News & Announcements

The 50-year-old Pastor of the 12 Apostles Church, accused of defiling a four-year-old girl at Asuokaw, which later led to her death, was intoxicated, his lawyer has said.

The lawyer has therefore argued that he should be charged with manslaughter and not murder.

The pastor, Isaac Bowe Gyasi, allegedly lured the girl to his bathroom before allegedly defiling the deceased.

He has been charged with murder and has been remanded into custody by an Accra High Court.

According to state prosecutors, the incident led to the untimely death of the girl.

His lawyer, David Owusu Tachie, put up a defence in his application for bail via a Justice For All Virtual Court session on Friday (July 22, 2022).

The lawyer argued that his client, who had been behind bars since 2018, was intoxicated at the time of the incident and the charge of murder could be reduced to manslaughter.

Counsel, therefore, prayed the court, and presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga, a Justice of Supreme Court sitting as an additional High Court judge, to grant the accused bail.

Opposition

The state, led by an Assistant State Attorney, Yvonne Dacosta, opposed the application on grounds that the pastor bolted after committing the alleged crime and if granted bail, Gyasi may not avail himself for trial.

The application for bail was subsequently refused by the court based on the circumstances that led to the untimely death of the four-year-old victim.

The court ordered the prosecution to expedite the processes needed for the trial to commence within one month.

Justice for All

Gyasi’s case was one of 60 cases to be heard virtually through the Justice For All Programme (JFAP), an initiative meant to decongest Ghana’s prisons.

The JFAP is organised by the Judicial Service and facilitated by the POS Foundation, a civil society organisation.

All the 60 cases brought under the consideration of Justice Honyenuga and Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, a court of appeal judge, were from the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, where a majority of accused persons are based.

Statistics

Out of 60 cases heard during the one-day virtual sitting, three of the accused persons were discharged unconditionally after they had spent over three years behind bars without trial.

27 of the accused persons were granted bail while the two courts dismissed a total of 23 cases.

Six of the applications for bail were struck out while one suspect was referred to a Mental hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

At the end of the virtual session, the Chairman of the JFAP National Steering Committee, Justice Clemence J. Honyenuga, said the programme will turn its attention to the Ho Central prison for the virtual court session.

Music producer, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy has lost his mother. 
The record label boss announced the passing of his mother on his social media page.
The label executive broke the sad news in a post on his Instagram page on the evening of Friday, July 22, 2022.

According to Don Jazzy, the matriarch of the Ajereh family breathed her last on the morning of Friday, after a long battle with cancer.
“I lost my sweet mother this morning. The matriarch of our family. My supporter and backbone @indianpicolo. I am beyond devastated,“ Don Jazzy said.

The music producer said even though his mother’s death has left him with unimaginable pains, he’d take solace in the fact that she lived a good life. He described the deceased as a fighter that refused to give in even in the face of a deadly health condition.

Don Jazzy then called on everybody to pray for his family, especially his dad and siblings, as they go through this tough period.

He said, “I have never felt pain like this in my life but I am consoled by the good life she lived. She was loved by everyone that ever met her. 

“She was so strong till the last minute for us even while she battled with cancer. I have never typed a more difficult caption in my life. Please pray for our Mum’s soul to Rest In Peace and for strength for my dad, my siblings, her grandchildren and our entire family to bear this loss.”

The Tinubu Campaign Organisation has described as unwarranted distractions the viral pictures and videos of some Christian clergymen and women at the unveiling of the All Progressives Congress Vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday in Abuja.

APC formally presented Senator Shettima to the public and its various organs as the running mate to the party’s presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the well-attended ceremony at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

At the unveiling, Asiwaju Tinubu and Senator Shettima, Governors Fayemi and Bagudu and party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, in their speeches addressed fundamental issues of nation building which APC and our candidates are focused on delivering, so we can have a progressive and prosperous nation where all citizens can find joy and fulfilment.

The TCO through its Director of Media and Communication, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the event was an open affair, which allowed members of the public to attend, including the clergymen and some others now being derided by hirelings of the opposition.
“We want to say that those clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers as the purveyors of hatred have made Nigerians believe in the social media. They are not big names in Christendom yet, they are gradually building up their missions.

