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Tokunbo Talabi, the Secretary to the Government of Ogun State, has been summoned and probed by the Department of State Services in connection with recent charges of fraud leveled against him.

According to a DSS source who requested anonymity, the invitation and subsequent interrogation were the outcome of the allegations leveled against him.

According to our source, the grill took place on Friday, at 6:55 p.m., at the DSS Ogun State Command Headquarters in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Talabi was reportedly interrogated for five hours on Friday before being freed on self-recognition.

Talabi’s suspected association with Superflux Printing Limited, which is located on Acme Road in Ikeja, Lagos State, has recently come under fire.

Our correspondent learned that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, had petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for a thorough investigation into the alleged link between the Independent National Electoral Commission and a printing company owned by Talabi during the last elections.

However, according to the source, the agency questioned the SSG on a petition filed by Talabi himself over the charges.

The source further told that the DSS state command initiated the inquiry to ascertain the veracity of some allegations against Talabi on ballot papers printing among others.

According to the source, one of the topics covered during the interrogation was his alleged role in the Covid-19 palliative scandal with Superflux Printing Limited.

The DSS is also claimed to have questioned Talabi about the company’s ties to large quantities of money in Ogun State and its role in the 2023 elections.

According to reports, the charges have prompted doubts about the credibility of the next elections.

The source, on the other hand, promised the public that the command was committed to conducting a comprehensive and meticulous inquiry.

He stated that the agency is attempting to piece together the complicated web of allegations involving Talabi and his relationship with Superflux Printing Limited.

This investigation’s findings will undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences for Ogun State and its governance.

Several attempts to contact Talabi were futile because he has not returned calls to his mobile phone.

He had also failed to react to the DSS’s SMS message on his invitation.

Ahmed Atolagbe, a 45-year-old furniture maker, wants justice for his two sons who died on July 22, 2023, when a part of a hotel fence fell on their home in the Ikorodu neighborhood of Lagos State.

The father, who was raised in Kwara State, said on Thursday to PUNCH Metro that disaster struck when a hotel’s fence fell on his three-room apartment on Alao Street, Olainukan Bus Stop, Isawo in Ikorodu during a downpour.

The father of six claimed that when his sitting room collapsed, his two sleeping boys, aged seven and nine, respectively, Roqeeb and Abdulwahab, both killed instantly.

He continued by saying that his wife, Omotola, lost consciousness as a result of the tragedy that befell the family. His first kid also suffered injuries.

He said, “I was already at my furniture workshop in Irawo when I received a distress call that I should return home to attend to a pressing issue.

“By the time I got home, I realised that the fence of a hotel beside my house had collapsed following the impact of the erosion coming from the hotel.

“The fence fell on my house, killing two of my sons. My eldest son was also injured. The incident was too much for my wife. She fainted and was rushed to the hospital.”

While the incident was initially reported to the Owutu Police Divisional Headquarters, the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, now handles the case, according to Atolagbe.

“I am aware that there are moves to ensure that the case does not get to the court but I want justice for my children,” Atolagbe said.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, in an interview with PUNCH Metro, asked the state government to investigate the matter and conduct an integrity test on the hotel building to forestall a recurrence.

Falana said, “The state government should take over the matter and investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

“The government should ensure that justice is done to the innocent children who died while sleeping due to the collapse.

“The government should also conduct an integrity test on the hotel building and its fence so that they don’t collapse on other people.”

However, a source told PUNCH Metro that the hotel’s owner was now being held by the police and that a deal had been made to give the surviving family some money and help them rebuild their home when Atolagbe abruptly pulled out of the deal.

Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident on July 22, 2023.

Farinloye said, “This is to confirm the recovery of two children that were trapped in a partial building collapse which occurred around 11.30am at 25, Ajao Street, CWC, Olainukan Bus Stop, Ishawo, Ikorodu.

“The children, Rokeeb Atolagbe, nine; and Mujeeb Atolagbe, seven; were trapped when a fence from the neighbouring house fell on their building during the downpour.

“It was very unfortunate that the distress calls were not properly channelled to those whose responsibility was to save the lives of the children at the right time.

“The Lagos State Building Control Agency is presently on the ground to assess the situation. May God forgive the deceased and console their parents.”