metro

Ogun Pastor Dies in Crash Hours After Allegedly Killing Wife in Domestic Dispute

Published

2 months ago

September 3, 2026

Commissioner of Police (CP) for Ogun State is Bode Ojajuni

Ogun Pastor Dies in Crash Hours After Allegedly Killing Wife in Domestic Dispute

CCC evangelist Abidemi Odukoya allegedly beat his wife to death before dying in a road accident while fleeing the scene in Ogun State.

The Ogun State community of Akinode/Ibogun has been thrown into mourning following the tragic deaths of a Celestial Church of Christ evangelist, Abidemi Odukoya, and his wife, Adenike, who died hours apart under circumstances linked to an alleged domestic violence incident.

The couple, who resided within the church premises of CCC Dews of Heaven Parish, also known as Iri Orun, were reportedly involved in a heated argument that escalated into a physical confrontation in the early hours of Monday, August 25, 2026. According to police sources, the incident was reported at approximately 2:00 am on August 31, 2026.

During the altercation, which occurred around 3:00 am, Adenike Odukoya allegedly sustained severe head injuries after her husband reportedly hit her against a wall, leaving her unconscious. Their son immediately raised the alarm, prompting neighbours and members of the local Community Development Association to rush to the scene in a desperate attempt to provide emergency assistance.

A former Chairman of the Community Development Association, Adejimi Olawumi, described the harrowing discovery in a video shared by Arole TV. He recounted being alerted by residents’ cries for help around 1:00 am. “On my way out, I saw Daniel. I asked him what happened, and he said it was his mum and dad,” Olawumi said. “Immediately, we got inside the house and saw the wife in a pool of blood. At that time, there were no vehicles to take her to the hospital. The son said he did not see what happened between his mum and dad because he was in the other room.”

READ ALSO:

Despite the neighbours’ efforts to save her, Adenike Odukoya was pronounced dead at the scene. Her remains were evacuated and deposited at the Ifo General Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination. She was laid to rest at the family residence later that day, at approximately 2:00 pm.

After discovering that his wife was unresponsive, Evangelist Odukoya allegedly fled the residence. While residents were still grappling with the shocking discovery, another grim report emerged at approximately 6:00 am. The community received word that a man’s body had been found along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, in the Iyana Coker area of Ifo.

CDA officials who went to the location confirmed that the deceased was Evangelist Odukoya. He had reportedly been struck by an oncoming vehicle on the busy highway. Some eyewitness accounts alleged that the evangelist deliberately stepped into the path of an oncoming Dangote cement truck, but this claim has not been independently confirmed and remains under investigation. Detectives later visited the morgue where the unidentified body from the accident had been deposited. Photographs were taken and used for identification, after which investigators confirmed that the deceased was the man suspected of killing his wife.

The late evangelist’s younger sister, in a separate video circulating online, claimed that the couple had a history of repeated disagreements. She said the couple had visited her around April following an earlier altercation, which was eventually resolved at a police station. She recounted: “I have been hearing that they have been fighting for a while now. Around April, they came to my house. He explained everything about how he and his wife fought, and that it was at the police station they settled it. I only told them to be patient with each other because it is not right for a husband and wife to fight against each other. They had been fighting for a very long time, and people helped them settle it. And now we just heard that the husband and wife are dead.”

The wife was reportedly buried on the day of the incident, while Odukoya was buried on Wednesday, September 2. In separate footage seen by PUNCH Metro, some clerics were seen performing burial rites over the remains of the evangelist at an undisclosed location. The family of the deceased woman has reportedly approached the police, requesting the release of her remains for burial.

When contacted, the deputy spokesman for the Ogun State Police Command, Opeyemi Oluborode, confirmed the incident and said investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding both deaths. “The police is investigating the incident,” he added. The double tragedy has plunged the couple’s family, church members, and the surrounding community into mourning as authorities work to unravel what happened in the early hours of that fateful morning.

Ogun Pastor Dies in Crash Hours After Allegedly Killing Wife in Domestic Dispute

Up Next

Two Grandfathers Among Five Arrested Over Alleged Motorcycle Theft Syndicate in Calabar

Don't Miss

Edo Police Arrest Cleric Accused of Making ‘Protective Charms’ for Kidnap Gangs

metro

SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

Published

11 hours ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to account for more than ₦126.46 billion allocated for electoral operations, asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the commission to disclose how the public funds were spent.

The lawsuit, filed last week and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2507/2026, followed findings attributed to the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2023 audited report, published on August 7, 2026. The reported irregularities relate mainly to transactions carried out in 2022, with some extending into 2023.

SERAP is seeking a court order compelling INEC to provide a detailed financial and documentary account of the funds, including the amounts released and paid, the beneficiaries, the contractors involved and the beneficial owners of the companies that received the payments.

The organisation also wants the commission to provide evidence that the goods and services covered by the transactions were delivered, explain how the electoral materials were used and disclose their present location and condition.

According to SERAP, the money was intended for the procurement of ballot boxes, electoral devices, sensitive election materials, result sheets, vehicles and accreditation equipment, as well as audit services, consultancy, digital archiving and other electoral operations.