“They are church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry and rather embrace politics of peace and nation building.
“We, therefore, deplore the hysterical twisting of the presence of these men and women in cassocks and the false accusation against our candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Shettima.
“The orchestrated social media sensation over the presence of the men is needless and all calculated to detract from the huge success recorded at the momentous event on Wednesday.

“We believe Nigerians are too wise and discerning to see through this shenanigan. Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate and our great party are working very hard to provide purposeful leadership and good progressive governance that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

“Our campaign is determined on focusing on core governance issues that affect all Nigerians with a view to confronting them and making the desired improvements in the standard of living of our people.
“We are well aware that the opposition parties and the sponsors of the social media charade are jittery and threatened by the intimidating political credentials of our candidates. The only way they hope to shift the attention of public scrutiny away from their uninspiring candidates and credentials is to create social media distraction.”

Bayo OnanugaDirector, Media & Communication

July 21, 2022

China and Sierra Leone on Tuesday hailed the “reliable and strong” traditional ties and vowed to boost cooperation as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister David Francis spoke over the phone.

Francis said China is a reliable and strong partner of Sierra Leone, and the West African country will continue to stand with China on issues involving its core interests and major concerns. He said he looked forward to deepening cooperation with China in various fields and welcomed Chinese investment in Sierra Leone.

Wang expressed his appreciation and said China also firmly supports Sierra Leone in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and national dignity, supports its efforts of promoting national development and supports it in playing a more important role in Africa and on the international stage.

China will continue to provide support and assistance to Sierra Leone in light of its development needs, promote cooperation in mining, agriculture, and infrastructure, implement more livelihood projects, and encourage Chinese investment in Sierra Leone to help it improve its independent development capacity and accelerate the industrialization process, said the Chinese foreign minister.

On Ukraine
When it comes to the Ukraine issue, Francis said as a small-sized war-torn country, Sierra Leone advocates peaceful settlement of disputes through political negotiations and believes that all parties’ legitimate security concerns must be taken seriously so as to find a long-term solution.
Meanwhile, he said, concrete measures should be taken to alleviate the impact of food and energy shortages on small and medium-sized countries like those in Africa.
Wang said that the view of Sierra Leone on the issue is also the consensus of most developing countries. China will remain firmly committed to promoting peace and talks, and will work with all parties to do its utmost to mitigate the negative spillover effects of the Ukraine crisis, he added.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has distanced itself from the announcement of Kashim Shettima as the All Progressives Congress’s vice-presidential candidate (APC).
Mr Bayo Adedeji, CAN’s National Public Relations Officer, announced this in a short message after images of men identified as “pastors and bishops” went viral.

“Let them name the CAN officials that attended the programme and their offices,” he said. “If they could use 2017 photos to claim that some bishops visited Senator Shettima and lied that Pastor E. A. Adeboye had endorsed them, they could do anything.

“Our position on Muslim-Muslim ticket is irreversible. Anybody can claim to be anything, but one thing is clear, CAN was not part of the unveiling programme of Shettima.”

The reaction by the Christian body comes hours after the ruling party officially presented Shettima – a Muslim – as the running mate to its presidential flagbearer, Bola Tinubu, who is also a Muslim.
Shettima, a two-term governor of Borno State, is the lawmaker representing Borno Central senatorial district in the National Assembly.

Nigerian sensational singer, Dapo Oyebanji, A. K.A D’banj has disclosed that he once worked as a security guard in the United Kingdom.

He said this during a chat with former label mate Ikechukwu also known as Killz.
According to him, he knew he was destined for greatness so he took the job for sustenance.
D’banj revealed that he had some humble beginnings as life wasn’t rosy when he lived in London.
The singer said he had to work as a security guard for 12 hours overnight to foot his bills.

“I know say I be star, na night shift I dey so in the morning, I still dey fresh but of course, I realise say you gat to work.”
“At that time, the oyinbos no need to dey check you for CCTV, they know how to monitor you. All they need you to do is click in every ten to fifteen minutes,” he said.

The Koko Master became a big Afropop star when he returned to Nigeria with his friend and former business partner, Don Jazzy.

Together they formed the defunct ‘MoHits records’ and signed five musicians before they went their separate ways in 2012.

