entire structure that enabled such abuse,” Nduanusi said, citing the risk of continued psychological and physical harm to congregants or parishioners.

“There are reports that prominent local pastors maintained affiliations with the church even after being made aware of the allegations.

As of press time, it remained unclear whether The Refiner’s Fire Church is officially registered with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). However, ties reportedly exist between the church and senior PFN officials.

The Cross River State Ministry of Justice continues to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to justice and the rule of law.

In the first and second quarters of 2025 alone, the Ministry had secured convictions in multiple serious cases, including attempted murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, and arson.

The Conclave with reports from Tribune

The sincerity of the Federal Government to fight corruption has come under scrutiny with President Bola Tinubu’s congratulatory message to former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on his 50th Birthday.

Although the federal government, through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is prosecuting Bello over allegations of money laundering and criminal breach of trust related to ₦80.2 billion, the government has gone to court on his behalf in a defamation suit involving Senator Natasha Akpoti and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The EFCC is prosecuting Bello on a 19-count charge. 

In a statement posted on Wednesday via the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, @NGRPresident, President Tinubu lauded Bello’s significant contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly highlighting his historic emergence as the youngest democratically-elected governor in the country’s Fourth Republic.

The President commended Bello’s leadership and his role in promoting youth participation in governance, describing his trajectory as both remarkable and inspiring.

“As he marks this golden milestone, President Tinubu wishes Alhaji Yahaya Bello continued good health, strength, and fulfilment in the years ahead,” the statement concluded.

By Chidi Odinkalu

Tomorrow, from its seat in Arusha, Tanzania, the African Court on Human and Peoples’​ Rights will issue judgment in 2 cases (Ado Shaibu et al v. Tanzania; & Abdul Omary Nondo, Deus Rweyemamu & Paul Kaunda vs Tanzania) in which Tanzanian citizens – including opposition political party leaders, candidates & voters – provided evidence that the Govt of Tanzania engaged in numerous acts in the context of the 2020 general elections that violated their basic civil and political rights.

The Court will begin reading decisions at 10 a.m. EAT (08:00 GMT). These two cases against Tanzania are listed as 9th and 10th on the docket. The reading of the decisions will be livestreamed and can be followed here: https://lnkd.in/e9JiKZxT.

In the Shaibu case, the applicants ask the Court to address the totality of violations committed by Tanzania in connection with the 2020 elections – including:

detention of candidates without cause;
* Arbitrary suspension of the campaigns of leading opposition candidates;

• Arbitrary disqualification of numerous candidates for parliament and district councils;
  
• Appointment of a ruling party cadre to serve as director of the National Election Commission;
  
• Barring the courts from considering challenges to the presidential election after the Electoral Commission had declared a winner;
  
• Violence directed at opposition candidates and their supporters, with particular violations of dignity committed against women candidates;
  
• Vote-buying, vote harvesting from un-gazetted polling stations;
  ballot-stuffing;
  
• Irregular counting of votes; revocation of the licence of publications and suspension of radio and TV stations that were independent or did not promote the positions of the ruling party; and throttling and suspension of telecommunication services, including cellular and internet services and social media platforms.
  
  Donald Deya, Ibrahima Kane & I are counsel in that case.
  
  In the Nondo, Rweyemamu & Kaunda case, applicants challenge provisions of the constitutions of the United Republic of Tanzania and of Zanzibar that grant the National and Zanzibari electoral commissions arbitrary powers that are unreviewable by any court and that fail to ensure any degree of independence from the President of Tanzania.
  
  Tomorrow’s judgments are of utmost importance given that Tanzania is due to hold general elections in less than four months, in late October.
  
  The judgments are expected to state what the Government of Tanzania must do, and by when, to comply with African and international law.
  
  Tanzania’s October elections are widely viewed – by international and national experts alike – as being among the most consequential of the nearly two dozen elections that have been or will be held in Africa in 2025-2026.

Armed bandits, on Tuesday, attacked military bases in Niger and Kaduna, killing an undisclosed number of soldiers.

At least four soldiers were reported wounded.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the army said its troops, in response, launched counterattacks, killing many bandits.

“On 24 June 2025, forward operating bases in the general areas of  Kwanar Dutse Mairiga and Boka Niger State, and Aungwan Turai Chikun LGA of Kaduna State, were attacked by bandits in a three-pronged attack,” the army said in a post on X on Wednesday.

