News
How my mum’s boyfriend defiled me – Six-year-old
A six-year-old girl has narrated how she was allegedly defiled by an herbal doctor, Sangosanya Boluwatife, in the Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
Boluwatife is standing trial before Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court.
He was arraigned before the court in September 2020 for defilement, which contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law, C.17 Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The charge read, “Sangosanya Boluwatife, on or about June 6, 2020, at Oreta, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, in the Ikeja judicial division, defiled one (name withheld) aged six, by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.”
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution presented two witnesses, who testified against Boluwatife.
During the Monday sitting, the prosecuting counsel, A.R Abolade, led the victim through her account of the incident.
She said, “I stay with my grandma, but my mummy usually takes me to stay with the defendant.
“On a particular day when we were alone in the defendant’s apartment, there was no electric power and the defendant asked me to pull off my clothes and pants. He said that I would like what he was about to do to me and later, I couldn’t hear what he was saying as he was talking very low.
“He put his hand in my private parts and after a while, he asked me to go and have my bath. I didn’t tell my mummy when she came to pick me up afterwards, but I told my grandma and she informed my mum.”
The defence counsel, O.A. Lawal, while cross-examining the child, said, “Has anyone ever touched your private parts before and was it painful?”
The victim answered in the negative.
“That means you enjoyed it,” Lawal added.
Justice Soladoye objected to the question and urged the counsel to be sensitive.
“Did you like what the defendant did or shout while he did it to you?” he queried.
The victim again replied in the negative.
The judge adjourned further hearing till June 4, 2022.
PUNCH
Governors elected under The All Progressives Congress (APC) have reviewed outcome of the party’s primaries and resolved to meet with Prof Netanwe Yilwatda, Chairman of the party, and other leaders.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), said the resolution was reached at the forum’s meeting which ended at the early hours of Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PGF is an umbrella body of all serving APC governors.
Uzodimma while addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting said that the governors also resolved to work to ensure that Nigerians were better off.
He said that the meeting reviewed the outcome of the party’s primaries across the federation, the recent Ekiti governorship election and various by elections in which the APC came out in ”flying colours”.
“We have resolved to work towards solving the problems and challenges facing our democratic space and ensuring that our people are better off.
“We also resolved to meet with the leadership of the party to plan the coming 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. We are ready and good to go,” he said.
The PGF chairman added that the forum further resolved to continue to work with the APC leadership to support and strengthen it and prepare it for future elections.
The meeting was attended by governors of Ekiti, Zamfara, Taraba, Lagos, Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom and Borno States among others.(NAN)
One of the sureties must be a traditional ruler from his community, while the second must own landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.
The judge also ordered the defendant to deposit his international passport with the court registrar pending the determination of the case.
After granting the application, Justice Umar handed Sowore over to his lawyers and adjourned further proceedings until Monday, July 6, when the defendant is expected to open his defence.
Sowore is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on allegations bordering on cybercrime, following social media posts in which he allegedly referred to President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal.”
He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
The court revoked Sowore’s bail on June 16 and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to attend proceedings.
Following the revocation of his bail, Sowore challenged the bench warrant and sought the trial judge’s recusal.
The application was dismissed, after which he was remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his fresh bail application.
Delivering Tuesday’s ruling, Justice Umar restored the defendant’s bail on fresh terms, requiring him to meet the N200 million bail bond and fulfil the conditions attached before regaining his freedom.
Reacting shortly after the ruling, Sowore described the bail conditions as part of the authorities’ continued efforts against him but insisted they would not deter his movement.
He said, “There is no bus on earth that can stop this revolution. We warned them, but they would not listen. But now, it appears a little bit of common sense is returning to them, and as a result, I was granted bail, requiring a traditional ruler, somebody with property in Abuja, and N200m and my international passport.
“They have always been after the passport. So nobody can come after our movement. Nobody can stop the movement. Nobody can stop the idea whose time has come.
“What I want to tell Nigerians is that it is not about my freedom; it is about the liberation of the Nigerian people.”
The United States has described a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria as one of its most significant successes in the fight against jihadist groups, recovering what it calls the largest cache of enemy electronic equipment since the September 11, 2001 attacks.Politics
Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the U.S. National Security Council, made the disclosure in an interview with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit.
