Metro
Soldiers Torture, Force Man to Eat Vomit, Abandon Corpse in Osun
The family of a car dealer, Adeyinka Adekunle, have called on the Osun State Police Command and the military authorities to bring his killers to book after he was tortured to death by soldiers at the Nigerian Army Barracks, Ibodi, Osun State.
The victim’s father, 79-year-old Pa David Adekunle, lamented that none of the officers involved in the killing had been brought to book since the incident happened.
The torture was allegedly carried out on the orders of one Lt. Tobi Akindapo.
According to Punch Metro, Adeyinka and a friend, Solomon Ogundare, went to a beer parlour at Imo, Ilesa, on Thursday, March 24.
While the duo were drinking, they were approached by three men who solicited drinks from them.
Adeyinka and his friend, however, refused, saying they did not have money to buy extra drinks.
Our correspondents learnt that the men, who were soldiers, were not in uniform.
The youngest among them, said to be in his 20s, later queried Ogundare for slacking his trousers.
Adeyinka, 37, was said to have rebuffed him, questioning his authority to correct his friend’s dressing.
The matter was said to have led to exchange of words between the two groups.
As the altercation degenerated, one of the three men made a call to the barracks and soldiers stormed the scene.
However, while Adeyinka escaped from the area, his friend was caught and taken to the barracks, where he was tortured and locked up in a cell.
A Lexus 250 car belonging to Adeyinka which he drove to the beer parlour was reportedly vandalised and towed to the barracks.
Ogundare’s sister, Elizabeth Itunu, said she spoke to the soldiers during a visit to the barracks and they demanded N500,000 for the release of the car.
She said, “The soldiers said we would have to pay the money they used to tow the vehicle. I called Adeyinka and told him their demand. He thought the soldiers would not recognise him because the fracas happened at night.
“As we were both begging the soldiers, one of them identified him and that was how they seized him and started beating him in my presence. My brother was also tortured as well.
“So, I told the soldiers that now that you have beaten them, can you allow us take them for treatment? They did not listen. Instead, the young soldier who started the fight the previous night said he had not beaten them and he would start his own the following day.
“After much begging, they agreed to take N200,000 from us. I asked Adeyinka how much he had, and he said N40,000.
“We gathered N140,000 and I begged the soldiers to take the money and release them to us that night, and when we completed the payment, they could release the car; but they refused.”
Itunnu said she and a few other friends returned home without either Adeyinka or Ogundare, who were locked up in the guardroom.
The following day, she returned to the barracks and met the two men cutting grass as the soldiers whipped and kicked them.
“I observed that Adeyinka was very weak. He suddenly fell. They thought he was pretending and they started hitting him. When they saw that he was not moving, they checked his body and their boss said he should be rushed to a hospital,” she added.
Itunnu explained that her brother was put in the army truck, saying she later heard that the car dealer died before he got to a hospital.
“At that point, I became afraid as I saw that my brother was not breathing well. Their commander asked us to take my brother to a hospital as well.
“My brother told me that while he and Adeyinka were in the guardroom, he (Adeyinka) vomited. The soldiers then ordered him to start eating the vomit,” she stated.
The deceased’s father, Pa David, said he was informed that his son was taken to a police station when he visited the barracks.
“I went to the Ayeso Police Division and the police said they did not see any soldier. One of the policemen said I should go to Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa. On getting to the hospital, I was referred to the mortuary.
“At the mortuary, they said soldiers brought a corpse, but they rejected it and demanded to see a police report. They said they were forced to take the body. They brought out the body and it turned out to be my son,” he added.
The septuagenarian said he later reported the case at the police headquarters, Osogbo.
PUNCH Metro also learnt that the family had written a petition to the police and the army, demanding the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the murder.
“My son was buying and selling vehicles. He was my last child and my only son. He and his wife just had their first child, who is just two months old. I insist that the soldier that killed my son should be handed over to the police to face prosecution,” he added.
Akindapo could not be reached on his mobile phone, as he had yet to respond to text messages from our correspondents as of the time of filing this report.