It added, “In response, land and air component troops launched several counter-attacks that eliminated scores of bandits in the encounters.

“Sadly, some gallant warriors paid the supreme price in the day-long battles while four wounded in action troops are currently receiving treatment for their gunshot wounds.”

The military said clearance operations are underway in surrounding areas to pursue those who fled the scene.

They also added that additional updates about the bandits’ attacks would be provided later.

In the meantime, no fewer than 48 security operatives have been reportedly killed by rampaging bandits led by the notorious Bello Turji following an ambush near Shinkafi LGA in Zamfara.

Days ago, the Sokoto State government expressed readiness to negotiate with bandits, adding that the decision is not a show of weakness.

• Aisha Yesufu speaks [Video]

Peter Obi, , the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) during the 2023 presidential election, has lamented the unlawful demolition of his brother’s property in Lagos.

Obi poured out his pain over the issue on Tuesday via a statement on his official X account, saying that lawlessness must stop for Nigeria to thrive.

“This morning, my youngest brother called me frantically, informing me that a group of people had invaded his company property in Ikeja, Lagos, and were demolishing the building,” Obi explained.

“He had just come in from Port Harcourt and was denied entry to the property by security men who told him the building was being pulled down. They even informed him that this demolition had started over the weekend.

“As a peace-loving Nigerian, he quickly started processing to go to court immediately, not knowing what must have resulted in this, as they moved fast to destroy his home without any restraint.”

He also shared this in a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, June 25.

Obi said any society where lawlessness overrode the rule of law would not be a haven for investors adding that recent reports showing Nigeria’s human rights indicators had worsened merely highlighted severe shortfalls in government protection for civil liberties, personal security, and basic living standards.

Asserting that he was among the victims of human rights abuses in the country, Obi said:

“I know what I have been going through as a person in abuse of my human rights just because I contested a presidential election, which I have legitimate rights to do.

“So I imagine what small business owners, regular citizens, and vulnerable communities face every day,” he stated.

Reacting to how his brother’s property was being pulled down in the heart of Lagos without legal justification, he wondered, “If this level of lawlessness could happen to someone with a registered company and legitimate means, what hope would the ordinary Nigerian have?”

Narrating his brother’s ordeal, Obi said he got a call from him Tuesday morning that a group of people had invaded his property in Ikeja and were demolishing the building.

Obi said he rushed to Lagos from Abuja after the call on Tuesday morning and headed straight to the property and on his arrival, he was met by security people who tried to bar him from entering the property.

He stated that he humbly pleaded with them that the property belonged to his brother’s company, and from the records, the company had owned the property for over a decade but they told him they had a court judgement, which he immediately requested for.

“You would not believe that the court judgment they claim was issued against an unknown person, and squatters. I went further to ask about a demolition order or permit, and there was none,” Obi said.

“How do you sue an unknown person? How does a court issue a judgment in such a farce of a case? No one was served. No name was written. Yet they showed up with excavators and began destroying a structure that had stood for over 15 years.

“I immediately asked the excavators for the person who had sent them, and they said they didn’t know anyone, but they were only informed to come and demolish the house. I immediately told them to tell whoever it is that I would like to speak with them, if they can call my number, which I shared with the excavators, so that I can speak with whomever gave them the order to demolish the property.”

It turns out that the British man charged in connection with organising the “mock wedding” of a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl in Disneyland Paris was a convicted sexual offender.

French prosecutors said the 39-year-old man was a convicted sexual offender who is wanted in the UK. His name has not been made public.

He was arrested when police were called to the amusement park on Saturday morning at dawn by a “guest” who said he had been hired by the man to play the father of the bride.

The man said he had been paid €12,000 to play the role and that he only realised at the last minute that the “bride” was a child, according to a statement by Meaux prosecutor Jean-Baptiste Bladier.

The statement also said the Ukrainian girl – who arrived in France two days earlier – had not been a victim of either physical or sexual violence and had not been “forced to play the role” of bride.

A woman who says she was hired to play the role of a guest told BFMTV that when she arrived at Disneyland Paris she saw a “little girl dressed in white with her hair all done up and I saw a woman who picked her up in her arms… and I was shocked, I burst into tears”.

