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Police tortured me to lie about having affair with millionaire’s wife — Uber driver

Published

3 years ago

June 7, 2023

Thirty-three-year-old Bright Izedomni almost choked on emotion as he recalled and narrated his ordeal in the hands of policemen and women at the Ajiwe Police Station under the Lagos State Police Command last year December. The Uber driver trembled in remembered fear as the words tumbled out of his memory, finding release from his mouth. This was an ordeal Izedomni has kept buried for months inside of him, leading to him quitting his job as a Uber driver and running away from Lagos.

He narrated his encounter with a millionaire, Ikechukwu David Onwukwe; his wife, Mrs. Adeola Onwukwe; and the Police at Ajiwe Police Station and how fear had become his constant companion. He looked unkempt, hungry, and harried. He has been in hiding and looking over his shoulders for weeks and months. He trusts nobody and worries that Ikechukwu will unleash the police or his boys on him.

Tears shimmered in Izedomni’s eyes. And even as he fought them to stay put, they defeated him and streamed down his cheeks. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

He said: “I have never been so afraid in my life. Policemen and women tortured me with a cutlass, bottle and batons. I was slapped repeatedly and punched. They tied my hands and legs behind me and used the cutlass to beat me. The pain was unbearable for me.

“This happened in December, but till now I’m still having back pain and pains in different parts of my body. And while torturing me, the police kept shouting at me to confess that I had sex with Adeola and video-recorded everything.

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“I cried and screamed in pain. I wrote a statement, and they wrote another statement, appended my name to it, saying all sorts of lies against me. It was when I saw the indicting statement written by the police that I decided to admit to the lies. I lied that I had an affair with Mrs. Adeola. I didn’t want to die. I needed to leave that police station.”

Izedomni is the Uber driver accused by Ikechukwu, a multimillionaire of having an affair with his wife, Adeola. However, the case between Adeola and Ikechukwu is the custody of their four children. Ikechukwu took the children and relocated with them to Owerri in Imo State without recourse to the Child Rights Law and without his wife’s consent.

According to Adeola, there was no sexual relationship between her and Izedomni. It will be recalled that Adeola repeatedly stated she never had a sexual relationship with Izedomni and had even demanded that her husband and his lawyer, Chimezie Onwuama, provide the evidence they claimed to have of the affair. How the fight for custody of four children between Ikechukwu and Adeola became a case of extramarital liaison is yet unclear.

Izedomni, petrified out of his wits, had bravely stepped out of his hiding to tell his side of the story to our reporter. He came out of hiding after finding out that members of the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network have stepped into the matter, fighting for justice for Adeola. He also demanded justice, further asking for protection.

This was even as he admitted to making sexual advances at Adeola, but she had told him that she was a married woman and has had five children. He had immediately stopped making further moves.

Recalling how he met Adeola, Izedomni said it was at Shoprite in the Sangotedo area of Lekki, Lagos State in December 2022. It was at midnight. And he noticed her walking dejectedly. He followed her, wondering where she was going at that hour. She initially ignored him, but later responded that she was going to church.

He recounted: “I asked her why she didn’t take an Uber. I am an Uber driver and most of us drivers used to park at that Shoprite for passengers. She said that she didn’t like driving far distances. I quickly sensed I could make money and told her that she could hire me to drive her anywhere. It was a good business sense. We exchanged phone numbers and we started having conversations.

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“She would later tell me that she was going to church that night to pray because her husband secretly married another woman and had a child without telling her. She said that they started their relationship in a one-room apartment before the man started making money. The thought of her husband marrying another woman was just too much for her to handle.”

Izedomni said the first time Adeola called him to come and pick her at home, she did not allow him into her house. She asked him to wait at the estate gate. He said that the house was close to the gate and he noticed that the fence was low, thus was able to notice that the house had CCTV everywhere.

He said: “On that first day, she instructed me to take her to Alagbon Police in Obalende, where her husband’s brother’s wife was detained. The woman’s husband was wanted for defrauding a company and when police couldn’t get him, they arrested his wife.

“She was detained. Ikechukwu then sent N500,000 to Adeola to get the woman out of police detention. Adeola told me all this, but when we got there, it didn’t work out because there was no available guarantor. On that day, she paid me N15,000. And because she used to call me for car hire, I discovered that Mrs. Adeola’s movements were usually to hospital, Ajah Market and Shoprite.”

