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SANWO-OLU’S DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF’S REMAINS LAID TO REST
•Soyannwo was a confidant, faithful believer in collective dream of Greater Lagos – Governor
The remains of the late Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo, were committed to mother earth on Thursday at the Vaults and Gardens, after a funeral service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish, Victoria Island.
Governor Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Ibijoke; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barr. (Mrs). Abimbola Salu-Hudeyin, Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro and Chief of Staff, Mr. Tayo Ayinde, attended the funeral service to bid the late Soyannwo farewell.
The service was also attended by members of the Lagos State Executive Council, Permanent Secretaries, All Progressives Congress (APC), religious and traditional leaders, captains of industry, entrepreneurs, and public servants, as well as family, friends, and associates of the deceased.
The late Soyannwo, who was appointed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2019 as Deputy Chief of Staff and re-appointed in 2023, died on May 15 after a brief illness at age 55.
Speaking during the funeral service, Governor Sanwo-Olu, described Soyannwo as the engine room of his administration, whose death has created a big vacuum.

Elder brother of the deceased, Mr. Bayo Soyannwo; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; wife of deceased, Mrs. Yewande Soyannwo and the children during the funeral service of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish, Victoria Island, on Thursday, 23 May 2024.
He implored family of the deceased to take solace in God that the deceased lived a good life and touched many lives positively while on earth.
The Governor, who described the late Gboyega Soyannwo as “a brother, an armour-bearer, a confidant, and a faithful believer in the collective dream of a Greater Lagos,” said the late Deputy Chief of Staff, was a team player par excellence who worked tirelessly for the success of his administration.
He said that the late Soyannwo was a firm believer in impactful governance, adding that he was dutiful and passionate about development.
In her emotional tribute, which moved some of the congregation to tears during the service, the widow, Mrs. Yewande Soyannwo, eulogised her late husband. She said she had spent the best of her life with Gboyega, whom she described as a great partner and lover, having spent 24 years together as a couple.
She appealed to family, friends, colleagues, or anyone the late Gboyega Soyannwo might have offended while on earth for not meeting their expectations to forgive him, for death is inevitable.
“If I don’t give my tribute, it will be a disservice to Gboyega. Who am I to question God? Gboyega was intentional about everything, even when he is frowning.
“As your wife, I bless the day I met you. I bless the womb that brought you forth. I bless the children that God gave us. Everyone that matters to me matters to Gboyega. We had our issues, but they were nothing deep. What else can I say? I just want to thank God for giving him to me.
“I pray for strength to carry on. For the people Gboyega may have offended, who probably thought he didn’t give them a contract or help facilitate it, he had no power over that. Some relationships turned sour. He didn’t have the power to award contracts. Please forgive him,” she pleaded.

Elder brother of the deceased, Mr. Bayo Soyannwo; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; wife of deceased, Mrs. Yewande Soyannwo and the children during the funeral service of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo, at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish, Victoria Island, on Thursday, 23 May 2024.
In his exhortation, Pastor Dapo Akinosun, who read from Proverbs 22:29 and Romans 12:14, prayed for the repose of the deceased, urged those who are still alive to use their position to better the lives of the less privileged in society, by being selfless in service, as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
During the funeral service, prayers were offered for the entire Soyannwo family and Lagos State Government by the Lagos State chapter Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rt. Revd. Stephen Adegbite.
News
How 2018 Federal Legal Advice Exonerated Saraki In Offa Robbery Case
In light of the Kwara State Government’s fresh prosecution of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his successor over the Offa robbery, fresh facts have emerged on why the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. E. U. (Etsu Umar) Mohammed gave the duo a clean bill of health.
The Federal Director of Public Prosecutions cleared former Senate President Bukola Saraki of involvement in the Offa bank robbery in 2018, citing no evidence of a connection.
It was gathered that the DPP reviewed a 16-page police report prepared and signed by Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and then head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) at Force Headquarters, Abuja. The report detailed investigations into the April 5, 2018, multiple bank robbery attack in Offa, Kwara State.
The DPP in his first report dated June 22, 2018 and signed on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, prepared a five page legal advice in which he noted in paragraph 5 (f) that “for the Senate President (Saraki) and the Kwara State Governor (Ahmed), his office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects. Hence, it is our advice that further and thorough investigation in this regard be carried out”.
Following the submission of a second report by the police investigating team to his office on July 27, 2018, the DPP prepared a second legal advice, which was dated August 23, 2018. The three-page legal advice also has only three paragraphs.
In paragraph 3 (vi), he noted that “with regards to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, since there is no departure from the earlier findings in the interim report, this office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, and culpable homicide punishable with death”.
Both legal advices had recommended six people for prosecution. They are: Ayoade Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Ibrahim, Salawudeen Azeez, Niyi Ogundiran, and Michael Adiukwu.
One of the suspects, Michael Adiukwu, later died in police custody, while the other five had since been tried at the High Court in Ilorin.
During the trial, the suspects revealed how they were coerced into incriminating Senator Bukola Saraki.
They mentioned several inducements dangled before them, including money and the promise of a visa to travel out of the country.
The suspects have since been convicted and their convictions confirmed by the Court of Appeal. The matter is now pending before the apex court, the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
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₦400m Ransom Demanded As Gunmen Abduct Another Kwara Ruler
Terrorists have abducted a traditional ruler in Olayinka community, located in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Salman Olátúnjí Aweda and are demanding a ₦400 million ransom for his release.
The abduction occurred on April 18, 2026, when armed men, suspected to be militia herdsmen, invaded the community and took the monarch, his wife, and another resident into the forest.
According to JomogNews, residents who witnessed the incident said the terrorists, numbering over 10, invaded the monarch’s residence around Saturday midnight, forced the door open, and abducted him alongside another person in the house.
The assailants reportedly led both victims into the bush.
Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area, Mr Abdulrasheed Femi Yusuf, visited the community on Saturday on a sympathy visit and assured residents that efforts were underway to secure the monarch’s release.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident, and we are taking swift and decisive action in collaboration with security agencies,” he said.
News
Living Faith Church Founder Declares Week Of Vengeance Against Insecurity Sponsors
Bishop David Oyedepo, General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide, has declared that bandits and their sponsors will face divine judgment and retribution within seven days.
Speaking on Sunday, April 19, 2026, during a service themed “Covenant Day of Vengeance” at the church’s headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, the cleric stated that those responsible for killings and kidnappings would face imminent consequences.
“I declare judgement on those who caused these tragedies and their supporters in the name of Jesus,” he said.
The cleric further asserted that divine retribution would occur within a short timeframe.
“Unless I am not sent, this will happen in the next seven days,” he added.
Oyedepo also expressed confidence that Nigerians would soon witness outcomes of what he described as divine intervention, noting that the coming days would bring “testimonies of vengeance.”
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