“When I saw [it was a] child – it was horrific.”

Around 100 French extras had been recruited to take part in the fake ceremony, which was to be filmed in a private capacity.

The British man had reportedly hired Disneyland Paris for several hours for the stunt, in which he was to play the role of the groom.

Preliminary findings also stated he had allegedly been “made-up professionally so that his face appeared totally different from his own”, according to the prosecutor.

Three other people – including the 41-year-old mother of the girl, a 24-year-old Latvian woman who was to play the bride’s sister and a 55-year-old Latvian man – were also arrested.

By Tuesday, only the British man was still being held by police.

The British man and the Latvian woman appeared in front of a judge in Meaux on 23 June, and the man was charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft and placed in pretrial detention.

The Latvian remains a witness in the investigation.

The prosecutor’s statement also said that Disneyland Paris had been “deceived” and that the organiser had used a fake Latvian ID to hire the venue. Disneyland Paris can be rented by members of the public outside opening hours.

BFMTV reported that the “mock wedding” may have cost organiser more than €130,000 (£110,000).

Mr Bladier’s statement said that the British man “was reportedly convicted in the past, including for offences of a sexual nature against minors.

“He is, as such, listed in the British database of sexual offenders and is currently wanted nationally by the judicial authorities of his country of origin due to a breach of the requirements deriving from said order.”

It is unclear, at this stage, what the point of the “stunt” was.

The investigation continues.

BBC

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team rested after presenting a roughly 30-minute case and calling zero witnesses in the music mogul’s federal criminal trial. Earlier today, the prosecution rested its case, which took just over six weeks.

Prosecutors said they do not intend to present a rebuttal case. 

Click here to continue reading.

Although the police in Delta State insist that the allegation is untrue, members of the Ndokwa ethnic nationality who were arrested and detained by the police while they were protesting the perennial blackout in their area maintain that they paid N400,000 for bail.

Last Monday, security operatives in the State apprehended 15 residents over their protest to alert the Federal Government that the people have lived in darkness for 20 years, notwithstanding that the government-owned Okpai Independent Power Plant, which supplies electricity to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and eight other states, is in their homeland.

The security officials also wounded some protesters and set ablaze several motorcycles belonging to residents who participated in the demonstration.

Sources told NDV that the police released some protesters after they paid various sums of money for bail.

Police didn’t collect money to release anybody — Edafe, PPRO

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, strongly debunked the claim that the police collected money to release any protester.

His words: “Nobody was released for money, please. Those arrested are to be charged in court. That is the directive of the Commissioner of Police.”

He also dismissed an allegation that the police set some protesters’ motorcycles ablaze, saying, “Firstly, the police did not burn motorcycles; the protesters had factions, and they attacked themselves.”

They collected N400,000 for bail — Ndokwa youth leader

An Ndokwa youth leader, who preferred anonymity, said, “Adoh Stanley, P. Venture, Adimali Endurance, Osuya Chukwunwike, Nzete Division, and Chineu are among those the police arrested.

“They were arrested in various locations, including one of the leaders named Stanley Adoh, who was arrested the next day at the Umuseti town hall.

“Our lawyer is making an effort to bail them out. However, some were released after they paid between N300,000 and N400,000 for bail. Mr. Stanley Adoh has been denied bail because of the non-payment of the N3 million demanded by the police. We hope that he will be arraigned in court on Monday (yesterday),” he said.

When asked why the peaceful demonstration descended into violence and led to the arrest of protesters and the use of tear gas, the youth leader replied, 

“The police started shooting tear gas at protesters to disperse them, but they left the spot and moved to another location before the anti-riot policemen arrived from Asaba and started shooting at random, destroying people’s motorcycles with armored vehicles and setting one on fire.”

A victim, who slept in a police cell for two days, last Wednesday, Peter, told NDV:

“I did not participate in the protest but drove to a newly opened hotel in Kwale, the headquarters of Ndokwa West Local Government Area, to collect money from the owner on June 16 (the day of the protest) when policemen savagely confronted and pounced on me.

“I deal in electronics; the owner of the hotel bought some electronics from me and owes me some money. On that day, I went there to see if he would give me part of the money because there was no market on that day.