One day, Adeola felt she needed further prayers and a cleric intervention in her wobbling marriage. She asked Izedomni if he knew of any powerful pastor. He called a friend, who then linked Adeola to a woman attending a Celestial Church of Christ.

Izedomni, who said that he did not know what Adeola discussed with the woman after connecting them through his friend, further explained that soon, he received a call from his best friend asking him to come and take him to Ikeja. He drove down to meet his friend at an agreed venue.

He did not know that Police tracked his phone, got his friend’s phone number, and then arrested him. He would be used as bait to catch him.

He said: “When I got there, my friend entered the car and just as I was about to drive off, he said I should wait, that his brother was coming. That was how three men entered the car, saying that the car was a stolen one. I told them that it was a lie! I had been driving that car for long and it belonged to a company.

“I didn’t know they were policemen. They were not in uniform. They could have been thieves or kidnappers. I started shouting thief! Thief! One of them brought out his identity card, saying that they were policemen from Ajiwe Police Station. I wondered why policemen from Ajiwe Police Station came all the way to Ibeju Lekki to make frivolous allegations. It was Rapid Response Squad operatives that were driving past that intervened and asked me to go with the policemen to Ajiwe.

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“When we got there, they took me to the back of the station and started hitting me with sticks. One of them told me that I was arrested because I slept with someone’s wife. I said it was not true. They asked me if I knew Chief David, and I said no. They asked if I knew Mrs. Adeola, I said yes.”

Izedomni said that he was tortured for days. He was arrested on December 18, 2022 and was not allowed to go home until December 24, 2022. The long detention of Izedomni without charging him to court and without a detention warrant are also against the law.

Izedomni recalled that the policemen and women used to bring him out to torture him. The police collected his car documents and his phone and refused to allow him to make a call to anyone.

He said that after days of being in detention, Ikechukwu finally came to Ajiwe Police Station. Izedomni felt that the police detained him for that long because they were waiting for the arrival of Ikechukwu.

He stated: “There’s a small room the police used to keep me. On the day Ikechukwu arrived, he came to ask me if I was Bright. I said yes. He punched me in my mouth in the presence of one of my Investigating Police Officers and blood started gushing out. Yes, I have two IPOs. One is called Inspector Abiola Williams, the other is called Alhaja. Those women used to beat and slap me.

“There is a policeman, who is a tracker. When Ikechukwu came, they brought Adeola. Ikechukwu collected Adeola’s phone and mine and handed them over to the tracker. Adeola’s husband slapped her in the presence of the police, and nothing was done about the abuse.

“Ikechukwu came back to me. He said: ‘My brother you see at this police station, I’m spending naira. When we get to court, I will spend dollars.’ There was a man that was detained in the cell with me, someone came to visit him. He told me that he saw Ikechukwu throwing money around at the police people.

“This detainee told me to do anything to ensure I leave that police station immediately, that they had ‘finished my matter.’ The family of Adeola and of Ikechukwu came to see the Divisional Police Officer of Ajiwe Police Station. Adeola’s family members were mostly women, while Ikechukwu’s family were men.”

Izedomni was brought out of the cell and taken to the DPO’s office, where the confab was being held. He was made to stand right in front of the DPO’s desk, with his case file opened on the desk.

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He glanced at the file and discovered that someone had rewritten his statement, putting lies as confessions that did not emanate from him. The DPO then asked the gathered people to tell their stories. Kemi, Adeola’s elder sister, decided to go first.

Izedomni added: “But the DPO shouted at her and ordered her to go out, that she was too forward. Right there in the DPO’s office, my IPOs and the tracker started slapping and hitting me, telling me to confess. The slaps were coming from different directions, and they were video recording me.

“When I saw the statement with my name, but not my words, I knew I was in deeper trouble. It was then and there I decided to lie that I had a sexual affair with Mrs. Adeola. I even lied that it was once, and they kept video recording me. Ikechukwu made more accusations against me, saying that he sent Adeola N5 million and she used it to buy a Toyota Camry car for me.

“He also accused me that I used to enter his wife’s bedroom. His house has CCTV everywhere, let him and the police bring the CCTV to prove I was ever there.

“I was still in detention when policemen went to Ikechukwu’s house, used Adeola’s car to pack her things out of her matrimonial home, and brought them to the station. Police also made me sign an undertaken.”

