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Female Final Year Student’s Alleged Murderer’s Whereabouts Revealed

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The actual whereabouts of the prime suspect, Abdulrahman Bello and his four other accomplices in the tragic death of the female final year student Yetunde Lawal of the Kwara State College of Education Ilorin, has been revealed.
The revelation came to light yesterday, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Sanusi Mohammed, in Ilorin.
He was brought to the court by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Earlier reports last week indicated that operatives of the DSS, stormed the Oke-Kura custodial centre and whisked Abdulrahman Bello and his accomplices to Abuja in continuation of the investigation into his case.
However, his appearance on Thursday before the Ilorin Chief Magistrate court revealed that the prime suspect has been in the custody of the state security service.
Chief Magistrate Sanusi Mohammed, after the court session lasting about one hour, eight minutes, ordered the suspects to be remanded in the custody of the DSS for further investigation and adjourned the case till April 9,2025, after arguments and counter arguments from the prosecution and defense counsel.
During the session, the magistrate advised the defendants to feel free to seek legal redress if they were dissatisfied with the order.
All the defendants were present in court, accompanied by their respective lawyers—except for the principal suspect, Abdulrahman Ballo, who is yet to secure legal representation.
The accused individuals include Abdulrahman Bello, Ahmed Abdulwasiu (41) – Zone C, No. 47, Adualere Area, Ilorin, Suleiman Muyideen (28) – Neolife Business, No. 7 Adualere Area, Amilere Milengbe, Ilorin, Jamiu Uthman (29) – Phone repairer, Adualere Area, Ilorin, Abdulrahmon Jamiu (31) – Farmer, Elemere Village, Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State.
The defendants arrived at the courthouse under tight security, transported in a white Toyota Hilux bus by the DSS operatives.
Representing the prosecution, Chief State Counsel, Issa Zakari, informed the court that ongoing intelligence reports had necessitated the transfer of the defendants to DSS custody for further investigation.
“My Lord, after the last adjourned date, we received intelligence reports prompting us to approach your worship to grant an order for the defendants to be moved to the custody of the DSS,” Zakari disclosed.
“As we speak, the investigation is at an advanced stage. We hereby seek an adjournment until a later date when the investigation is completed.”
However, the defence team strongly opposed the prosecution’s request. Barrister A.S. Oseni, representing the 2nd and 4th defendants, argued that the court no longer had jurisdiction since the case had been transferred to the High Court.
“During the last sitting, it was stated that investigations had been concluded. The charge has already been served at the High Court, and a hearing date of April 15, 2025, has been scheduled. This court lacks the jurisdiction to grant such an order,” Oseni declared.
Similarly, counsel for the 3rd defendant aligned with Oseni’s position, labelling the order as “barbaric, null, and void.” He further contended that the prosecution had no legal grounds to request continued DSS custody.
Counsel for the 5th defendant also urged the court to vacate the order in the interest of justice and fair hearing.
In response, Chief State Counsel Zakari dismissed the defence arguments as an attempt to obstruct justice.
“The defendants have not yet been arraigned before the High Court, nor have they taken a plea.The law empowers this court to issue such an order. If the defence is dissatisfied, they are free to challenge it at the Court of Appeal,” he further submitted.
Zakari said: “Justice is a tripartite arrangement, involving Justice to society; Justice to the victim and Justice to the defendants” urging the magistrate to disregard the defence objections and uphold the order.
Following deliberations, Magistrate S.B. Mohammed adjourned the case to Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

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Nasarawa Varsity Student Commits Suicide

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A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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Ogun, Nike Art Gallery Set To Transform Olumo Rock

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The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.

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CBEX Resumes Operations Despite SEC Ban, N1.2trn EFCC Probe

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Despite the alleged N1.2 trillion digital trading fraud that reportedly affected over 600,000 Nigerians, the embattled Crypto Bridge Exchange trading platform, accused of these acts, has resumed operations, announcing fresh withdrawal options in a move to restore investor confidence.
Two traders on the CBEX platform confirmed to The Tide’s source that the digital trading firm has quietly resumed operations, allowing new users to register, trade, and withdraw profits, despite ongoing investigations by regulatory agencies.
According to the sources, an insurance verification process and an external audit of the company’s financial records are currently underway to ascertain the actual amount lost in the scheme, which collapsed in April.
They added that existing investors, many of whom have been unable to access their funds for weeks, will be able to take out their funds starting from June 25, 2025, when the audit is expected to be concluded by an insurance firm based in the United Kingdom.
This development comes barely weeks after the Securities and Exchange Commission declared the platform illegal, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission confirmed an ongoing investigation into the firm’s operations.
CBEX, a digital investment platform, offered investors 100 per cent profit after 30 days of purported AI trading. The trading platform started operations in 2024 after receiving registration approval from the Corporate Affairs Commission on September 25, 2024, and the EFCC’s Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering on January 16, 2025.
No fewer than 600,000 Nigerians reportedly invested in the scheme and lost N1.2tn after it collapsed on April 14, 2025.
Miffed by the development, the EFCC declared eight persons wanted for promoting the programme. They include Johnson Oteno, Israel Mbaluka, Joseph Michiro, Serah Michiro, Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede.

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