“I drove my car to the hotel, and I met some soldiers with an army vehicle parked in front of the hotel. I greeted them, and they even asked me, ‘Anything for us? I said nothing, but I am coming. After parking my car inside the hotel, I emerged to greet the soldiers as the police team pulled up with their Hilux and Sienna cars.

“Many people fled when the police started chasing them, but I chose to stand with the soldiers because I did no wrong. However, one of them approached me, took hold of my waist, and claimed that I was among the demonstrators. Before I knew it, more people joined him, and they began beating me up after I said that I had only come out this evening.

“They used everything on me, including tear gas, a cutlass, and a battle axe. I’m not sure what I did to them, and I questioned whether someone had paid them to murder me because what they’re doing to me goes beyond the protest over the power outage. 

“A bystander who inquired as to why they were striking me with a battle axe was taken into custody.

“They pushed me into the Sienna vehicle after the beating. Inside the car, I noticed a lot of other people. After being carried to a junction, they motioned for us to descend, and we did. Before you know it, they asked us to return, so we did. They then transported us to the Ibusa Police Station.

“They transported us from Ibusa to the Rapid Response Squad before transferring us to the Asaba Police Headquarters.

“After two days in the cell, they collected N300,000 before releasing me on Wednesday.”

 Locals call on 

Oborevwori to step in

Residents said it was their right to protest and draw the government’s attention to the Ndokwa nation’s ongoing lack of electricity for roughly 20 years, and they urged Governor Oborevwori to step in.

“On June 16, 2025, Ndokwa sons and daughters came out to express our displeasure over the continued darkness in the land for more than 16 years, and I want to draw Governor Oborevwori’s attention to the inhumane treatment meted out,” stated Enete, an indigenous person.

“It is depressing to realize that, despite having a security force in Delta State that can use such weapons against peaceful demonstrators claiming their rights, kidnappings and herdsmen threats occur throughout the entire state.

“Why don’t these troops fight the criminals and return Delta State to its original purpose of being a land of milk and honey with immense peace and security?” 

“We urge His Excellency to stop the security forces in Delta State from using live ammunition against nonviolent demonstrators.

“You promised to protect us and promote development because we are your people. We look forward to your honoring this commitment, sir.

“Once more, we anticipate the unconditional release of those detained in Ndokwa land over the nonviolent demonstration, the cessation of ongoing arrests, and the acceleration of necessary measures to illuminate all communities in the Ndokwa nation, not just a portion of them. 

“Regardless of the provocations and inciting statements from the security forces under your command, the good people of the Ndokwa nation are awake and will not be deterred by any form of intimidation from continuing to demand their rights and privileges peacefully,” he declared.

The Bone of contention

The federal government, since 2005, inaugurated the Okpai-Oluchi IPP in Ndokwa land, which generates 480 megawatts of electricity to serve Abuja and other states. It excluded the host communities.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo assured the people, who expressed their grievances, that they would not be left out.

The IPP was later upgraded to provide a functional 930 megawatts of electricity, with an understanding to increase the power supply to host communities from 50 megawatts to 100 megawatts. This extension would include host community beneficiaries from the entire Delta North Senatorial District of Delta State.”

Twenty years later, the government has not completed the Okpai IPP step-down electricity project. The Ndokwa communities remain in darkness, and apparently, the government placed no urgency on the execution of the step-down.

However, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the extension of electricity to the communities, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) awarded a N4.2 billion contract in 2022 for the construction of a 132KV double circuit transmission line to improve electricity supply to the area.

 To date, there have been unexplained delays in executing the contract project.

The people are angry about the abandonment, and the reality that their leaders allegedly show little or no concern for the suffering of the masses incenses them even more.

That triggered the June 16 protest, which some Ndokwa leaders attempted to stop, but the youths resisted their overtures and went ahead.

Senator Nwoko, Ezechi’s involvement

Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North senatorial district) and  Nnamdi Ezechi (Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency) have separately advocated an investigation into the abandoned Okpai-Oluchi IPP expansion project since last year.

Ezechi disclosed that the contractor, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, and Agip Oil Company abandoned the expansion project, which commenced in 2017, resulting in the dilapidation of the infrastructure.

The House of Representatives heard that there was ambiguity surrounding the project’s contract amount, casting doubt on accountability and transparency in its execution.