Izedomni said that after his release, Ikechukwu called him, asking for receipts of the hotels he and Adeola used to go to have sexual liaisons, adding: “I asked him what hotel receipts. I told him that I didn’t have time for his nonsense. He now said he would give me N2 million if I cooperated. I told him I was not interested. My wife and pastor bailed me with N40,000 and it was money I wanted to use to buy Christmas wear for my child.

“When Ikechukwu came to the station, about 10 young men came with him. They were his boys, and they all wore white. It was scary. He has boys everywhere. I don’t think I am safe, so I returned the car I was using for Uber because the police snapped it and its plate number. They could snatch it on the road. Anything was possible.

“I destroyed my SIM card and ran away from Lagos because Ikechukwu and Police have my house address. I ran away because I didn’t and couldn’t have a rest of my mind. Everything and every noise startle me. Incidentally, I was not the only driver arrested because of Adeola. There are two other drivers that were arrested before me.

“The funny thing is that one of my IPOs said that Ikechukwu still owed them money. Ikechukwu told me at the Police station that for years he has been looking for a way to divorce Adeola. Presently I am jobless, and my wife is pregnant. I don’t even know how we will manage with the coming baby.”

Izedomni had to borrow money for transportation fare from people in the Oshodi area in order to go back to where he had been hiding outside of Lagos State.

Eagle

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Police Detain ASP After Bullet Kills Girl, Injures Another in Lagos

Published

4 hours ago

November 7, 2026

Trends Admin

Police Detain ASP After Bullet Kills Girl, Injures Another in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, after a bullet discharged from his firearm during a police operation in Ajegunle killed a young girl and injured another.

The incident occurred on Thursday, November 5, 2026, between 9:30 pm and 10 pm in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle, Lagos State, during a police response to a violent clash between two rival groups.

The police identified the deceased girl as Omole Taiwo, while the second victim is receiving medical treatment and is reportedly in stable condition.

According to the command, preliminary investigations showed that officers were deployed following a distress call over a clash between rival groups known as the Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys.

The groups were reportedly engaged in a violent confrontation over toll collection and allegedly armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.

During the operation, ASP Olajide discharged his firearm, and the bullet struck the two girls.

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Both victims were immediately rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital for medical attention. However, Taiwo was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she eventually died.

The police said the officer had been disarmed and detained, while the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the investigation would establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine the appropriate legal and disciplinary action.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Tijani Fatai, also visited the family of the deceased to express his condolences.

Fatai assured the bereaved family that the investigation would be thorough, adding that no police officer found culpable would be shielded.

The police have yet to establish whether the officer deliberately fired at the rival groups, whether the girls were caught in the line of fire or whether the firearm was discharged unintentionally.

The incident has renewed concerns over civilian safety during police operations and the need for accountability whenever security personnel use firearms in public places.

Police Detain ASP After Bullet Kills Girl, Injures Another in Lagos

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How Bandits Killed Two, Abducted 18 in Kaduna Village Raid

Published

5 hours ago

November 7, 2026

Trends Admin

Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, Mansir Hassan

How Bandits Killed Two, Abducted 18 in Kaduna Village Raid

Two residents have been killed while at least 18 others, including women and children, were abducted after armed bandits attacked Akwando community in Kuturmi, Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The attack reportedly occurred around midnight on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, when the gunmen stormed the community and launched an assault on residents in their homes.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers killed two people before taking several villagers away to an unknown destination.

A security source familiar with the incident also confirmed the attack, telling Daily Trust that 18 residents were abducted while two people were killed.

“Yes, 18 villagers were abducted but two people were killed,” the source reportedly said.

The attack has heightened concerns over the worsening security situation in communities across the Kuturmi area, where residents have repeatedly suffered bandit attacks, killings and mass abductions.

The attackers had reportedly not contacted the families of the abducted residents or made any ransom demands as of the time the incident was reported.

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The deceased were identified as Irimiya Galadima, 41, and Benjamin Danlami, 32, by the Kuturmi Unity Development Association (KUDA).

However, the association gave a higher figure of 20 abducted residents, releasing their names in a statement jointly signed by its President, Dr Joseph Ariko, and Publicity Secretary, Manasseh Samuel Akwando.

Those listed include Usman Galadima, La’a’zarus Genesis, Madalin Markus, Happy Stephen, Lovet Ishaya, Afiniki Irimeya, Amina Ahmadu, Miracle Genesis, Hellen Irimeya and Musa Genesis.

