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Family wants JUSTICE over radio presenter’s death in church during childbirth
The family of Seun Olorunto, whose remains were recovered from a Cherubim and Seraphim Church located at No. 3B Bayo Ajao Street, Aboru, Lagos State, has demanded justice for her death.
Punch Metro had reported that a prophetess in the church, Evelyn Owoleke (real name Tawakalitu Okedunmola), was arrested in connection with the radio presenter’s death during childbirth on the church’s premises.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, had said in a statement that Olorunto was found in a pool of her own blood when detectives visited the church, adding that the corpse was deposited in a mortuary for autopsy and the baby was taken to hospital for treatment.
Olorunto’s mother, Oluwaseyi Agbolade, said the prophetess accommodated the presenter with the Faaji FM radio station against her will, adding that when the leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church in Aboru questioned her about it, she denied the allegation.
Oluwaseyi stated, “Tawakalitu told me that she heard that I sent my pregnant daughter away from home and she wanted my daughter to move in with her, but I refused and told her that I never sent her out and that what happened was that my daughter and her three children were staying in a room that my father gave me, but when her husband returned from South Africa and wanted to be living in that same room, I encouraged him to secure an apartment to accommodate his family.
“I later discovered that my daughter had started living in Tawakalitu’s church against my will and I told the prophetess that I didn’t want her there. I even reported the prophetess to the leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church in Aboru, Adeyemi Oyebade, to prevail on her to allow my child to leave the church, but she denied that Olorunto was staying with her, but a delegation that was sent to her church saw my daughter there.
“Later, Tawakalitu called my younger brother to inform him that Olorunto had been delivered of a baby, but she collapsed in the process of childbirth and I told her that she must wake her up, because I never approved her staying in the church.”
Olorunto’s niece, Jolayemi Olaleye, while blaming Tawakalitu for the presenter’s death, said when the prophetess was arrested, she gave the police a fake name to conceal her identity.
She said, “Tawakalitu never reported the incident to the police or showed us a death certificate. So, I went to report the case at the Oke-Odo Police Station and a policewoman followed us to the church, where I saw my niece’s corpse in a car. When I asked for the prophetess, no one answered me.
“They lied that Olorunto died in the car; we were told that she gave birth in the morning and there was no blood in the car; her clothe was also not soaked in water or blood; I also saw strange marks on her mouth; so I knew that something was wrong. I asked for the baby, the placenta and the clothes used in taking delivery of the baby, but when no one could provide what I asked for, I insisted that Tawakalitu must follow us to the station, but her sister volunteered to go with us.
“We later went back to the church with another IPO and three people were arrested; when we returned to the station, we saw Tawakalitu and the baby there. The prophetess and I were told to write statements; she wasn’t remorseful about what happened to my niece; instead, she was boasting that she knew people. I want the police to help us get justice so that my niece won’t die in vain.”
In a follow-up reaction, Elkana said, “We are waiting for the autopsy report to determine the next line of action. The investigation is still ongoing and the prophetess is in our custody.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has issued fines to at least nine Deposit Money Banks for failing to ensure cash availability via automated teller machines, ATMs, during the festive season.
The fines total N1.35bn, with each of the banks fined N150m.
The banks were found culpable after spot checks revealed non-compliance with the Central Bank’s cash distribution guidelines.
A statement released by CBN acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, on Tuesday, read: “In a clear message of zero tolerance for cash flow disruptions, the Central Bank of Nigeria has sanctioned Deposit Money Banks for failing to make naira notes available through automated teller machines during the yuletide season.
“Each bank was fined N150m for non-compliance, in line with the CBN’s cash distribution guidelines, following spot checks on their branches. The enforcement action follows repeated warnings from the CBN to financial institutions to guarantee seamless cash availability, particularly during periods of high demand.
“The affected banks include Fidelity Bank Plc, First Bank Plc, Keystone Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc, Globus Bank Plc, Providus Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, and Sterling Bank Plc.”
The fine will be debited directly from the banks’ accounts with CBN.
The Federal Ministry of Power is proposing to spend N8 billion to orient Nigerians on prompt payment of electricity bills in 2025.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this while defending the ministry’s budget before the National Assembly joint committee on power on Monday, January 13.
According to Adelabu, the advocacy would be done through social, digital and print mediums in order to reach all Nigerians. Adelabu explained that many Nigerians need orientation to realise that the power sector is a national asset that needs protection.
“We are a people of over 200 million strength. So we need to go through all the loopholes, through social media, through digital media, through the print media, to actually orientate and do this advocacy. So we have N8 billion.
In terms of advocacy, we believe that our people need to be re-educated. They need to be re-orientated to know that the power assets are national assets, and we should all jointly own it.
Our people need to know that they should avoid power theft. When they see something, they must say something. Our people need to know that they must pay their bills regularly. All these need to be passed across. We believe that the power sector needs to do a lot of advocacy, re-orientation and re-education of our people” Adelabu said
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said that the national electricity grid will remain prone to collapse.
According to the Minister, this was due to the government’s inability to repair a crucial transmission line in the northern part of the country owing to persistent insecurity.
Adelabu said this on Monday during the 2025 budget defense session with the Senate Joint Committee on Power.
The Minister said that the Shiroro-Kaduna-Mando line, which had been out of service since a vandalism incident in October 2024, had caused immeasurable loss to the nation.
He pointed to this as a major reason for the frequent collapse of the national grid.
“The Kaduna-Shiroro-Mando line was one of the two major lines transmitting power to the north.
“The second, the Ugwuaji-Makurdi line, was also vandalized but has been repaired.
“The Shiroro-Mando-Kaduna line, however, remains down due to insecurity.
“This is why our grid is so fragile, as it relies on a single line, causing unnecessary strain,” he said.
Adelabu said the government can only work on quicker restoration when the power grid collapses.
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