This, coupled with the reluctance of plant operators to push aggressively for the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) because of the instability and fluctuations associated with the national grid, led the House to initiate an investigation early in 2024.

In response to Ezechi’s motion, the House of Representatives also decided to look into the $38.7 million NNPC–NAOC Joint Venture Okpai Independent Power Plant project Phase II’s abandonment. It directed its Committee on Power to examine the project’s termination by its two contractors, Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited (SCNL) and Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC).

The Ndokwa people have been marginalized for far too long, Senator Nwoko yelled in the Senate. He stated that the unexplained delays in Okpai IPP’s electricity step-down, which the people demanded during the June 16 protest, needed to be addressed.

 “Even though the Okpai Plant hosts several oil companies in its vicinity, including Nigeria Agip Oil Company, Sterling Exploration and Energy Production Company, Energia Limited, Midwestern Oil and Gas Limited, Pillar Oil Limited, Chorus Energy Limited, and more,” the senator claimed the residents of Ndokwa and the Delta North senatorial district have continued to lag significantly behind in terms of electricity supply.

 He went to see the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Minister of Power to ask them to help expedite the project’s completion, which could provide light to the entire Delta North.

 Findings

There appear to be discrepancies in the contract awards, as the contractors reportedly demanded contract variations, which prompted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the project.

 The slowed-down step-down of electricity from the Okpai IPP to the Ndokwa communities is because of price variations and the contractors’ request for additional funding. 

This has led to significant delays in completing the project and its subsequent failure to step down power to the host communities. There is currently no funding to execute the step-down project.

Residents of the Ndokwa East, West, and Ukwuani local government areas have been protesting, demanding the promised electricity supply from the Okpai-Oluchi power plant. The local communities have not benefited from the Okpai IPP for almost 20 years it has operated.

It was unacceptable, according to Senator Nwoko, that the Okpai Power Plant, which has increased its capacity to 980 megawatts, was not providing its host communities with electricity.

 While in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he had stated that certain foreign investors were prepared to carry out the projects, but they needed certain assurances from the government of Delta State.

His words: “There are financiers who have expressed willingness to fund these projects. They only require guarantees to recover their investments over a 20- to 24-year period. Once those guarantees are in place, the projects will proceed.”

Nwoko’s approach and intention that the Delta State government should finance the step-down, since the federal government had failed, did not go well with the governor, Rt. Hon. Oborevwori. He claimed the senator did not discuss the matter with him before making it public.

 What ought to be done by Tinubu and Oborevwori

Governor Oborevwori, who joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) like Nwoko, ought to have realized by now that Senator Nwoko was pressured to speak in this manner because the Okpai step-down demands a sense of urgency in the Ndokwa communities and other towns in the Delta North senatorial district.

For a comprehensive briefing and comprehension of the complexities surrounding the expansion project and the Okpai IPP step-down, the governor should extend an invitation to Senator Nwoko and Rt. Hon. Ezechi, who represents Ndokwa/Ukwuani in the House of Representatives, his deputy, and the leaders of the protesters.

 Although Oborevwori had already instructed Sir Monday Onyeme, his deputy, to deal with the situation, and the deputy governor had met with representatives of the Benin City Distribution Electricity Company (BEDC), it didn’t seem like the issue was yet distribution.

The transmission component is at issue. The governor can then schedule a meeting with President Tinubu, along with Senator Nwoko and Rt. Hon. Ezechi, to fully familiarize Mr. President with the specifics after gaining a thorough grasp of the problems and what needs to be done.

 Given the significance of the step-down project, President Tinubu should conduct a thorough analysis of the problems and guarantee the prompt restart and completion of the electricity step-down to the host communities by directing the EFCC to promptly submit its findings for the required action and allocating the funds required to finish the project.

For too long, the Ndokwa nation has been deprived of electricity on their territory. It is an embarrassment to the federal government that they must protest on June 16, nearly two decades later, in order to get the government to notice the anomaly. 

President Tinubu should prioritize the completion of the transmission double circuit line from the Okpa IPP to distribute electricity to the host communities.

 Governor Oborevwori must instruct the police in his state to drop the charges against the protesters who were arrested for demanding their rights. Both the injured citizens and those whose motorcycles and other property were damaged during the protest should receive compensation from the state government.

Source: Vanguard