A man has shared the chats Ayomide Adeleye sent to his sister, asking for personal details about her life.

He shared the chats after it emerged that Ayomide kidnapped and allegedly murdered a student of FUNAAB, Christianah Idowu, after collecting ransom from her family.

The man, who grew up with both Ayomide and Christianah, shared screenshots that make him believe the suspect was also trying to prey on his sister.

In the chats, Ayomide is seen asking the man’s sister when she will return from school.

When she told him it’ll be weeks before she’s back, Ayomide complained that it’s “far”.

He’s also seen in the chats, expressing concern for his friend Christianah’s safety, despite having allegedly murdered her.

It has now been alleged that he had k!lled his ex-girlfriend and his blood sister but both de@ths were swept under the rug.

See below.

Linda Ikeji

Rebecca Cheptegei the Olympic athlete who was on Sunday set alight by an ex-boyfriend finally succumbed to death following her severe injuries. Cheptegei died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend.

The 33-year-old Rebecca Cheptege, a Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the just concluded Paris Olympics, suffered extensive burns after the Sunday attack.

The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said that he had lost a “very supportive” daughter. Fellow Ugandan athlete James Kirwa told the BBC about her generosity and how she had helped out other runners financially.

A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.

Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a plot in Trans Nzoia county and built a house to be near Kenya’s elite athletics training centres.

Attacks on women have become a major concern in Kenya. In 2022 at least 34% of women said they had experienced physical violence, according to a national survey.

Read also: Olympic marathon runner hospitalised after boyfriend ‘set her on fire’ with fuel

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which has increasingly affected even elite sports,” Kenya’s Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said.

Speaking to journalists outside the hospital where she had been treated, Mr Cheptegei asked the Kenyan government to ensure justice was done after the death of his daughter.

“We have lost our breadwinner,” he added and wondered how her two young children would “proceed with their education”.

Dr Kimani Mbugua, a consultant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, told local media that the staff did all they could for her but the athlete “had a severe percentage of burns, which unfortunately led to multi-organ failure, which ultimately led to her passing this morning at 05:30 [02:30 GMT]”.

Kirwa, who often trained with Cheptegei and had visited her in hospital, told the BBC she “was a very affable person. [She] helped us all even financially and she brought me training shoes when she came back from the Olympics. She was like an older sister to me”.

Uganda’s athletics federation said in a post on X: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei early this morning who tragically fell victim to domestic violence. As a federation, we condemn such acts and call for justice. May her soul rest In Peace.”

“This is heart-breaking. Even more heart-breaking that it’s not the first time the athletics community has lost such an incredible female athlete to domestic violence,” British Olympian runner Eilish McColgan wrote on X.

Cheptegei’s former boyfriend was also admitted to the hospital in Eldoret – but with less severe burns. He is still in intensive care but his condition was “improving and stable”, Moi hospital’s Dr Owen Menach said.

Earlier, local police chief Jeremiah ole Kosiom was quoted by local media as saying: “The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her.”

“This was a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete. Her legacy will continue to endure,” the head of Uganda’s Olympic committee Donald Rukare said on X.

Talking to reporters earlier in the week, her father said that he prayed “for justice for my daughter”, adding that he had never seen such an inhumane act in his life.

Uganda’s Sports Minister Peter Ogwang said arrangements were being made to transport Cheptegei’s body back to Uganda for burial.

Cheptegei finished 44th in the marathon at the recent Paris Olympics.

She also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in 2022.

Her death comes after the killings of fellow East African athletes Agnes Tirop in 2021 and Damaris Mutua the following year, with their partners identified as the main suspects in both cases by the authorities.

Tirop’s husband is currently facing murder charges, which he denies, while a hunt for Mutua’s boyfriend continues.

“Today has been a sad moment for me. It has been a sad moment for athletes because it really reminded us [of] the day that Agnes was murdered,” Kenyan athlete Joan Chelimo told the BBC.

She is involved in Tirop’s Angels, an organisation she said was set up as a “wake-up call” after Tirop’s murder to address gender-based violence.

“We say we need to unite together as athletes and just try to raise awareness, create a place where women can just come and speak up. But it is still on the rise.”

Cheptegei’s friend Milcah Chemos-Cheywa, a Kenyan athlete who with her in Paris, echoed these feelings.

“I can say we are still in shock, and we are in pain, especially as athletes, and this thing happening in Kenya,” she told the Reuters news agency. “We remember the case of Agnes Tirop, now it has come to Rebecca, so we are not happy.’’

