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Oodua Republic Mega Rally: Police arrest Ogboni leader, Osun worshipper, 47 others

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Forty-nine persons, among them a man who claimed to be leader of the Ogboni confraternity and a female Osun worshipper , simply identified as yeye, were arrested weekend, during the botched Oodua Republic Mega rally at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom park, Ojota, Lagos. 

The Police said dangerous weapons such as arms, ammunition, axes, cutlasses and charms were recovered from them. Also recovered were five vehicles used to convey the protesters to the venue .

Some of the suspects were said to have come from outside Lagos. As at yesterday, owners of  some of the vehicles  impounded contacted the command from Oyo state, informing that the vehicle in question was leased to the arrested suspects.

Recall that the command handed down a warning last Thursday, that  it would not allow any rally in the state  under any guise, threatening  to deal decisively with anyone or group that would act otherwise.

However, protesters  who gathered at the designated point with different banners on Saturday to carry on with their agitation for a Yoruba nation, were dispersed by policemen stationed at Ojota.

Parading the suspects at the command headquarters, weekend, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu,  said, “ On Saturday July 3, 2021, despite warnings and security explanations given to organizers of the rally to forestall breakdown of law and orders in Lagos State, certain individuals came into the state with the intention to foment trouble under the guise of the said mega rally. In curtailing their activities that portend threat to the security of the state, the command arrested 49 suspects.

They include : Bamidele Akomolafe,52; Dauda Abubakare,25;Adebanjo Adedajo,42; Lawal Akeem,21; Abdulsemiu Akanbi,43; Emmanuel Chidiemere,27; Taofeek Abdulsalami,25; Adesina Ibrahim,33 and adeyemi Segun,22 and 39 others.

“Items recovered from them include : one pump action rifle, two local made pistols, four live cartridges, one expended cartridge and stickers with the inscription ‘Oodua Armed Forces ‘.

“Also recovered were one Opel car with registration number FFF 921, one unregistered Toyota 4 Runner SUV, one Honda car with registration number SMK 248 FC, one Nissan pathfinder SUV with registration number ABJ 348 DB, One Suzuki mini bus with plate number LSR980 YC, one beaded crown, one beaded walking stick, white box containing assorted charms, some Oodua  flags and banners, clothes and caps with Oodua Nation inscriptions, some voodoo charm jackets, one traditional calabash containing weeds suspected to be Indian hemp, some mobile phones , clothes, two axes”.

Additional discovery

The Command boss further explained that around 11.10 pm same day, the Area Commander,’ H’ , Ogudu whose jurisdiction covers part of Ojota area of the state , got a tip off from a Lagosian with an undisclosed identity, that some objects suspected to be arms were abandoned behind a car stand , near King David Executive express, Ojota.

When the Area Commander proceeded to the place , Odumosu said, he  discovered one AK 47 rifle with (18 ) 7.62mm live ammunition , two locally made pistols with 15 live cartridges were recovered.

“ In summary, a total of six arms, 18 (18) 7.62mm ammunition , 19 live cartridges and one expended cartridge were recovered”, Odumosu said.

He stated further that  with these recoveries, especially the sticker with the inscription Oodua Armed Forces, it was glaring that the protesters had a sinister motive other than the rally , adding that information at the command disposal had it that their intention was to cause unrest in several parts of the state.

Odumosu said, “ Coupled with the conduct of the so called agitators and others that despite repeated warnings from the command and the Lagos State government, trooped out for the planned rally, one could easily infer that they were not in Lagos state for a rally but for another mission geared towards destabilizing the state, if not nipped in the bud.

“These discoveries and  recoveries have authenticated the intelligence report at the command’s disposal  and they have also vindicated the command for banning the rally in its press briefing of Thursday July 1,2021. But for the proactive security strategies emplaced by the command towards the botched rally, the entire state would been engulfed in crisis similar to the #EndSARS violence”

He however,  clarified that  that as much as the Police respect and protect the rights of every citizen in the state, they would not fold their hands to allow any group of persons to truncate the peace being enjoyed in Lagos state

The suspects, according to him, would be handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Yaba, for discreet investigation and possible prosecution.

Ogboni leader speaks

However, when one of the suspects who identified himself as leader of the Ogboni confraternity, Kabiyesi Tajudeen Olarewaju alias Ajamajebi denied participating in the rally.

According to him,” I am an  Ogboni king. We went for worship in Surulere on Friday night. I had more than 2000 followers that worshipped with me.  We started from 11pm on Friday, to Saturday to  5 am .

“I had to sleep because I was going to drive. By 10.30am on Saturday, we left Surulere for Ikorodu.  I was to pick one of my drivers at 7up. As  I alighted at Ojota, some policemen stopped me. When I introduced myself, they said I should go. But they stopped me again and arrested me. There were six people  inside  my jeep ”.

Asked if any weapon was found in his car , he shook his head”.

Culled from the Vanguard News Nigeria

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Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.

In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with another woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving car, and would have been in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country even if he was able. Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the lawsuit.

Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said she would fight the lawsuit in court.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Spiro said.

The next day Megan told Garcia never to discuss what he saw and berated and fat-shamed him, the lawsuit said. The complaint also said Garcia, who had already considered quitting because he was overworked and underpaid in a hostile work environment aggravated by Megan’s possessiveness and abusiveness, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive employee.

Garcia raised those issues in the conversation with Megan, and was fired the following day after four years of working for her, the suit said. He has since filed a job discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names as defendants Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete; her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label, Roc Nation. A defense response has yet to be filed. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from a representative of Roc Nation.

Garcia is seeking financial damages to be determined at trial, alleging he has suffered severely both emotionally and physically because of his treatment on the job, the firing and having to witness the scene in the SUV.

Megan, 29, was previously involved in major legal drama — and underwent a torrent of online abuse — as the victim of a shooting by rapper Tory Lanez, who a jury found fired at her feet on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She testified at the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Already a major rising artist at the time of the shooting, Megan has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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