Headlines
Odubiyi demands apology from Bode George over alleged defamatory comments

Mr Olufemi Odubiyi, former Commissioner for Science and Technology, Lagos State, has given Chief Olabode George a seven-day ultimatum to retract the alleged defamatory comments made against him.
Odubiyi also said that George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), must also tender an unreserved apology and published same on the cover pages of three prescribed national dailies.
He stated this through his lawyer, Ayodele Akintunde, SAN, in a letter addressed to George dated March 17 in Abuja.
In another letter written to the Managing Director of a media group, Akintunde threatened to slam a N1 billion suit against the media house and George as damages for the defamatory comments if they fail to comply with the demand.
The lawyer alleged that the PDP chieftain, in an interview on TV on March 10, accused Odubiyi of being a mole planted in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC) to subvert the will of the Nigerian electorate in the Feb. 25 presidential election.
The lawyer said his statements meant that his client was criminally minded and had been involved in criminal activities such as election rigging.
“In their natural and ordinary meaning, your said words meant and were understood to mean that our client is an enemy of democracy; an election rigger,” he said.
Akintunde said contrary to George’s remarks, Odubiyi was never INEC’s head of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Department.
He also said he was not responsible for the hitches with INEC’s computers during the presidential poll which resulted in the commission’s inability to transmit results electronically.
The senior lawyer, who corrected the erroneous assumption that Odubiyi was commissioner for Science and Technology during Tinubu’s administration, said his client was commissioner between October 2015 and January 2018.
He described Odubiyi as “a right standing and reputable member of the society and well-meaning citizens of Nigeria with numerous years of experience locally and internationally as an IT expert without any blemish.”
He said he also served meritoriously as Lagos State commissioner.
According to him, our client’s reputation has been seriously injured and has suffered considerable distress, anxiety and embarrassment including threats to his person and that of his family members.
In a letter to George, he said: “Our client’s instructions are therefore to demand from you the following:
“Within seven days of the receipt of this letter, you personally retract live on Arise News and Arise News YouTube channel all the defamatory words/statements made against our client.
“And tender an unreserved apology to our client for the damage to his reputation.”
He also demanded from the media station a retraction and unreserved apology “on the cover page of ThisDay Newspaper in no less than three issues within the seven-day ultimatum.”
He said all the defamatory broadcasts and comments made by George be deleted from the TV station’s YouTube channel and any other platform under its control.
He asked them to give an undertaking in writing to desist from broadcasting or further broadcasting the defamatory statements or similar statements concerning his client in future.
He said failure to comply and provide them with proof of compliance within seven days of the receipt of the letter would lead to the commencement of legal action against them for monetary damages in the sum of N1 billion.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had, on March 14, denied the claim by George that Odubiyi was the commission’s director of ICT Department.
According to INEC, there’s no iota of truth in George’s claim as no member of its ICT staff or personnel across its state offices bears the name “Femi Odubiyi” as referred to by the PDP chieftain.
(NAN)
Headlines
Police arrest 6 for vandalism, receipt of stolen items in Jigawa

The Police Command in Jigawa, has arrested six suspected vandals in the Kazaure Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Lawan Shiisu, confirmed the arrest in a statement in Dutse on Monday.
Shiisu said that five of the suspects, aged between 28 and 53, were arrested for vandalism, while the sixth suspect, a 30-year-old, was apprehended for allegedly receiving stolen items.
He explained that two of the suspects were arrested on Feb. 26 after allegedly vandalising streetlight, armoured cable wires and individual conduit service wires in the Bandutsi area of the LGA.
He added that three more suspects were arrested on Feb. 28 after allegedly conspiring to vandalise approximately 2,000 meters of high-tension wire in the Faru and Daba villages of the same LGA.
According to him, during interrogation, the suspects identified Musa Yahaya, a 30-year-old from the Wajen Gabas area in Kazaure town, as an accomplice and the receiver of the stolen items.
The command’s spokesperson alleged that Yahaya was aware that the cable wires belonged to the government and were stolen items.
He added that the suspects, who had allegedly confessed to the crime, had since been charged to court.
Headlines
Supreme Court nullifies Rivers LG elections

The Supreme Court on Friday, nullified the Local Government election in Rivers State, which was conducted on Oct. 5, 2024.
A five-member panel of the apex court unanimously held that the election was conducted in violation of relevant laws.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, in the lead judgment, agreed with the appellant, the All Progressives Congress (APC), that conditions precedent were not complied with before the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) held the election.
Justice Tukur held that there was no evidence that the voters’ registration continued until 90 days before the election and that the requisite notices were issued as required by law.
Headlines
Anike Agbaje-Williams, Africa’s First Face on TV, Passes Away at 88

Nigeria has lost a broadcasting icon as Chief Anike Agbaje-Williams, Africa’s first female television broadcaster, has passed away at the age of 88.
Her family announced her passing in a statement signed by Mrs. Banji Sokoya, revealing that the veteran broadcaster died peacefully in Ibadan, where she lived most of her life.
“Goodnight, my ever so cherished mummy, boss, and mentor. We’ll surely see in the morning,” the statement read.
Born on October 23, 1936, Agbaje-Williams made history as the first face to appear on television in Africa when she featured on Western Nigerian Television (WNTV) in Ibadan during its test transmission and official launch on October 31, 1959. She was also the first voice heard on Africa’s first commercial radio station, Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNBS), earning her the title of “Double-First.”
She had a distinguished career in broadcasting, rising through the ranks to become a respected producer and director of programmes before retiring in July 1986.
A devoted member of All Saints Church, Jericho, Ibadan, she was also one of its oldest choristers. Her family described her as a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose legacy will be cherished forever.
“The family profoundly mourns the passing of a great icon. We take comfort in knowing she lived a glorious, remarkable, and impactful life. She inspired many fans and mentees over the years,” the statement read.
The family has requested privacy during this period of mourning, with funeral arrangements to be announced later.
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