Others are Janet Irimeya, Gloria Markus, Zila Stephen, Alis Ahmadu, Haske Ahmadu, Great Isiac, Hanatu Irimeya, Desmon Ishaya, Siam Shagari and Nansy Genesis.

The association expressed concern over repeated attacks on communities in Kuturmi land, recalling that an Easter Sunday attack on Ariko community reportedly killed five people at the scene, while another 17 victims subsequently died in captivity.

It also cited an attack on Awon community, where two people were reportedly killed and 11 others abducted.

According to KUDA, five of the abducted residents regained their freedom on November 3, but one reportedly died the following day. Another victim escaped, while five others died in captivity.

The association said the recurring attacks had forced residents to abandon their homes and farmlands, disrupted economic activities and created widespread fear across affected communities.

It further alleged that armed groups had restricted residents’ access to their ancestral lands, demanding levies before allowing them to cultivate their farms or harvest agricultural produce.

KUDA appealed to the Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government to urgently deploy adequately equipped security personnel to Akwando, Ariko, Awon and other vulnerable communities.

It also called for coordinated security operations to rescue the abducted residents, the establishment of permanent security posts, regular patrols and effective early-warning systems.

Meanwhile, some residents of Babban Saura PW in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducted since October 1, were still being held captive.

Among them are Hafsat Sikiru and her son, Abdulsalam. Her husband and the boy’s father, Sikiru Shuaibu, was reportedly killed while attempting to protect his family during the attack.

Their continued captivity comes despite the recent rescue of eight kidnap victims by security operatives during a forest operation. One of those rescued was a pregnant woman abducted from her residence in Millennium City on October 6.

Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for comment on the Akwando attack, while the state Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs had yet to issue an official statement at the time of reporting.

How Bandits Killed Two, Abducted 18 in Kaduna Village Raid

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Church Growth Is Not About Numbers’: Bishop Smith Champions Training for Small Churches

Published

12 hours ago

November 7, 2026

Trends Admin

‘Church Growth Is Not About Numbers’: Bishop Smith Champions Training for Small Churches

Concerned about the leadership challenges confronting independent and grassroots churches, Bishop James G. Smith, a veteran missionary with nearly three decades of international experience, is stepping up efforts to strengthen smaller congregations through ministerial training, mentorship and leadership development.

Smith, founder of Life and Power Global Ministry, Liberia, and owner of St. James Revival Assemblies, said the initiative was designed to equip church leaders with the spiritual knowledge, administrative skills and institutional capacity required to build sustainable ministries, regardless of their congregation’s size.

He made this known at a two-day ministers’ conference organised by his ministry on October 23 and 24, 2026, at Foursquare Gospel Church, Iba Housing Estate, Lagos.

The conference, tagged “Strength for the Journey of Ministry,” with the theme “Raising Strong and Effective Church,” brought together pastors, bishops, church leaders and ministers for spiritual enrichment, leadership development and capacity-building.

Smith disclosed that the initiative attracted representatives of about 68 churches and ministries, while the event report documented 64 participants.

Explaining the motivation behind the programme, the cleric said many independent and grassroots churches struggle with inadequate mentorship, weak administrative structures and limited access to the resources available to larger denominations.

Originally from Delta State, Smith spent 11 years pastoring in Nigeria before relocating to Liberia for missionary work about 29 years ago. His ministry has since focused on church planting, evangelism, leadership development and training ministers, with plans to extend the initiative to more countries.

He expressed concern that smaller congregations sometimes struggle to retain their members and maintain their identity, particularly when larger churches establish a presence in their communities.

However, he argued that the true strength of a church should not be determined by its numerical strength, physical structures or financial resources, but by the spiritual maturity of its members, the quality of its leadership and its commitment to evangelism.

“We are all working for one God, one purpose, one kingdom. All of the churches, whether a small church, grassroots church or giant church, we are all doing the same thing,” he said.

Smith therefore called for greater cooperation among Christian leaders, insisting that the growth of the Church required collective commitment rather than competition among congregations.

Discipleship, the foundation of sustainable growth

A central message of the conference was the need for churches to move beyond attracting worshippers to deliberately nurturing spiritually mature believers capable of sustaining their ministries.

