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Bolu Bamidele: It took us 1hour, broke four windows, burglary before we could rescue him – Witness
An eye witness identified as Gabriel Adejare who was among the rescue team of Late Bolu Bamidele nicknamed Teebam has said it took them hours before they could save him from the burning house.
Recall, Biztellers had reported that a housewife identified as Ife Akanji who is on the run had set her husband ablaze for alleged extra-marital affair.
Our correspondent during a visit to the burnt house spoke with an eye witness who revealed that it took them much strength to quench the fire while all effort to reach fire fighters proved abortive.
According to the witness the incident occurred on Sunday 17th of July around 7:30 pm at Coker area of Osogbo, Osun State.
He explained that they spent hours breaking the house burglary after Bolu was perceived in the master’s bedroom, unconscious, as the wife locked every doors leading to the house.
After he was brought out, he was taken to the Osogbo central hospital but was denied access due to the magnitude of burns sustained.
He was later taken to Lautech where he referred to University Teaching Hospital (UCH) in ibadan.
He further said that Ife was seen at the junction in their area bare footed while putting only underwear.
He noted that people were oblivious of the incident as at the time she was seen.
Gabriel said she ignored everyone trying to speak with her.
In his words: “It happened that my wife and I were coming from town when we saw victim’s wife Ife at the junction but we don’t know what happened to her.
“On getting to the side of their house we noticed fire was coming from the house and we perceived that the fire isn’t like papper burning or burning of little little substances around the environment.
“So when we look inside, we saw that there is fire coming out from the sitting room side.
“Knowing that the house is always empty most times, I went in to check what is happening and on getting there I realized the house is truly on fire.
“Again I saw the younger sister of Teebam’s wife crying outside that her sister’s husband is inside the burning house.
“So with some men around we tried to make a rescue, we started to fetch water and sand to quench the fire but unfortunately we couldn’t locate the exact room the man (victim) was.
“It was after 30-40 minutes of quenching the fire that we noticed the man was still inside, so we broke like four windows, removed the burglary to make sure we save the man.
“We tried that for like 30 minutes before we could successfully broke the window and went through it to bring his out.
“We tried giving him first aid but unfortunately what we saw was much more than our power, so we called ambulance or fire fighter but none respond to us before we took him in our car to the hospital.
READ ALSO: Wife flees after burning husband over infidelity
“Through the fire, the house was completely burnt down and till now the wife who set the house on fire is nowhere to be found. Nobody has set their eyes on her since Sunday”
When asked how she was dressed when she was seen at Shasha junction, Gabriel said “Her dressing was suspicious, she was only wearing a short tight and bra without shoes, phone, bag, wig or anything, that was suspicious on it own.
Also she didn’t reply anybody asking her what the problem was, she was just focused on where she’s was going.
“Hopefully, the victim was rushed to down to Osogbo central but he was denied access because it is an emergency and it beyond their own measure. So he was transferred to Lautech and was there till Monday morning before he was transferred again to UCH in ibadan where he gave up the ghost.”
Bamidele passed away at UCH around 4 o’clock on Tuesday, according to Yemisi Opalola, public relations officer for the Osun State Police Command, who confirmed the occurrence on Wednesday. She noted that efforts to apprehend the evading wife were in high gear.
“At about 2330hrs of 17/7/22, one Bolu Bamidele of Koka Ibokun was set ablaze by his wife, Ifeoluwa Bamidele of same address. The victim was rushed to Osogbo Central Hospital. He was later referred to UCH, Ibadan for better treatment. The victim eventually died at the UCH around 4pm yesterday (Tuesday) 19/7/2022.
“Efforts are on top gear to arrest the fleeing wife,” Opalola said.
The Enugu State Government has commended the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based leader of the proscribed separatist group, Autopilots.
Ekpa has been accused of orchestrating violence and chaos in Nigeria’s South East region.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described Ekpa as a “common criminal, con man, and terrorist” who has exploited the Igbo people while claiming to represent their interests.
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“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.
“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”
The state government accused Ekpa of sponsoring violent activities that have resulted in the loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of the region’s economic activities.
It stated that Ekpa’s actions were driven by personal greed and not genuine concern for the Igbo people.
Onyia said, “Ekpa is a murderer and fraudster who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.
“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra.”
The government emphasized its readiness to provide evidence of Ekpa’s alleged crimes to support his prosecution, whether in Finland or Nigeria.
“This arrest is in line with the demand of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region,” the statement added.
The government further criticized Ekpa for fostering a climate of fear and insecurity that has harmed the entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth of the Igbo people.
“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work,” Onyia said.
The Enugu State Government expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest would mark a turning point in the quest for peace and stability in the South East, urging residents to remain vigilant and supportive of ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the region.
The COP29 presidency has unveiled an ambitious climate finance plan, calling on developed nations to provide $250 billion annually to developing countries by 2035.
The proposal, part of a broader initiative to mobilize $1.3 trillion from public and private sources each year, seeks to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
The five-page draft text, released on Friday, emphasizes the need for developed nations to lead the charge in financing climate action.
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According to the document, this financial commitment is seen as a critical step toward combating the climate crisis and fostering sustainable development globally.
“In this context, it is decided to set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action,” the draft states.
The announcement follows the release of an earlier 10-page draft on Thursday, which drew significant criticism from Global South delegations.
Many expressed frustration that the document lacked clear financial commitments from wealthier nations, falling short of expectations to support adaptation and mitigation efforts.
“There is a clear need to address the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially given the diverse circumstances shaping national priorities,” a negotiator from a developing country delegation remarked.
The updated proposal aims to address some of these concerns by outlining more specific targets. However, skepticism remains among some negotiators, who feel the revisions still fail to adequately address their demands.
Meanwhile, developed countries have raised their own reservations about the proposed plan.
A European negotiator, speaking to Reuters, described the $250 billion annual target as unrealistic and criticized the lack of measures to expand the pool of contributing countries.
“No one is comfortable with the number because it’s high, and there’s almost nothing on broadening the contributor base,” the negotiator said.
The mixed reactions underscore the persistent divide between developed and developing nations in climate negotiations.
While the draft text aims to reconcile these differences, the gap between expectations and commitments remains a significant hurdle.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
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