OKECHUKWU OBETA, who covered the burial of three brothers who were consumed by the fire that ravaged the Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos, reports that tears flowed from sympathisers and relations as the remains of the three victims were buried in Anambra a few days ago
The atmosphere in Nze Omatu Ikwuamaeze family house in Uzoakwa village, Ihiala local government area of Anambra state, on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, was, indeed, pathetic as hundreds of mourners gathered to bid farewell to three brothers of the family who lost their lives in the 24 December 2025 fire disaster that ravaged the Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos.
The mood among those who thronged into the sprawling family compound in their hundreds, most of whom dressed in black attire, was, indeed, that of deep sorrow and heavy heart.
Some even wailed, bore swollen eyes with tears flowing down their cheeks like running taps as the three caskets bearing the remains of the three brothers were placed in the family compound for the requiem Mass.
Mourners became more grieved and emotional when the eldest son of the family, a priest of the Catholic Church, Minna Diocese, Niger state, Rev. Fr. William Ugonna Omatu, narrated the tragic story of the demise of his three brothers in the 25-storey building, Great Nigeria Insurance House fire disaster.
The deceased brothers were Steve, aged 40, Casmir, aged 39, and Collins, a twin, aged 37. He said that it was possible that his three brothers and even other victims might have been saved if the Lagos state government had intervened early to save the situation. The Catholic clergy insisted that the Lagos State government, particularly the state government’s fire service, did not intervene when the inferno engulfed the Great Nigeria Insurance House. So, he called for a thorough probe into the fire disaster, describing it as a “national tragedy”.
He notably dismissed the superstition rumoured among some traditional worshippers in the town that it was a “curse” that claimed his three brothers.
It was gathered that it was firmly believed by some traditional worshippers that their late father, Polycarp Omatu, a Knight of St John International, refused to make a sacrifice to a deity in the community, so they believe that the deity, popularly known as “Ogwugwu”, caused the untimely death of the three sons as revenge.
But, Rev. Fr. Williams dismissed the insinuation with a wave of the hand, saying that the superstition “does not hold any water”, arguing, “My three brothers were not the only ones who died; there were others who died”. He narrated the sad story of the death of his three brothers in an interview, saying, “It (the death of his three brothers) is a national tragedy. It is so unfortunate that the world is not aware of what happened to my three brothers, and not only my three brothers, but many other souls perished in the Great Nigeria Insurance House on the 24th of December, 2025.
“I want the media to find out what happened. It is said that injustice done to one is to all. How must souls be there languishing on 24 December, and the Lagos state government could not provide fire service to rescue Nigerians who were there? It was too unfortunate. And it is my wish that this will never happen to anyone again.”
The clergy argued that the fire raged with the trapped victims for more than one week, from 24 December to 31 December, and the Lagos state government could not do anything to rescue the victims. “What kind of government do we have?” he asked. The clergy continued, “Let the whole world know what is going on in Ihiala, Anambra state, those three brothers: Steve, Casmir, and Collins Omatu – they were my younger brothers, they were victims of what happened on 24 December 2025.
“I am speaking for others who also lost their lives because nobody is speaking for them; I am a priest, and, by virtue of my ordination, I am bound to speak on justice for those who cannot speak for themselves. So, I want the media to find out what happened there. Let there be research, let there be a documentary on what happened on 24 December 2025. It shouldn’t be swept under the carpet”, Rev. Fr. Omatu advised.
An uncle to the deceased three brothers, who said that he was an eyewitness to the Great Nigeria Insurance House fire disaster, Chief Basil Bobity Ndedigwe alleged that it was the Lagos state government’s nonchalant disposition toward the fire disaster that made it impossible for some of the victims to be rescued.
He said that immediately after the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited the fire disaster site, government agents cordoned off the area.
Narrating the story of the fire incident in an interview on the sidelines, shortly after the three brothers were interred, Ndedigwe said, “I was there live. The most important thing that got me annoyed is that when the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, arrived, they did not allow us to go there to explain certain things.
“And the announcement is what baffled me most. He (Gov. Sanwo-Olu) said there were no casualties. And after two days, when they were bringing out some corpses, they (agents of the government) refused that the corpse be videoed.