BBC

Press Release

FIDA Nigeria engages government, traditional, and religious leaders to strengthen gender-based violence prevention mechanisms in Plateau, Ekiti, and Lagos states

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, with support from the Ford Foundation, has launched a significant new initiative aimed at strengthening gender-based violence (GBV) prevention mechanisms in Plateau, Ekiti, and Lagos States. This initiative is under the auspices of the “Engagement, Coordination, and Sharing of Lessons on GBV Prevention between Religious, Traditional, and Government Leaders in Nigeria” project. This three-year intervention is expected to commence in July 2024 and culminate in June 2027.

Mrs. Amina Suzanah Agbaje, Country President of FIDA Nigeria, in a statement disseminated to the press, informed Nigerians that this initiative will work closely with key community gatekeepers, including traditional leaders, relevant state actors, religious leaders, and male champions, to institutionalize structures for preventing gender-based violence. Through a five-pronged approach and interconnected intervention areas, this initiative will focus on addressing religious and cultural barriers that impede the functionality of gender-sensitive legal frameworks on preventing gender-based violence, enhancing collaboration and coordination among relevant actors and gatekeepers through a series of dialogues and shared learning forums, while documenting lessons, amplifying successes, and evolving strategies for preventing gender-based violence.

Lending credence to the aforementioned statement, the National Program Manager, FIDA Nigeria, alluded to the preventive approach the organization intends to implement as it aims to accelerate changes in attitudinal behaviors and abandon social and cultural norms that undermine the rights of women and girls in Plateau (North Central), Lagos, and Ekiti (South-West) States.

Mr. Fikih Obaro further emphasized the crucial role of traditional and faith leaders in preventing gender-based violence due to their knowledge of local contexts and their understanding of the predisposing factors and practices that perpetuate GBV. He highlighted the primary goals of the project, which include:

• Engaging traditional and faith leaders from target communities as agents of change and advocates for women and girls.
• Providing platforms for cohesion between governments, traditional, and religious leaders in addressing and preventing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) through shared understanding.
• Developing a cohort of gatekeepers who will reject social norms and practices that subjugate the rights of women.

Offering stock-taking, shared learnings, and collaborative platforms among beneficiaries to prevent gender-based violence.

In conclusion, the Country Vice/National President, Mrs. Amina Suzanah Agbaje, encouraged the public to support efforts to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence in local communities across Nigeria. She also invited everyone to follow FIDA Nigeria’s activities related to this project on social media:

• Facebook: @fidanig
• X (Twitter): @fidanigeria
• Instagram: fida.nigeria
• Website: www.fida.org.ng

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

God bless FIDA Nigeria

Amina Suzanah Agbaje (Mrs)

Country Vice /National President

• Defence Minister relocates to fight insecurity in Sokoto, as Odinkalu throws shades at Matawalle

Muhammadu Yahaya, Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, has condemned the recent attack in Mafa, Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Over 80 people have been reportedly killed and more than 100 missing after men suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists swooped on Mafa, a community in Yobe State, the northeastern part of Nigeria.

Governor Yahaya, in a press statement signed on Wednesday by the Director-General, Press Affairs, Gombe Government House, Ismaila Misilli, described the attack as a senseless act of violence that has caused immense grief to the affected families and communities.

Members of the community are still searching for their loved ones after the rampaging terrorists set fire shops, homes and indeed the entire community on fire.

The attack took place on Sunday afternoon.

A member of the community who spoke under anonymity said : “We lost our families, friends and associates to the deadliest attack at all times in Yobe State.

“The government must not be allowed to go on while people are mowed down in this heinous manner. The normalisation of brutal killing in Nigeria is alarming.”

“Around 150 suspected Boko Haram terrorists armed with rifles and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) attacked Mafa ward on more than 50 motorcycles,” said Dungus Abdulkarim, a police spokesman in Yobe State where the village is located.

“They killed many people and burned many shops and houses. We are yet to ascertain the actual number of those killed in the attack.”

Abdulkarim said the attack was apparent retaliation for the killing of two suspected Boko Haram fighters by local vigilantes.

Yobe is one of three states on the front line of a 15-year insurgency by Boko Haram and other hardline groups which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million. The armed groups have strengthened their position by working with gangs of criminals known as “bandits”, who raid villages, kill and abduct residents, and burn homes after looting them.

Officials said efforts were continuing to confirm the number of people killed in Mafa.

“It has been established that at least 81 people were killed in the attack,” said Bulama Jalaluddeen.

“Fifteen bodies had already been buried by their relations by the time soldiers reached Mafa for the evacuation of the corpses. In addition to these, some unspecified number of dead victims from nearby villages who were caught up in the attack were taken and buried by their kinsmen before the arrival of the soldiers. Many people are still missing and their whereabouts unknown.”

