News
Three killed, Ondo Church Set Ablaze over Missing Child
Three persons lost their lives on Wednesday, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury when some youths set ablaze a popular church, Sotitobire Praising Chapel, at the Oshinle Quarter in Akure, Ondo State.
The incident followed the rumoured discovery of the corpse of one-year-old Gold Kolawole, who went missing from the children’s department of the church on November 10.
For several hours on Wednesday, social and economic activities were paralysed in the area following the violence.
Some houses and vehicles purportedly belonging to the church were also set on fire by the irate youths, while a police patrol vehicle was also vandalised.
One of the deceased victims was a policeman, whose identity had not been ascertained.
An eyewitness said, “Since the day the boy went missing, people had observed that the police were not doing any serious investigation on the matter. But when the youth in the area saw that a was programme going on in the church on Wednesday, they went there to challenge the worshippers.
“The worshippers resisted the youth, then a fight broke out and the policemen guarding the church attacked the protesters. The action of the police infuriated the youth and residents of the area, who mobilised more people and set the church and its belongings ablaze.”
The eyewitness added that while the protest was going on, a team of policemen arrived the scene and started shooting indiscriminately and stray bullets hit two of the youth, who died on the spot.
Journalists were also attacked by the worshippers, who destroyed their cameras and telephones. The attacked journalists were from the SaharaReporters, Breeze FM and Western Post Newspapers.
Gold disappeared from the church during a Sunday service last month and his whereabouts have remained unknown, with his parents alleging that the police were not conducting a proper investigation into the matter.
A source stated that the residents of the area got angry when some pastors of the church started the morning service on Wednesday.
They reportedly attacked the church and one of the policemen guarding the place of worship was mobbed.
The residents accused the church of not showing concern about the missing child.
It was also learnt that the pastor of the church, Prophet Alfa Babatunde, was in the custody of the Department of State Services in Akure, where he was being interrogated on the matter.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the death of the policeman and one protester, said the command had drafted more personnel to restore normalcy in the area.
He stated, “We lost one of our men, while another one is critically injured and has been taken to hospital
“The church building was also set ablaze by the irate youth. Some of our officers despatched to the scene to contain the situation were pelted with stones, with many of them sustaining injuries. Their patrol vehicle was also badly damaged.
“The public should not be deceived by reports that the command has abandoned the investigation of the boy’s disappearance as the case file is already on the way to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the state for legal advice. Notwithstanding this latest incident, more reinforcement has been sent to the scene to contain the situation.”
The Punch
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.