“They said, ‘If you video it (the corpses), what will you say when the governor has said that there was no casualty?’ So, if you are carrying it and the police stop you and ask you where you are carrying the corpse from, where will you say you are holding the corpse from?”
He expressed grave regret that when he was eventually allowed entry into the scene of the fire disaster, even the skeletons of his three nephews had turned into ashes. So, all he could do was to take the ashes for burial at home. He said that the government agents only allowed him access to the burnt building more than a week after.
Emotions deepened in the mourners at the sight of the children and widows of the deceased when they were being helped to the graveside to perform the burial rites of throwing sand into the grave. Their sights, indeed, provoked heavy hearts as many mourners wailed and rained curses on whosoever had a hand in the circumstance that caused the lives of the three brothers.
Steve left behind a widow and three children: first, two daughters, Ifunanya, aged 7, and Chukwunonyerem, aged 5, and the last child, a boy, Somtochukwu, aged 1. Casmir, according to one of their uncles, who also said that he lived in Lagos with the deceased’s three brothers, left a pregnant widow. Their third brother, Collins, a twin, has not been married. According to tradition, his twin brother, Ugochukwu, was absent from the burial ceremony. He was not allowed to see the remains of his twin, even as his casket was being lowered into the grave. Their parents, Sir Polycarp Omatu and his wife, Lady Juliana, have also already joined their ancestors some years ago. With the demise of their three children, those left in the family are the priest, Rev. Fr. William Omatu, who is, incidentally, the first male child, but second child, after Adaora (first child), Ujunwa (third child), and Ugochukwu, the last child. Adaora and Ujunwa are already married. So, Fr. William and Ugochukwu are left to care for the two widows and children of their deceased brothers.
However, a former Anambra State governor, Mr Peter Obi, who visited the bereaved family, consoled them and promised to maintain a close relationship with them. He told them that he shared in their pain over the tragic demise of their family members. The Chairman of Ihiala local government, Hon. Anayochukwu Ojiakor, said that he was mandated by the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to represent him at the funeral. He promised that his local government would do everything within its power to support the bereaved family of the three deceased brothers.
But as far as Fr. William and the homilist during the requiem Mass, spiritual director of Upper Room Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Anthony Nnaji, are concerned, “God does not abandon orphans”. They expressed strong faith that God will always cater for the widows and orphans. For instance, Fr. William, referencing the Bible passage, said, “In Job chapter 19:25, Job said ‘I know that my redeemer liveth’. And in Romans 8:37, it is said ‘in all these things we are more than conquerors’”. “What we have today is by the grace of God. The sustenance of the two widows, children, and my siblings is in the hands of God,” Fr. William said. Fr. Nnaji was emphatic that God knew about the tragedy that befell the three brothers. He particularly cautioned those making negative comments about their death to desist, warning that such statements could be a reason for such people to be condemned to hellfire on their last day. “God does not tell anyone when He will come for him or how He will come for him,” Fr. Nnaji admonished.
Similarly, the president of the Ihiala indigenous priests and religious, Rev. Fr. Desmond Ebulue, a Redemptorist priest, dismissed the superstition being alluded to as the cause of the tragic death of the three brothers. He said that though their death was a tragedy, as Christians, they were not subject to any deity. The Vicar-General of the Minna Diocese, Rev. Fr. Tadeus Umaru, represented the Bishop at the requiem Mass attended by 47 Catholic priests and over 20 Reverend Sisters.
Chinedu said that he got the worst beating of his life from soldiers and police personnel when he attempted to go to the scene of the fire disaster to see if he could rescue his three trapped nephews. Chibuzo Mbachi, a trader at the Balogun Market, dealing in ladies’ wear and T-shirts, said that he lost goods worth over N70 million to vandals who invaded the market. He lamented that, even though security agencies and other agents of the Lagos state government prevented them from entering the market to retrieve their goods, the thieves still carted them away.
“I want to plead with the Lagos state government to come to our help. In such a market, we are supposed to have a functional fire service station. I lost between N70 million and N78 million. I deal in ladies’ wear and T-shirts. As we were running away, because security people were chasing us away, thieves were carting away our goods,” Mbachi lamented.
The US Justice Department began releasing millions of new pages on Friday from the Jeffrey Epstein files along with photos and videos, adding fuel to the politically explosive case that has dogged President Donald Trump.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the White House played no role in the review of the extensive files related to the convicted sex offender, a former friend of Trump.
