A former governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has been released from the custody of the Department of State Services.

The secret police had on Monday evening arrested and detained Adebutu over alleged disturbances during the local government elections held on November 16, 2024, in which the All Progressives Congress won all seats.

Adebutu on Tuesday, confirmed his release in a statement he signed.

He described the allegations as baseless and the arrest as an attempt to silence him.

At about 7am, Tuesday, 19th November 2024, I was released by the Department of State Services in Abeokuta following an invitation to answer to various spurious accusations all arising from the November 16 local government election in Ogun State.

“Very sadly, the allegations were so baseless that it became clear that their purpose was to silence me as a voice of the opposition. My contention that those elections were not free and fair is my fundamental right to free speech and free thought.

My thinking that the local government should have financial autonomy that can only be enforced by free and fair elections is germane to our development. Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, shares the same view as mine which shows it is not a partisan position but a nationalistic one.

However, because of the particular situation of Ogun State over the last five years which I shall publish shortly, desperation has set in to emasculate the third tier of government completely, this is the struggle for our development”, Adebutu said.

Throughout yesterday’s night, the social media was agog with the unverified news that billionaire businessman and chairman of Globacom and Conoil, Otunba Mike Adenuga, who’s known with the sobriquet “the bull”, had died.

This may be far from the truth as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and publisher of Ovation International Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu, said the Globacom boss is alive and not dead.

The rumours had sparked an outpouring of grief online, with many netizens sharing tributes and pictures of the business mogul.

However, close associates and family members had reined in the rumourmill by debunking the claims and affirming that Adenuga was “alive, hale, and hearty.”

Momodu took to social media to address the rumours, labelling it as fake news. He wrote “Ignore the fake news…

The Spirit of Africa, Dr. Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Isola Adenuga, is hale and hearty. He’s right now at his desk working round the clock in support of the Nigerian economy. He just called me to thank everyone for their concern.”

The Adenuga family also released an official statement, urging the public to disregard the false news.

“Dr. Mike Adenuga is alive, in good health, and going about his regular activities,” the statement said.

The family expressed appreciation for the concerns shown by the public.

It, however, cautioned against the spread of unverified information.

Adenuga celebrated his 71st birthday on April 29 this year.

Otunba Adenuga is one of Africa’s most influential entrepreneurs, overseeing a conglomerate spanning oil and gas, telecommunications, aviation, construction, banking, and real estate.

With a net worth of $6.7 billion, he ranks as the fifth-richest man in Africa, according to Forbes.

In the wake of the false rumours, the Adenuga family and associates emphasized the need for accuracy and responsible reporting, particularly on sensitive matters involving public figures.

Former aide to Prince Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State, Abidemi Rufai, has been released from prison in the United States.

Rufai, 47, was released from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ custody in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on November 15, 2024,

Correctional documents from the prison confirmed the story.

The convicted felon, would now ready himself for deportation from the U.S. as stipulated in his guilty plea. His Nigerian passport was returned to him on October 21, 2024, after he filed a motion to reduce his sentencing.

When he pleaded guilty to allegations of tax fraud and aggravated identity theft in 2022, Rufai waived his rights to challenge deportation after serving out his jail sentence.

He was sentenced to 60 months in prison on two counts of fraud in 2022 after prosecutors presented a strong case of multimillion-dollar fraud backed with 100,000 pages of evidence before a federal judge in Tacoma, Washington. The terms were scheduled to run concurrently.

Rufai, widely known as Elele Ruffy, was scheduled to be released on Valentine’s Day in 2025 but a judge approved his motion to be released earlier based on new sentencing guidelines, and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons forwent the three months left of his sentence.

He was ordered to pay $607,000 in restitution to the U.S. government agencies across multiple states, and a Nigerian court ordered the seizure of his Lekki mansion in Lagos and bank accounts after the anti-graft office EFCC filed fraud charges against him.

Rufai was widely known as a notorious Internet fraud ringleader in Lagos and Ogun for many years before he extended his fraudulent operations to the U.S., where he got nabbed.