Smith maintained that bringing people into the church was only the beginning of the responsibility of Christian leadership, stressing that members must receive proper biblical instruction, mentorship and practical guidance to enable them to contribute meaningfully to the growth of their congregations.

Drawing lessons from the ministry of Jesus Christ and His disciples, he urged pastors to invest in developing committed believers who could reproduce the values and teachings of Christianity across generations.

“If you have three members, and you disciple them, you have a church. If you have 20 members, and the 20 members are properly discipled, they can turn the city upside down,” he said.

He warned that large congregations without effective discipleship programmes risk producing spiritually immature members who could easily become vulnerable to misleading teachings.

The cleric also advocated functional leadership structures and administrative systems that would ensure continuity in church operations, even when the presiding pastor was unavailable.

Accountability, integrity in church administration

On church administration, Smith stressed the importance of transparency, integrity and accountability, particularly in the management of financial contributions and other resources.

He said church leaders must ensure that donations made for specific projects were used for their intended purposes, while members should be adequately informed about how church funds were managed.

“If the people give their money for a particular purpose, that purpose should be achieved,” he emphasised.

He equally urged ministers to demonstrate discipline in time management, programme coordination and their relationships with members, noting that effective leadership required both spiritual commitment and sound administrative practices.

Beyond administration, Smith highlighted the importance of prayer, evangelism, biblical teaching, fasting and spiritual preparedness in equipping ministers for the challenges of contemporary society.

Speaking on “The Necessity of Power in the Last Days,” he referenced Ephesians 6:10 and 2 Corinthians 10:3, encouraging ministers to remain spiritually grounded and steadfast in confronting the challenges of their calling.

He emphasised the need for a consistent relationship with God through prayer and the study of His Word, while cautioning against elevating personal convictions, traditions and preferences into doctrines unsupported by Scripture.

The bishop also reminded ministers that their physical well-being was important to effective service, urging them to get adequate rest and seek medical attention whenever necessary.

Christian leaders, ministers endorse initiative

The conference attracted several Christian leaders, including Rev. Dr. Mike Adeleke, PFN Chairman of Ojo Province; Bishop Vincent Paye Bagnoon; Apostle Veronica Ujah; Apostle Dr. Eddo Sylvanus of Foursquare Gospel Church, Iba Housing Estate; Pastor Iboro Promise Freedom; Bishop Kingsley Azuka of City of Priests Mega Church; Bishop-Elect James Esuku; and international gospel artist Praise Eddo.

Other ministers and church workers also participated in the programme.

Smith expressed appreciation to the host pastor, Apostle Dr. Eddo Sylvanus, for providing the venue and supporting the conference, as well as the facilitators and participants whose contributions enriched the sessions.

Speaking with journalists, Apostle Mrs. Dorcas Okonye Azuka of City of Priests Mega Church commended the initiative and encouraged female ministers to maintain humility in their homes and create sufficient time for their families.

She stressed the need for women in ministry to strike a healthy balance between their spiritual responsibilities and family commitments.

Similarly, Bishop-Elect James Esuku addressed concerns about transactional approaches to Christianity and perceptions that the power of God was diminishing.

He maintained that God’s ways remained unchanged, urging Christians to develop personal relationships with Him rather than allow the misconduct of some individuals to undermine their faith.

Expanding the grassroots ministry network

Smith also expressed concern about religious teachings that promise quick success without adequately emphasising discipline, diligence, repentance and commitment to God’s Kingdom.

Reflecting on his return to Nigeria after years of missionary service abroad, he called for balanced Christian teachings that promote spiritual maturity, responsible living and genuine commitment to faith.

He particularly urged Nigerian youths to deepen their relationship with God and participate actively in church activities.

The Lagos conference, he explained, was part of a broader effort to reach grassroots churches and ministers across different locations.

According to him, the initiative had earlier taken him to Bayelsa and Port Harcourt in 2026, while another ministers’ conference was being planned for Lekki, Lagos, in March 2027.

The long-term ambition, he said, was to establish a network of ministers who could share knowledge, exchange experiences, strengthen their congregations and collectively contribute to the development of Christianity.

For Smith, the campaign goes beyond organising religious gatherings. It is an effort to build a stronger foundation for grassroots Christianity through properly trained ministers, accountable leadership, sustainable administrative structures and effective discipleship.

His central message is that the future strength of the Church will depend less on the size of its congregations and more on the quality, spiritual maturity, integrity and preparedness of the people leading and sustaining them.