“They did not tell this department how to do our review, what to look for, what to redact, what to not redact,” Blanche said at a press conference.
The Justice Department said some of the documents being released contained “untrue and sensationalist claims” about the 79-year-old Trump submitted to the FBI before the 2020 presidential election.
But Blanche — who previously served as Trump’s personal lawyer — dismissed suggestions that embarrassing material about the president had been redacted from the more than three million documents, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos being released on Friday.
“We did not protect President Trump,” he said. “We didn’t protect or not protect anybody.”
Blanche said all images of girls and women were being redacted aside from those of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of trafficking underage girls for Epstein and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
However, a statement by survivors of Epstein’s alleged abuse claimed identifying information about them still remained in the files, “while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected.”
The letter signed by 19 individuals, some using aliases or initials, demanded “the full release of the Epstein files” and that Attorney General Pam Bondi directly address the matter when she testifies before Congress next month.
A wealthy US financier, Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking of underage girls. His death was ruled a suicide.
Previous document releases have shed light on Epstein’s ties to top business executives such as Microsoft’s Bill Gates, celebrities such as filmmaker Woody Allen, academics and politicians, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton.
In a draft email among the documents published on Friday, Epstein said Gates had engaged in extramarital affairs, a claim the Gates Foundation denied in a statement to The New York Times.
“These claims — from a proven, disgruntled liar — are absolutely absurd and completely false,” it said.
In other emails, Epstein connected Steve Tisch, 76, producer of the movies “Forrest Gump” and “Risky Business” and the co-owner of the New York Giants football team, with multiple women.
In one exchange with Tisch, Epstein describes a woman as “russian, and rarely tells the full truth, but fun.”
– Conspiracy theories –
Trump’s right-wing base has long been obsessed by the Epstein saga and conspiracy theories that the financier oversaw a sex trafficking ring for the world’s elite.
Only one person — Epstein’s former girlfriend Maxwell — has ever been charged in connection with his crimes, and Blanche appeared to play down expectations that the latest files would lead to further prosecutions.
Trump and Clinton both figure prominently in the records published so far but neither has been accused of wrongdoing.
A Republican-led House panel voted recently to launch contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton over their refusal to testify before its probe into Epstein.
Trump, who used to move in the same social circles as Epstein in Florida and New York, fought for months to prevent release of the vast trove of documents about the disgraced financier.
But a rebellion inside his Republican Party forced him to sign off on a law mandating release of all the documents.
Trump has given varying accounts of why he eventually fell out with Epstein. He has criticized the file dumps, expressing concern that people who “innocently met” Epstein over the years risked having their reputations smeared.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act called for all of the documents held by the Justice Department to be published by December 19.
Blanche said Friday’s release “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people.”
He blamed the delay on the need to painstakingly carry out redactions that protected the identities of Epstein’s more than 1,000 alleged victims.
Venezuela’s acting president announced on Friday a proposal for mass amnesty in the country, in her latest major reform since the US toppling of Nicolas Maduro just weeks ago.
Delcy Rodriguez, in a speech at the Venezuelan Supreme Court attended by top government officials, said she will propose a “general amnesty law covering the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present.”
Leftist revolutionary Hugo Chavez assumed the presidency in 1999, and was succeeded upon his death in 2013 by Maduro, who oversaw an increasingly authoritarian government and whose two re-elections were widely dismissed as fraudulent.
“This law will serve to heal the wounds left by political confrontation, fueled by violence and extremism. It will allow us to put justice back on track in our country,” Rodriguez said, also announcing a “major national consultation for a new judicial system.”
She also announced plans to close the notorious El Helicoide prison in Caracas, where rights groups say political prisoners were tortured by Maduro’s intelligence services.
The massive facility, originally built as a shopping mall, will be turned into a “sports, cultural and commercial center for police families and neighboring communities,” Rodriguez said.
A mother interviewed by AFP near El Helicoide was overjoyed that her son, imprisoned inside, may soon be released under the law.
“It’s wonderful! I haven’t heard from my son in six months, so, damn it, this is a huge joy, it’s an amnesty, my God, it’s total liberation,” said Betsy Orellana, 63.
