Author: The Nation

The police on Thursday arraigned a 27-year-old man, Wole Adekunle, at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly refusing to pay N638,000 hotel bill.

Adekunle, who lives at Ayobo, Lagos, is charged with three counts of breach of the peace, theft and threat to life, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ezekiel Ayorinde said the defendant committed the offence on April 10, at Rayban Hotel, Ipaja, Lagos.

Read Also: Six in court for alleged membership of cult

He alleged that the defendant conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace.

Ayorinde alleged that the defendant accumulated N638,000 bill and refused to pay for no reason, threatening to kill the manager,  Mr. Bamidele Ologun.

He said when the manager asked for his money, the defendant threatened to kill him.

Magistrate J. A.  Adegun admitted the defendant to N200,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

He said the sureties should be employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

The case was adjourned till September 16.

The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has urged the newly-appointed commissioners in Lagos State to prioritise education and youth development.

The Amir (President) of the MSSN in the state, Dr. Saheed Ashafa, in a statement yesterday in Lagos to congratulate the commissioners, warned them against religious bias and discrimination.

He said: “Those appointed commissioners must realise that they are in the position to serve and solve problems, not to live large on the masses’ resources. We pray that their tenure will be full of development.

Read Also: ISI hijab crisis: Forum files fresh 11 cases

“We reiterate our zero tolerance for religious bias. Our position remains that people of other religions should be allowed to practise their faith, while their rights should not be denied.

“As much as we guarantee the government peaceful engagement, we will not tolerate abuse of rights of our members, especially females who wear hijab to schools as legally backed by the ruling of the Court of Appeal.”

Ashafa urged the Commissioner for Education, Mrs.  Folashade Adefisayo, to implement a technology driven policy that would add value to the standard of education in the state.

An Uber driver, Richmond Temple, allegedly found in possession of N12million church equipment belonging to The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), has appeared at an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Temple, 33, was arraigned by the police on a four-count charge of conspiracy, breaking, entering and stealing.

Prosecuting Sergeant Friday Mameh alleged that the defendant and his accomplices, who are on the run, committed the offences at about 3am on August 9, at TREM (Restoration Parish), Chevron Drive in Eti-Osa Local Government.

“The defendant and others at large did break and enter The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM). They did steal three amplifiers, three electronic keyboards, one laptop, one digital console and one CD printer, all valued at N5million.

“At about 4am, same day, at Ikate roundabout in Eti Osa Local Government, the defendant was found in possession of suspected stolen items in his car, including two Samsung Plasma TV sets, one Wharefedric Pro MP 2800, one Yamaha keyboard, two Peak Monitors, MOSFET 2000 professional power amplifier, one saxophone, two base guitars, all valued at N7milion,” Mameh said.

Read Also: Man charged with theft in Asaba

He said Temple could not give a satisfactory response to questions at the Ilasan Police Station.

Mameh said the offences contravened sections 287, 311 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Temple pleaded not guilty.

His counsel, O. Bridget, applied for his bail “in the most liberal terms.”

Bridget told the court that the defendant was an upright, hardworking family man, who mistakenly picked up thieves in his vehicle.

She said: “The defendant is an Uber driver, who, in the course of his duty, was hired by two men to move their goods. He didn’t know them and didn’t know the equipment were stolen.”

Bridget added that the men fled when the police stopped the vehicle, leaving the defendant to face the consequences.

In a bench ruling, Magistrate B. I. Bakare granted Temple N50,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum, among other conditions.

The case continues on September 19.

A public health practitioner, Dr. Dolapo Ayokunle Fasawe, has been appointed as the head of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).

The agency is the environmental regulator for the state in charge of assisting public and private organisations, industries, businesses and non-governmental organisations to achieve compliance by providing environment friendly solutions to varied environmental challenges.

Fasawe is the first woman to head the agency since its establishment 23 years ago.

Prior to her appointment as the sixth general manager, she was the director, Special Projects in the Ministry of Health.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) yesterday embarked on a road show to educate residents on the dangers of flood and preventive actions to take.

It advised local governments with the likelihood of flood to carry out biometric registration of residents for comprehensive database.

The campaign followed a warning by the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) that Lagos, Zamfara and some states were susceptible to flood as the heavy rains continue.

The road show, which began at the agency’s head office in Alausa, Ikeja, saw emergency workers distributing handbills and educating communities on the need to keep their drainages clean and avoid blocking water channels.

LASEMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osayintolu said the exercise was also aimed at strengthening local emergency management committees across the local governments.

Read Also: Sanwo-Olu’s wife to LASEMA, others: shun inter-agency rivalry

He said focus was channelled to those areas with high flood propensity because the state was aware of its vulnerability.

“We want to sensitise Lagosians on how to be well prepared and mitigate flood because the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has made safety of lives and property a paramount agenda.

“So, we need to ensure that our people are safe and know what to do should their areas be affected by flood. Local governments vulnerable to flood have been directed to undertake biometric registration of residents.

“The biometric will enable us know the population of citizens that are vulnerable to flood and we will be able to ensure their safety. So, if we notice that flood has begun in that local government, those people that have their biometrics with us and we know that they are vulnerable, we will quickly get in touch with them and we will know the process to embark on to evacuate them to our relief camp.

“In doing so, we are also telling the residents that we have carried out a lot of simulation exercises to prepare us for any eventuality. We encourage them to stay calm and not panic, as measures are in place to ameliorate any impact of flood as well as prevent flood.

“We have started with cleaning of our primary and secondary drainage systems. The Ministry of Health has improved our primary health care because sometimes there is always secondary complication associated with flood.

“Our relief camps have been cleaned and ready in case we need to evacuate victims of flood to the place. Key stakeholders have been put on red alert,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He warned those building structures on canals and drainages to vacate such places, saying such buildings would be marked by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) for demolition.

“We are appealing to residents to always get proper approvals and avoid building on canals or drainage channels,” the LASEMA boss said.