Metro
Anger Trails Death of Policeman Opening Gate at Ex-Gov Daniel’s House
A policeman, Sergeant Adeleke Ogunsola, has died after being hit by an unnamed driver of a former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident happened on Saturday at Daniel’s Asoludero residence at Sagamu, Ogun State.
Our correspondent learnt that Ogunsola was one of the policemen posted to the house for security purposes.
The accident reportedly occurred while the cop was opening the gate for Daniel’s driver.
The former governor was, however, not in the car when the incident happened.
A source told our correspondent that the gate suddenly ‘bounced back’ while it was being opened by the sergeant and he was knocked down by the driver.
The policeman was thereafter rushed to a hospital where he died.
Police sources, who spoke to our correspondent, expressed outrage at the death, saying the state command was plotting to sweep the incident under the carpet.
The cops, who did not want to be identified, expressed sadness that Ogunsola was turned to a gatekeeper at the house.
According to them, another officer was once ‘sent out’ of the building over his refusal to be reduced to a gatekeeper in police uniform.
“Why will an armed policeman be the one opening the gate? Why will politicians turn the police to their slaves? When an officer refused to be used as a gateman in the house, they called the DPO that he should change him and he was redeployed.
“A policeman bearing arms will be asked to open the gate; drivers, civilians and Daniel himself will be telling officers to open the gate. If there is a gatekeeper in that house, this will not happen. This was a man who left his home for work on Saturday, but he died in a mysterious circumstance.
“It is unfortunate that our bosses are not speaking the truth because of what they want to eat. Imagine, officers posted to Gbenga Daniel’s residence are paid N2,500 weekly. Now, that guy has died. What will he give to his family that will replicate the life of that officer? We are tired of this job,” a police officer said.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, describing it as an accident that could “happen to anybody.”
Asked if it was appropriate for a policeman to be opening the gate in a civilian’s house, Oyeyemi said, “Well, we don’t know the circumstances that led to his opening the gate. We were not with him on duty. It maybe that the gate is of two arms, somebody will open the first arm, another person opens the other. It’s possible. If he’s not armed as of the time, he could help in opening the gate. But we were not there with him. We don’t know the circumstances that led to him opening the gate.”
The former governor, Daniel, in a statement by his media office on Monday, said the incident was under investigation.
The statement read in part, “On Saturday, February 19, 2022, one of the security details assigned to the residence of former Governor Gbenga Daniel, Leke Ogunsola, was involved in an accident at the security gate of the premises. He was immediately taken to a hospital, and then referred to Babcock Hospital in Ilishan.
“He was alive and responding as he walked his way to treatment all through until he, unfortunately, passed on later in the day.
“The former governor, who was not in Sagamu as of the time of the incident, was duly informed and he has been in touch with the deceased’s family through the police authorities.”
The Punch
By Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD
“Leadership is the sacred stewardship of the groan—the courage to lean into the tension of today to midwife the glory of tomorrow for people, corporations, and nations” – Tolulope A. Adegoke, PhD
Introduction: The Universal Sound of Growth
If you have ever led anything—a team, a project, a family, a company, or even a personal dream—you are intimately familiar with the sound. It is not a scream of terror, nor a shout of victory. It is something deeper, more primordial. It is the groan.
It is the late-night sigh over a spreadsheet that refuses to balance. It is the fervent debate in a boardroom about a risky new direction. It is the quiet frustration of a community leader facing systemic injustice. It is the personal cost of upholding integrity when compromise would be easier.
For too long, we have mislabeled this groan as failure, burnout, or a sign to quit. But what if we have it all wrong? What if the groan is not the signal of an ending, but the essential, non-negotiable birth pang of a new beginning?
This profound leadership pattern is revealed in the ancient text of Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
This passage reframes our struggle. The “groan” is the present suffering; the “glory” is the future revealed. The space between them is where true leadership lives. This is not a passive hope, but an active, gritty, and strategic journey of midwifing possibility into reality for people, corporations, and nations—all as an act of stewardship to God Almighty.
Part 1: Deconstructing “The Groan” – The Leadership Crucible
The groan is the pressure that forms the pearl. It is the tension between vision and current reality. For a leader, ignoring the groan is negligence; understanding it is wisdom; and navigating it is mastery.
A. The Personal Groan: The Weight of the Self
Before we lead others, we must lead ourselves, and this is where the first groans are heard.
· The Groan of Discipline: The 5 a.m. alarm to invest in personal development when comfort beckons.
· The Groan of Failure: The sting of a missed opportunity or a flawed decision that becomes the crucible of resilience.
· The Groan of Loneliness: The burden of confidential decisions that cannot be shared, borne alone in the quiet of one’s office.
· The Glory: This personal groan forges character, wisdom, and resilience. The leader emerges not just smarter, but wiser; not just skilled, but grounded. They become a source of stability for others because they have been refined in their own fire.
B. The Organizational Groan: The Birth Pangs of Innovation
Corporations and institutions do not transform through comfort. They evolve through necessary, and often painful, strain.
· The Groan of Innovation: The financial drain and uncertainty of R&D, where countless ideas die so that one might change the world.
· The Groan of Restructuring: The difficult, people-centric process of dismantling outdated systems to build more agile, future-proof models.
· The Groan of Cultural Shift: The exhausting, long-term work of rooting out toxicity and fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and empowerment.
· The Glory: This organizational groan yields market leadership, sustainable profitability, and a legacy brand. The company transitions from being a mere participant in the market to a shaper of it, creating products and cultures that define excellence.
C. The Societal Groan: The Labor Pains of a Nation
The most complex groans are those of nations and communities. They are collective, historic, and deeply felt.