The organisation said the Auditor-General’s report raised concerns about several transactions, including more than ₦112.15 billion allegedly paid for ballot boxes, electoral devices and other materials without competitive bidding or a Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

READ ALSO:

SERAP said the audit findings indicated that there was no evidence that the items had been procured. It also cited concerns that contracts were awarded to companies whose competence, experience, operational capacity, addresses and factory locations were reportedly unknown.

The Auditor-General reportedly raised the possibility that the funds had been diverted and recommended their recovery. However, the allegations remain subject to verification and do not, by themselves, establish that the entire amount was stolen.

Another transaction highlighted by SERAP involved approximately ₦1.06 billion allegedly paid for Toyota Prado TXL 2021-model vehicles without the required advertisement, competitive bidding, bid evaluation or procurement clearance.

The organisation also cited more than ₦3.13 billion allegedly paid to four contractors for ballot guides, sensitive materials and result sheets before the contracts were awarded. According to SERAP, the audit raised questions about the transactions and the possibility that the money had been diverted.

A further ₦9.24 billion was reportedly paid under 22 contracts covering similar goods and services. SERAP said the Auditor-General questioned whether the contracts had been split to circumvent procurement rules and whether payments had been made for items that were not supplied.

Other transactions cited in the lawsuit included ₦129.37 million paid to 19 accounting firms for financial audit services without sufficient supporting evidence, more than ₦504 million for accreditation devices under questioned procurement arrangements, and about ₦235.1 million paid to contractors for sleeping mats and digital archiving.

SERAP wants INEC to provide documentary and physical evidence showing that the electoral materials covered by the disputed payments were actually procured. It is also asking the court to compel the commission to identify the contractors, suppliers, consultants and public officials who authorised or processed the transactions.

The organisation further wants INEC to ensure that electoral equipment and other public assets covered by the audit findings are not disposed of, transferred, destroyed or written off in ways that could frustrate investigations, transparency or the recovery of public funds.

SERAP argued that Nigerians have a right to know how money appropriated for elections was managed, particularly as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

It maintained that transparency in electoral spending is necessary to protect public confidence in INEC and ensure that funds allocated for credible elections are used for their intended purposes.

The organisation cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, national anti-corruption laws and Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption in support of its demand for accountability.

The suit was filed on SERAP’s behalf by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo.

No hearing date had been announced as of Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The case follows an earlier demand by SERAP in September, when the organisation gave INEC seven days to explain the expenditure and called for investigations into transactions flagged by the Auditor-General.

The latest legal action seeks to compel the electoral commission to provide the requested information through a court order.

SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

metro

Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

Published

11 hours ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

At least eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed after a military patrol vehicle struck a landmine along a highway in Borno State, north-east Nigeria.

The incident occurred on Saturday in Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, according to defence sources cited by AFP.

The soldiers were reportedly travelling along the highway while inspecting members of an anti-insurgency militia involved in clearing thick vegetation beside the road when their vehicle ran over the explosive.

The blast killed all eight soldiers aboard the vehicle, while a militia member supervising the vegetation-clearing operation sustained shrapnel injuries.

READ ALSO:

A member of the militia, Ibrahim Liman, said the explosive had been planted on the dusty road and detonated remotely.

The attack was blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an armed group that operates in the region and has repeatedly targeted security personnel and civilians.

The highway attack came amid renewed violence in Borno, where insurgents have continued to target military formations and patrols despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The incident also occurred on the day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the state capital, following a separate attack on a military base that reportedly killed 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.

ISWAP and its rival, Boko Haram, have increasingly used improvised explosive devices and landmines against military convoys and other road users in the North-East.

The latest incident underscores the continuing security risks along major highways in Borno, where thick vegetation can provide cover for insurgents to plant explosives and launch attacks on passing vehicles.

Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

metro

Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

Published

11 hours ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has recounted how her efforts to expose an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria were followed by threats and the kidnapping of her mother in 2012.

Okonjo-Iweala, who was Nigeria’s finance minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the kidnappers demanded that she resign from office and leave the country before her mother, Kamene Okonjo, would be released.

She said the abduction, which occurred in December 2012, subjected her family to five days of anguish and forced her to confront a painful choice between her public responsibilities and her mother’s safety.

According to her account, the crisis followed an investigation into suspicious claims submitted under Nigeria’s fuel subsidy programme. The investigation reportedly uncovered about $2.4 billion in fraudulent claims, prompting the government to withhold payments on the disputed transactions.

Okonjo-Iweala said she had raised concerns about the figures with the president and requested an audit of the accounts. After approval was granted, the review uncovered what she described as substantial fraud.

READ ALSO:

The former minister said the refusal to pay the disputed claims was followed by threats against her, before her mother was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State.

The kidnappers reportedly sought to pressure her into abandoning her position in government, making her resignation a condition for her mother’s release.

Okonjo-Iweala said the experience was devastating, admitting that she considered leaving office because her mother’s life was more important to her than her position.

She recalled that her father, the late Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, encouraged her not to surrender to blackmail and urged her to continue her work.

Her mother eventually escaped after spending five days in captivity, bringing the ordeal to an end.

The incident exposed the personal risks associated with efforts to investigate alleged financial abuses in Nigeria’s petroleum subsidy system, which had long been dogged by questions over payments to fuel importers and the verification of claims.

Okonjo-Iweala later became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, taking office as Director-General in March 2021.