The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed that a soldier approached the Ayeso division, seeking assistance to enable him to deposit a corpse in the morgue.
She said, “But the police did not give him any operative to accompany him. The DPO only called the morgue and spoke to people there. That was the only police involvement.”
The spokesperson for 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major Ikedichi Iweha, said investigation had commenced into the incident.
He said, “Our official position is that investigation has already commenced and appropriate action would be taken after the investigation.”
The Punch
A gas-laden tanker overturned on a Lagos road on Monday after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle.
The General Manager (GM), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who made this known in a statement on Monday in Lagos, said that timely response of traffic officials, however, averted an explosion at the scene.
He said the incident occurred along the main carriageway at Chisco, before the traffic light inward Victoria Island area.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident occurred when the driver of the truck, fully loaded with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinders, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn on the busy expressway.
“Given the highly volatile nature of the product, the situation posed an immediate and severe threat to human life and property, necessitating urgent technical intervention,” he said.
The GM said that LASTMA personnel swiftly cordoned off the affected area upon arriving at the scene, securing both the overturned vehicle and the CNG tanks.
According to him, this was done to prevent any leakage or ignition that could have triggered an explosive conflagration.
Bakare-Oki said that the LASTMA Rescue and Emergency Unit immediately activated a multi-agency emergency protocol, summoning key responders.
“The responders are the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), the Nigeria Police Force, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“Through this rapid inter-agency collaboration, the imminent threat was expertly contained, and normalcy was swiftly restored,” he said.
Bakare-Oki, who was physically present at the scene, lauded the prompt and disciplined conduct of his officers and partner agencies.
He disclosed that the upturned gas tanker was professionally recovered, using state-of-the-art heavy-duty cranes and recovery equipment mobilised to the site.
“Their immediate action in securing the environment prevented what could have been an unspeakable tragedy.
“We ensured that the recovery process was conducted under the highest safety protocols to eliminate any residual risk,” he said.
He further revealed that additional LASTMA personnel were deployed to the area to manage the resultant traffic congestion.
He added that the team guaranteed the safety of commuters navigating through the Victoria Island corridor.
“While the main carriageway was closed temporarily from Chisco inward Victoria Island, motorists were immediately diverted through the new coastal road and reconnected via Bar Beach.
“This ensured the continuity of vehicular movement till the recovery operation was safely concluded and the road reopened to normal traffic,” he said.
The GM emphasised that the incident underscored the critical importance of adherence to road safety regulations, especially among truck drivers and operators of articulated vehicles transporting flammable and hazardous materials.
He admonished such operators to strictly observe prescribed speed limits, maintain their vehicles in sound mechanical condition, and exercise heightened vigilance, particularly under wet weather conditions.
Leading communications network, Globacom, has registered another milestone with its ongoing investment in its people as the SheGlows Summit 2025 convened women from every division at the Alliance Française, Mike Adenuga Centre, Lagos.
This year’s theme, “Wellness for Growth,” underscored a simple truth: wellbeing is not separate from performance-it powers it.
From Mrs Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi’s reflections on rest, to Bunmi George’s insights on consistency, and Ifeoma Williams’s masterclass on confidence, every session linked personal wellness to leadership readiness.
The summit’s success mirrored Globacom’s broader commitment to a management culture that continually fosters spaces where women can learn, lead, and lift others.
While the spotlight shone on the female workforce, the quiet endorsement from senior leadership made clear that this vision starts at the top and ripples throughout the organisation.
Participants left with renewed clarity and community spirit, a testament that when companies nurture wellness, they unlock growth that lasts.
They lauded the experience as inspiring and transformative. Ifeyinwa Okoli, Team Lead, Customer Care, said, “The event was beyond my expectations; each speaker delivered her message beautifully, and I’ve taken so much home.”
Esther Ohiomoba from Enterprise Business added, “It touched my core. My biggest takeaway is to let my brilliance serve, not intimidate. I’d love to do this again and again.”
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”.
