Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
More than 15,000 people have been reportedly displaced from their homes due to the heavy downpour in Saturday night and resultant flood that submerged over 2,000 houses in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and its environs.
The hardest hit areas are Achuasa Media Village, Wadata Rice Mill, Behind Police Zone Four, Larozone Nyiman Quarters, Judges Quarters, Gboko Road, Logo, New Bank Road, Abu, Shuluwa Road and the neighbourhood of Radio Benue, where all the houses in the community, including the transmitter of the state-owned radio station, were submerged.
Meanwhile, Governor Samuel Ortom, has appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid to avoid a repeat of the 2012 when River Benue broke its banks, also swept away hundreds of millions of Naira worth of property and valuables in a downpour that lasted over four hours.
Ortom made the appeal when he inspected flooded areas in Maiduguri yesterday, and described the problem as overwhelming.
The governor called on those living in flood-prone areas across the state to relocate, just as he directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to liaise with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to seek means of assisting those who have been displaced.
He also said that structures constructed on drainage channels and flood plains would be demolished.
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