A military official who accompanied the army’s commanding officer for Yobe to Mafa on Monday evening said the route to the village had been rigged with explosives, which troops managed to defuse.

“We recovered 37 corpses and brought them to Babangida General Hospital,” the official told the Reuters news agency. He declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Modu Mohammed, who lives in Mafa, said several more residents were missing and estimated the death toll at more than 100. He said some corpses were still in the bush.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa, have finally relocated to Sokoto in obedience to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to coordinate troops’ efforts in the fight against banditry and other elements of insecurity.

A statement by the ministry of defence, yesterday, noted that the minister and CDS, on arrival, paid a crucial visit to the 8 Division Headquarters in Sokoto State.

The Minister, the statement stated, was accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj Gen Emmanuel Undiandeye; and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Brig Gen IA Ajose, alongside other very senior military officers.

“The purpose of this high-level visit was to review the ongoing operations of 8 Division and issue a directive to the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji to intensify their efforts in flushing out bandits and terrorists from the region, in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“During the visit, Dr. Matawalle expressed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to restoring peace and security in the Northwest,” the statement stated.

But Chidi Odinkalu, a law teacher and rights activist, could not resist throwing a jab at Matawalle, who was fully kitted out in military garb.

Read his tweet below.

Rebecca Cheptege, a Ugandan Olympic marathon runner has been hospitalized with 75 percent burns after allegedly being set on fire by her boyfriend.

Cheptegei, who represented Uganda at the Paris 2024 Olympics, had recently returned to Kenya.

Police have confirmed Cheptegei was attacked by her former boyfriend Dickson Ndiema in her house in western Trans Nzoia County, where she had been training.

Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said her former partner had bought a can of petrol, poured it on her, and set her ablaze during a disagreement on Sunday.

‘The boyfriend is believed to have sneaked into the compound at around 2pm on Sunday while the wife and the children were in Church,’ Kosiom said, as per the Kenyan newspaper The Standard.

‘Upon returning, Dickson, who had procured petrol, began pouring it on Rebecca before he set her ablaze.

‘The couple were heard quarrelling outside their house. During the altercation, the boyfriend was seen pouring a liquid on the woman before burning her. 

‘The suspect was also caught by the fire and sustained serious burns.’

Cheptegei is currently being treated at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret city.

Ndiema, who also sustained burns, is being treated at the same hospital.

The Ugandan Athletics Federation confirmed the attack on social media.

‘We regret to announce that our athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed at the Olympics has suffered severe injuries and is hospitalised at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret. 

‘This follows an incident involving her Kenyan boyfriend pouring petrol and setting fire on her.’

Neighbours helped to extinguish the flames, according to local reports, with both being admitted to hospital with extensive burns.

Police discovered a five-litre jerry can, a bag, and a burned phone at the scene of the incident, according to Kenyan newspaper The Nation.

The local police chief stated that the couple had been heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire was started.

Cheptegei was reported to have bought the land in Trans Nzoia county, located close to the Uganadan border, and built a house.

The house is close to several training centres in Kenya. 

Cheptegei finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last month.

In 2022, the 33-year-old also won gold at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Linda Ikeji

Against the reports that terrorists loyal to notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji captured a military Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in Zamfara State, fresh facts have emerged revealing a more nuanced situation.

Credible local security sources in the North-Western state have informed PRNigeria that the terrorists did not forcefully seize the military vehicle.

Instead, the sources explained that the APC became stuck in a marshy area while troops responded to a distress call after a failed high-level reconciliatory meeting between bandits and locals in Zurmi. The troops were forced to abandon the vehicle temporarily and return to their base for reinforcement and a suitable vehicle to tow the APC.

Recall that an online amateur video showed Bello Turji and his gang celebrating their recent capture of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) belonging to the Nigerian Army. The footage also displayed the gang boasting about their acquisition of a significant cache of ammunition.

However, one of the sources, with substantial evidence to support his assertion, narrated to PRNigeria how the military vehicle got into the hands of Turji’s bandits.

He said: “This is what happened. The Nigerian military was alerted by a distress call about a high-level reconciliatory meeting between Balleri banditry gang and some Zamfara locals in the Zurmi axis. But by the time the Baleri boys arrived at the meeting venue, they were attacked by another group also invited to the truce meeting.

“The meeting was called to resolve the differences between the locals and the bandits, similar to the same truce working in the Shinkafi area where there is relatively peaceful coexistence.