Gorka stated that U.S. operatives, in coordination with Nigerian forces, conducted a raid approximately three weeks ago that neutralised 199 jihadists in a single operation.
“That is the biggest neutralisation of enemy killed in action since September 11. Two hundred and ninety-nine jihadists who will not harm Americans again,” Gorka said.
He added that the operation yielded an intelligence haul so substantial that an additional aircraft was required to transport the recovered electronic materials.
“We needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material that we captured in those camps. The haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9/11,” he said.
According to Gorka, the recovered materials are being analysed for intelligence on Islamic State (ISIS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) communication networks, financing, operational planning and international links.
Speaking on how the operation was authorised, Gorka said President Donald Trump approved the mission after being briefed on the threat posed by the targeted militants.
“We told the President, this man has killed Americans and is planning to kill Americans. He ticked the ‘go box’ on the operational orders we had in front of him.”
Gorka also said Africa has increasingly become a focus for ISIS because of vast ungoverned territories where extremist groups can regroup after defeats elsewhere.
He further disclosed that the administration’s current counterterrorism campaign has resulted in the neutralisation of more than 1,000 jihadists globally.
Details of the specific location and exact date of the raid were not publicly specified, although reports have linked it to operations in Borno State targeting ISWAP elements, including the reported elimination of a high-value target.
The announcement underscores ongoing U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel. Nigerian and U.S. forces have collaborated on intelligence sharing, training and equipment support in efforts to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP.Demographics
No independent verification of the casualty figures or the scale of the intelligence recovered had been released by Nigerian authorities as of the time of reporting.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a sweeping reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), marking the first comprehensive restructuring of the scheme since its establishment 53 years ago.
The landmark reforms, approved during Monday’s FEC meeting in Abuja, are aimed at transforming the NYSC into a skills-driven, productivity-focused institution that aligns with the Federal Government’s economic development agenda.
One of the most significant changes is the restructuring of the scheme’s leadership, with the NYSC to be headed by a civilian for the first time, while the military will continue to provide security support for corps members across the country.
To give legal effect to the reforms, the Council directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to amend the NYSC Act and other relevant regulations.
Announcing the development on Monday, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described the decision as the first holistic review of the NYSC since its creation in 1973.
“We are transforming the Scheme into a platform that not only unites Nigeria but also equips our young people with the skills, experience and opportunities they need to thrive in a fast-changing world,” the minister said.
According to Olawande, the reforms are designed to reposition the NYSC as “a skills-driven, productivity-focused and youth-empowering institution” in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy.
The approved reforms include a technology-driven call-up process, risk-sensitive deployment to enhance the safety of corps members, a redesigned six-week orientation programme with greater emphasis on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and specialised career tracks, as well as skills-based primary assignments aligned with graduates’ academic backgrounds and career aspirations.
Other changes include modern governance with civilian operational leadership, improved orientation camp standards through a national grading and certification system, a new graduation ceremony to replace the traditional Passing Out Parade, and a redesigned NYSC uniform aimed at promoting professionalism and national pride.
Olawande disclosed that the reform process began in 2025 following extensive consultations involving the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination.
“This is more than a reform of an institution. It is an investment in Nigeria’s greatest asset—our young people. The future of the NYSC begins now, and it is brighter, more relevant and more impactful than ever,” he added.
Established in 1973 after the Nigerian Civil War, the NYSC was created to foster national unity by deploying graduates to states outside their regions of origin for one year of compulsory national service.
The latest reforms represent the most far-reaching changes in the history of the scheme, with the Federal Government saying they will make the NYSC more relevant to Nigeria’s evolving economic and youth development priorities.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has approved a cabinet reshuffle that affects all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, as well as the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary.
The development was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the governor’s Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, who described the move as a minor cabinet shake-up.
“Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved a minor cabinet shake-up involving all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, and Special Assistants,” the statement read.
According to the statement, the decision was taken to create opportunities for more members of the ruling party and bring renewed energy into the administration.
The statement noted that the exercise also affects the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor.
The reshuffle comes as part of efforts by the AbdulRazaq administration to reconstitute parts of its team while broadening participation within the government.
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