· The Groan of Justice: The relentless, multi-generational struggle against corruption, inequality, and systemic oppression.
· The Groan of Reform: The short-term political and economic pain endured for long-term national benefit—be it in education, infrastructure, or economic policy.
· The Groan of Unity: The challenging work of forging a common identity and shared purpose out of diverse, and often divided, peoples.
· The Glory: This societal groan builds prosperous, just, and stable nations. It results in a legacy of peace, a high quality of life, and a society where human potential can flourish for generations to come.
Part 2: The Global Landscape: Groans Heard Around the World
This “Groan to Glory” framework is not theoretical; it is actively unfolding on the global stage.
· Local Context (Example: A Community Leader): A small-town mayor groans under the weight of a dying main street and youth exodus. The “glory” is not achieved by a single grant, but through the grueling work of rallying local businesses, attracting new investment, and revitalizing community pride—a glory seen in a thriving, vibrant town a decade later.
· Corporate Context (Example: The Tech Industry): The entire tech sector is in a prolonged “groan” over ethical AI. The tension between breakneck innovation and societal safety is immense. The “glory” will belong to the leaders and corporations who navigate this groan successfully, establishing a new paradigm for responsible and transformative technology.
· Global Context (Example: The Energy Transition): Nations worldwide are groaning through the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This involves economic disruption, geopolitical shifts, and technological hurdles. The “glory” will be a sustainable planet, energy independence, and new frontiers of economic opportunity for those nations that lead the way.
Part 3: The Leader as a Midwife of Glory: A Sacred Stewardship
Our role as leaders in every sector is not to avoid the groan, but to lean into it with purpose and perspective. We are, in the most sacred sense, midwives of possibilities.
Our core function is to “deliver possibilities.” This means:
1. Seeing the Potential: Visioneering the “glory” hidden within the present struggle.
2. Creating the Space: Building cultures and systems where the groan is acknowledged as part of the process, not a sign of failure.
3. Providing the Resources: Equipping our people and our organizations with the tools, trust, and time to persevere.
4. Guiding the Process: Steering the tension with wisdom, making the tough calls, and protecting the vision from short-sighted compromises.
And all of this is “to the glory of God Almighty.”
This is the ultimate “Why” that redefines success. When we lead with this mindset:
· Our ambition is purified. Success is no longer about our ego but about our stewardship. The thriving corporation becomes a testament to God’s principles of order, creativity, and excellence.
· Our endurance is fortified. Knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) provides a resilience that worldly motivation cannot match.
· Our legacy is eternal. The “glory” we help reveal—a transformed life, a righteous organization, and a flourishing nation—becomes part of a story far bigger than our own.
Conclusion: Embracing the Sacred Tension
The journey from groan to glory is not a straight line. It is a cycle, a spiral of continuous growth and challenge. The glory of one achievement simply reveals the next horizon, and with it, a new, necessary groan.
Do not despise the groan. Do not fear it. Name it. Honor it. Lead through it.
For it is in this sacred tension that true leadership is forged. It is here that we partner with the Divine in the holy work of unlocking the God-given possibilities buried within our people, our organizations, and our nations.
The world is waiting for leaders who are not afraid to groan, for they are the only ones who will ever truly see the glory.
Let us lead accordingly.
Dr. Tolulope A. Adegoke, AMBP-UN is a Recipient of the Nigerian Role Models Award (2024), and a Distinguished Ambassador For World Peace (AMBP-UN). He has also gained inclusion in the prestigious compendium, “Nigeria @65: Leaders of Distinction”.
Gunmen have abducted the Deputy Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Samaila Bagudu, in his hometown, Bagudu Local Government Area.
Sources said the gunmen stormed Bagudu town on Friday, shooting indiscriminately. According to the sources, the deputy speaker was abducted shortly after finishing his prayers and leaving the mosque for his home.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State Government Ahmed Idris confirmed the abduction to Channels Television.
Efforts to obtain further details from the Kebbi State Police Command on the incident proved abortive.
Also confirming the abduction, the Kebbi State Police Command described the attack as “regrettable and unacceptable.” In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, the Command vowed to rescue the Deputy Speaker unhurt.
According to the statement, a coordinated security response involving Police tactical units, military forces, and local vigilantes was immediately activated to track the kidnappers.
The joint team has since been combing suspected routes and forested areas around Bagudo in search of the abducted lawmaker.
The Command noted that the operation is being executed with precision and urgency, leveraging intelligence networks to narrow down possible hideouts of the armed group believed to be behind the abduction.
“The Police Command remains committed to ensuring the safe return of the Honourable member and the arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly act,” the statement read in part.
Commissioner of Police Bello Sani, while addressing the press, reiterated the Command’s dedication to safeguarding lives and property across the state.
He described the incident as a test of the Command’s resilience and promised that no effort would be spared in bringing the culprits to justice.
He also assured the people of Kebbi State that peace and security remain top priorities for the Command, urging residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid investigations.
CP Sani expressed appreciation for the swift support of the Nigerian Army and local vigilante groups, noting that their synergy demonstrates a unified front against banditry and criminal violence in the state.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the planned 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until the party complies with the statutory requirements of the party, the Constitution and the Electoral Act are met.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the party, the judge also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting report on the outcome of any national convention of the party without following the due process of the law as well as its guidelines and regulations.
The judge held that INEC is not entitled to give effect to the convention a party not done in accordance with the Constitution, Electoral Act and the guidelines/regulations of political parties.
The plaintiffs instituted the suit seeking to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of PDP scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State where new National Officers are expected to be elected on the ground of breach of the party’s Constitution.
The nine defendants are, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, National Organizing Secretary of the party, National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