The Appeal Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has affirmed Osun state governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, as the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded gubernatorial poll in the state.

In a suit brought before it by a factional candidate of the PDP, Dotun Babayemi, against Adeleke was dismissed by the court on the ground that the primary that produced Adeleke was conducted by the party’s national leadership.

The ruling on Wednesday came barely two months after the Osun High Court declared the governor-elect as the true candidate of the PDP for the governorship election held recently in the state.
Before the ruling, Babayemi had asked the court to be recognized as the authentic candidate of the Party and nolify the primary that produced Adeleke, following the parallel primaries held on March 9.

Barcelona has signed Poland striker, Robert Lewandowski, from Bayern Munich on a four-year contract worth 50m euros (£42.6m).
The 33-year-old had one year left on his contract with the German champions but in May said, “My story with Bayern is over.”

The Poland striker, according to the BBC, has joined his new teammates in Miami as part of Barcelona’s four-match tour of the United States.
“I’m finally here. I’m delighted to be at Barca.
“The last few days have been very long, but the deal is done and now I can focus on a new chapter and challenge in my life.

“I’ve always wanted to play in La Liga and for the big clubs.
“I’m here to help Barca get back to the top and win as many titles as possible,” Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski, who has a buyout clause of 500m euros (£425.9m), joined Bayern on a free transfer in 2014 after his departure from Borussia Dortmund.

He scored 50 goals in 46 games last season as he helped Bayern win a 10th straight Bundesliga title.
Lewandowski has scored 344 times in 374 games for the club and is their second-highest scorer of all time behind Gerd Muller.

He has won the league in all eight of his seasons at Bayern and also won the Champions League in 2019-20.Attachments area

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Emmanuel Osodeke, has said the union’s strike would have been addressed earlier if politicians’ children attend public universities in Nigeria. Osodeke spoke during an interview on Channels Television programme, Politics Today. ASUU had been on strike since February 14 over the federal government’s failure to honour an agreement on issues bordering on funding of universities, as well as salaries and allowances of lecturers. 

Recall that on Monday President Muhammadu Buhari gave the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, two weeks to resolve issues of contention regarding the ASUU strike. Reacting to Buhari’s directive, the ASUU president said the two-week ultimatum is “too long”, and that the union can suspend its strike in less than two days if the federal government honours its agreement with the union. Osodeke said, “Two weeks is too long. The issue of renegotiation has been completed by both sides, which means that one is gone. They should just come back to us and say ‘we have agreed, sign it’.

That should not take two days. “If you have a crisis in your house, you will source for money to resolve that crisis — the way they are sourcing for money to do all kinds of things. “We were told they spent billions to feed children in schools. Is that correct? How many children have you seen being fed? They released N200 billion for the entrepreneurship programme.

 “Your universities are closed for five months, you did not release N100 billion, but you released money to share in villages because the election is coming. It is the priority you place on education. “Government should prioritise education as number one priority in the country, because all of us here, wherever you are, you must pass through the school. Now that you have killed it, we are wasting our money on foreign countries.

“Last year, according to CBN, Nigerians spent N1.6 trillion on school fees to other countries. N1.6 trillion will turn around all the universities in Nigeria and bring them to standard and people will come from outside. We go outside; nobody comes in. “For this strike, universities are shut down. Those who run the affairs of Nigeria – the national assembly and executive arm – do not have any problems. Their children are not here. If the children of all the ministers and senators are all in our public universities, this will not last two days.

“When the aviation people wanted to shut down, the national assembly called them immediately and settled them overnight because fear could not allow them to pass through roads. They quickly resolved it.”

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has broken silence on the just-concluded Osun State Governorship election.
The former Osun State governor, who boycotted the election, had remained silent on development in Osun State after his outburst against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress and his political boss, Bola Tinubu, in February 2022.

The PUNCH had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday morning declared Ademola Adeleke the Governor-Elect of Osun State after scoring a majority of votes cast in the governorship election in the state.
The victory came for Adeleke nearly four years after failing by a small margin in his bid to govern Osun State.

On Saturday, Adeleke polled 403,371 votes to defeat his closest rival, the incumbent governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, who polled 375,027 votes.
Though 15 political parties participated in the election, the top contenders were Oyetola and Adeleke.
Both Oyetola and Adeleke contested for the Osun governorship seat in 2018, which Oyetola won after a rerun.