– Wary opposition –
Formerly Maduro’s vice president, Rodriguez, 56, has quickly moved in less than four weeks in power to overhaul Venezuelan society in ways sought by the United States, earning high praise from US President Donald Trump.
Along with her brother, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, she has passed a new law opening up the country’s critical oil sector to private investments — a key demand of Trump.
The move on Thursday was almost immediately followed by a rollback on US sanctions targeting Venezuela’s oil industry.
The government also agreed on January 8, five days after Maduro was seized in a deadly US military operation, to free inmates considered political prisoners by rights groups.
Families — many of whom began camping outside the prisons — and rights groups have criticized the slow pace of the releases, with the Foro Penal NGO counting less than 300 in total released since January 8.
Opposition figures in Venezuela have voiced reserved optimism at the changes taking place, wary that Maduro’s closest allies still remain in power.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said Friday that Rodriguez’s amnesty proposal came only after she was pushed by Washington.
“This is not a voluntary gesture by the regime, but a response to pressure from the United States government. And I hope that the prisoners will soon be able to be with their families,” she posted on social media.
Opposition lawmaker Tomas Guanipa, whose two brothers are imprisoned, said he hope the amnesty would end “an era of repression.”
“May this be the beginning of a path that leads us to freedom and democracy, definitively and forever,” he told AFP in an interview at his home in Caracas.
– Americans freed –
US authorities on Friday announced that all Americans known to be held prisoner in Venezuela had been released.
The announcement came hours after the release of Peruvian-American political prisoner Arturo Gallino Rullier, whom the Foro Penal group said was on his way to the United States.
For years, Venezuela has routinely arrested foreigners and domestic opposition actors on a range of charges from spying to plotting attacks — charges critics dismiss as fabricated.
In a sign of Trump’s satisfaction with the new Venezuelan authorities, his administration lifted a ban on US flights to the South American country.
And after years of the US embassy being shuttered, Washington is also preparing to re-establish its diplomatic presence in Caracas.
Seasoned diplomat Laura Dogu was recently named US charge d’affaires for Venezuela — the highest level representative below an ambassador.
Dogu is expected to arrive in Caracas on Saturday, diplomatic sources told AFP.
A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has issued arrest warrants against the United Bank for Africa Plc and four of its senior officials over the alleged illegal operation and maintenance of bank accounts in the name of the 30 local government councils in the state.
The case, marked MOS/601c/2025 and filed by the Osun State Government, was heard on Friday in Osogbo.
In a Certified True Copy of the order titled “Warrant for Arrest of Defendant Who Has Disobeyed Summons (General Title – Form No. 1)”, addressed to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, the court stated in part, “Complaint has been made that the defendant(s) did allow unauthorised persons to operate and maintain 30 accounts opened in favour of the 30 Local Government Councils in Osun State with UBA Bank Plc.
“And the defendant(s) were thereupon summoned to appear before the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Osogbo. An oath has been made that the defendant(s) were duly served with the summons but did not appear, and that such complaint is true.
“You are hereby commanded to bring the defendant(s) before the Magistrate’s Court forthwith to answer to the said complaint or be further dealt with according to law.”
The matter has been adjourned to February 10, 2026, for trial.
The defendants in the suit are United Bank for Africa Plc; its Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba; the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Billy Odum; and the Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke.
According to the charge sheet, the Osun State Government filed a 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions connected to the opening and operation of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.
In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at Olonkoro, Osogbo branch of the UBA, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating, and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.
The alleged offence, according to the charge is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
The defendants were further accused of allowing the opening, operation, and maintenance of local government accounts “by unknown private individuals as signatories,” despite the Local Government Service Commission having formally introduced Directors of Administration and General Services, as well as Directors of Finance of the councils, as the authorised signatories to the statutory accounts.
The prosecution said the action constituted an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3(1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of the Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.
Court documents show that the remaining counts similarly relate to the alleged unlawful opening and operation of accounts connected to all 30 local government councils in Osun State.
At the last sitting in December 2025, the Chief Magistrate, Mr A. A. Adeyeba, ordered that the defendants be served through their various email addresses and other substituted means in newspapers. He subsequently adjourned the case to yesterday, January 30, 2026, for hearing.