“So, it was in the process that troops swung into action. Unfortunately, the APC vehicle they boarded to the area became stuck in a marshy area. As a result, they could not move. Therefore, they had to temporarily abandon the military vehicle, return to their base for adequate reinforcement, and bring in another truck that could tow the APC.

“So, the military APC was not captured by Bello Turji and his terrorists. They only took over the vehicle after noticing that troops had withdrawn for formidable reinforcement to avoid being ambushed. You know it would be foolhardy for the troops to remain with their stranded vehicle. Their adversaries could easily launch a deadly ambush attack. So, the reports that Bello Turji captured a military vehicle in Zamfara yesterday were baseless,” the source said.

PRNigeria gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday evening.

The brutal murder of two hungry women, Mariah Makgato and her friend Lucia Ndlovu, who were collecting discarded food on a farm outside Polokwane, Limpopo, has angered the whole nation including the Police Minister who wants the perpetrators to be shown no mercy at all.

The incident has sparked outrage and condemnation and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu joining thousands of South Africans in calling for justice.

The angry victims were collecting expired dairy products dumped by a Clover truck, were shot and killed on August 17th, 2024, by the farm owner, Zachariah Johannes Olivier, and his farm supervisor, Andrian Rudolph De Wet. A third suspect, William Musora, an illegal migrant from Zimbabwe and was working at this farm, was also arrested and charged in connection with the murders.

Makgato, a mother of four, and Ndlovu, a 34-year-old Zimbabwean national, were accompanied by Ndlovu’s husband, who miraculously survived the attack after being shot but managed to flee.

“It is alleged that accused one (Olivier) cut the firearm used in the murder and disposed of it along the R80 road,” said Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, spokesperson for the Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The following day, Musora, who was working on the farm illegally, discovered the bodies and reported his findings to Olivier and De Wet. The three men then allegedly moved the bodies to the pig stalls, where the pigs began to consume them.

The NPA alleges that Olivier and De Wet had a pre-meditated plan to shoot any community members who trespassed onto their farm. The two men allegedly fired multiple shots at the victims, killing Makgato and Ndlovu instantly.

The three accused men have been charged with two counts of premeditated murder, one count of attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice. Musora faces an additional charge of being in South Africa illegally.

Minister Mchunu has expressed his outrage at the crime, calling it a “horrific act” that shows a complete disregard for human life.

“The horrific nature of this crime demands that justice be served without leniency. I strongly condemn this act and hope that the court will recognise the gravity of this situation during the formal bail application,” said Mchunu.

Mchunu also stated that granting the suspects bail would undermine the severity of their alleged crimes and pose a significant threat to public safety.

The incident has sparked widespread condemnation, with political parties and community leaders expressing their shock and outrage. Many have called for the harshest possible punishment for the accused.

Walter Mathole, Makgato’s brother, described the horrific ordeal, saying that he went to the farm after his sister failed to return home, but was met with indifference from the farm workers.

“I went to the farm asking if they had seen my sister but they did not provide me with any helpful information. I also asked workers at the farm but they said they were not at work when the incident happened,” Mathole told the SABC.

Mathole said a neighbour of the farm informed him that he had heard gunshots.

“We have lost so much. My sister’s children are now orphans and it will now be my duty to take care of them. I need help and I want the accused people to be denied bail,” he said.

The three accused men appeared in court on Friday, August 23rd, 2024, where their case was postponed to August 30th for profiling. They remain in custody.

The police were alerted to the incident after Makgato and Ndlovu’s families could not locate them. The police discovered the bodies of the women in an advanced state of decomposition.

Malabi-Dzhangi said that they received a report that Olivier had crushed the firearm used in the murder and disposed of it along the R80 road.

Celebgossip

The Edo State Police Command has said it has arrested a 19-year-old self-acclaimed native doctor over the death of his client.

The native doctor, who specialises in preparing charms against the effect of gunshots and cutlass attacks, killed his client while trying to prove the efficacy of a charm he prepared for the deceased.

The incident occurred at Onumu Community, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, on August 20.

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Moses Yamu, in a statement on Monday, said the victim, Alex Ezekiel, approached the suspect and requested the bulletproof charm.

“One Alex Ezekiel ‘m’ now deceased, went to the “native doctor” to get the charms prepared for him.

“After preparing the charms, the native doctor tried to test the efficacy of the charm by shooting the deceased with a gun.

“Unfortunately, the deceased sustained fatal injuries and was rushed to Ifejola Hospital, Igarra, where he was certified dead by a medical Doctor,” the statement said.

Yamu said the suspect would face prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded.

PUNCH