The PUNCH had reported that  Aregbesola had publicly moved against the second-term ambition of Governor Oyetola.
Instead, Aregbesola endorsed the former Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti, who later lost to Oyetola at the APC governorship primary election held on February 19, 2022.
Aregbesola reacted to the election in a post titled, ‘Osun Le Tente’ on Sunday morning.

He posted a bible verse, Daniel 4:17, which exalts God’s power to place control in the hands of whoever He wishes.
“This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” – (Daniel 4:17),” the minister posted.
In the outburst ahead of the party’s governorship primary election in the state, Aregbesola said that enough is enough for the politics of godfatherism and enthronement by treacherous leaders who equated themselves to the status of a god.

The minister had said he trusted Tinubu, but the ex-governor of Lagos State repaid him with betrayal.
Aregbesola, who was the Governor of Osun State from 2010 to 2018, also accused Tinubu and ex-governor of Osun State, Bisi Akande, of forcing the current governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola, on the people, against popular will.

Though Aregbesola made moves to reconcile with his political boss Tinubu, the efforts yielded no result.
A few hours before the governorship election, a faction of the APC led by the minister, The Osun Progressives, released a statement noting that despite the feud, its members would remain in APC.
This was after a stalwart of the APC and one of the closest loyalists to Aregbesola and a TOP mobiliser, Kolapo Alimi, defected to the PDP.
Our grievances with Oyetola – TOP
The TOP’s position was contained in a post shared by a former commissioner in the state, Sikiru Ayedun, on Friday.

The group alleged maltreatment of its members by Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s administration.
Part of the statement issued by TOP read, “Our association, a caucus within the State of Osun All Progressives Congress (APC), was founded last year when we alarmingly saw the direction our party was going. It was like the falcon could no longer hear the falconer. We were filled with trepidation on the tempest long foretold.

“We were at this junction before, in the run-off to the 2003 General election. We feared that history might tragically repeat itself except we acted selflessly and forthrightly. Like-minded members and leaders of the party, therefore, came together to form the group.

“As a caucus within the party, we have consistently made strident efforts at peace and reconciliation within our party. For this, we have only asked for one condition, which is inclusiveness.
“The State Governor and his henchmen, most regrettably, have turned his office and our party into a zero-sum game. You are either with them or against them. They rejected any idea of inclusiveness. They rebuffed all propositions for peace and reconciliation and not even a Councillorship position was ceded to any other section of the party outside of the Ileri-Oluwa caucus.

“Any party member that is not publicly demonstrating obscene loyalty to the governor and attacking Ogbeni Aregbesola or anyone remotely or directly associated with him is branded an enemy and marked for alienation from government and party offices. Worse still, the independent-minded party members not praise singing the Governor are subject to insidious and malevolent attacks.

“The policy of exclusion in Osun APC is so deep that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who is the immediate past Governor of the state and the current minister from the state was neither consulted, invited nor included in any party matter, the most recent of which is the APC’s Osun Campaign Council for this election. This posturing has riven the party.

“Nevertheless, we remain unflinching members of our party, the All Progressives Congress and stand by its ideals, irrespective of our travails or even the outcome of the election. We are long-distance runners and will not abandon the ship of our party, in calm or stormy waters.”

Why Aregbesola shunned Osun election -Aide
Aregbesola did not partake in the Osun State Governorship election.
It was learned that the former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has travelled abroad to attend a conference.
According to an aide of the minister, Aregbesola shunned the election to avoid a crisis.
It was learnt that the minister was in Lagos State on Thursday before travelling to Abuja on Friday.
When contacted, Aregbesola’s media adviser, Sola Fasure, confirmed the minister’s absence.
“He proceeded on an official assignment on Friday,” Fasure said.
The media aide noted that Aregbesola was not invited to work for Oyetola’s second-term bid in Osun.
He also said the minister was not named in the Osun State campaign team by the All Progressives Congress.
He said, “Aregbesola is not in Oshogbo. He is on an official assignment. He was not invited and not a part of the election council. The governor did not also invite him to be part of the campaign.”