St. Charles Old Boys holds commendation service for Lagbaja

St Charles Grammar School Osogbo Old Boys Association (SCOBA) on Friday held a Commendation Service for the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.

The Commendation Service held at St Lawrence Catholic Church, Osogbo, Osun State, was attended by SCOBA members, students, and staff of St Charles Grammar School among other people in the state.

SCOBA Global General Secretary, Mr. Leye Odetoyinbo, one of the founding fathers of SCOBA, Professor Benjamin Babatunde, and the Principal of St. Charles Grammar School, Osogbo who was Lagbaja’s schoolmate, Mr Ajayi Oluwatoyin and Rev. Fr. Femi Adetumji, a SCOBA member, described the death of the late Chief of Army Staff as a great loss.

They noted that Lagbaja lived an eventful life and would forever be remembered for what he contributed to the school and the nation.

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 Earlier on Thursday, SCOBA organised a funeral procession from the School to St. Benedict Catholic Church, Popo area in Osogbo, in honour of Lagbaja, and students and staff of the school joined the procession.

Obasanjo, Shettima, Atiku, ex-govs storm Kano for Kwankwaso daughter’s wedding

Kano literally stood still on Saturday as eminent personalities across the country including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Vice President Kashim Shettima and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar breezed into the city to witness the wedding Fatiha of the daughter of former Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The wedding fatiha took place at the palace of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi, and conducted by the Chief Imam of the city central mosque, Prof. Sani Zahraddeen.

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, gave Kwankwaso’s daughter, Dr Aishatu Kwankwaso’s hand in marriage to Fahad, the son of Katsina-based business mogul, Dahiru Mangal.

The sum of N1 million was paid as dowry by the groom amid thunderous supplication to Allah(SWT).

The arrival of former President Obasanjo, wearing a red cap which is the symbol of the Kwankwasiyya political movement led by Kwankwaso, took the attention of many, especially the Kwankwasiyya supporters.

Former Vice President Abubakar and former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, also graced the occasion.

Other personalities that also graced the wedding are former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi; Senator Abdulaziz Yari, former Governor of Zamfara State; Senator Adamu Aliero, former Governor of Kebbi State; and Senator Abdul Ningi.

Former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State, former Governor Mahamud Shinkafi of Zamfara State, former Governor Isah Yuguda of Bauchi State, former Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom, and former Governor Achike Udenwa of Imo State were present.

Dapo Abiodun ally Bidemi Rufai released from US prison

Abidemi Rufai, Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun’s associate, has been released from prison in the United States, Peoples Gazette has learnt.

Mr Rufai, 47, was released from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ custody in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 15, 2024, The Gazette understands via correctional documents. The convicted felon would now ready himself for deportation from the U.S. as stipulated in his guilty plea. His Nigerian passport was returned to him on October 21, 2024, after he filed a motion to reduce his sentencing.

When he pleaded guilty to allegations of tax fraud and aggravated identity theft in 2022, Mr Rufai waived his rights to challenge deportation after serving out his jail sentence.

He was sentenced to 60 months in prison on two counts of fraud in 2022 after prosecutors presented a strong case of multimillion-dollar fraud backed with 100,000 pages of evidence before a federal judge in Tacoma, Washington. The terms were scheduled to run concurrently.

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Mr Rufai, widely known as Elele Ruffy, was scheduled to be released on Valentine’s Day in 2025 but a judge approved his motion to be released earlier based on new sentencing guidelines, and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons forwent the three months left of his sentence.

He was ordered to pay $607,000 in restitution to the U.S. government agencies across multiple states, and a Nigerian court ordered the seizure of his Lekki mansion in Lagos and bank accounts after the anti-graft office EFCC filed fraud charges against him.

Mr Rufai was widely known as a notorious Internet fraud ringleader in Lagos and Ogun for many years before he extended his fraudulent operations to the U.S., where he got nabbed.

He served in the same prison as infamous Internet fraudsters Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas and Jacob Olalekan Ponle, also known as Mr Woodberry, who are still serving long sentences in American jails.

It was not immediately clear whether or not Mr Rufai would return to his job as an aide to Mr Abiodun in Ogun. The governor was arrested for fraud in Florida over three decades ago, but his punishment was unclear.

Dapo Abiodun ally Bidemi Rufai released from US prison