The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Okada riders, plumber, guard, others assault police officer

    A Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) was on Monday attacked by over eight persons in line of her duty on Johnson Street in Ikeja, Lagos.

    CSP Amabua Mohammed, was injured on her left eye.

    Mohammed was lured by a tricyclist she wanted to arrest into the midst of his (tricyclist) colleagues on Johnson Street, where she was assaulted.

    Before escaping, he joined others to beat up the officer.

    She alerted her colleagues who came arrested eight persons.

    They are Abdulahi Yakubu, 30; Usman Chamaya, 27, and Abubakar Aba, 30, who are commercial tricycle operators; Azeez Adesanya, 51, a plumber, and Salihu Mohammed, 22, Mohammed Ali, 20, and Tanko Zimbo, 21, both traders, as well as Baba Lawal, 23, a security man.

    They were arraigned yesterday before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly beating a policewoman.

    The accused are charged with breach of peace, conspiracy and assault.

    Prosecuting police Inspector Clement Okuoimose, said the accused committed the offences on Monday at Johnson Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

    He said the accused and others still at large conspired to beat up Mohammed.

    “The accused jointly beat up the policewoman by punching her all over her body and in the process, damaged her left eye,” he said.

    Okuoimose said the police got information that a man used to ride one unregistered tricycle to convey passengers and robbed them.

    “The police got a tip-off from some informants that one particular unregistered ‘Keke NAPEP’ normally picked passengers along Oba Akran and robbed the passengers of their belongings.

    “So the complainant trailed the tricycle to Ikeja under bridge and luckily for her, she sighted the tricycle and gave it a hot chase.

    “The rider lured her into the midst of his colleagues at Johnson Street, where she was attacked and beaten while the rider escaped,” he said.

    The prosecutor said the complainant later alerted the police, who quickly rushed to the scene and arrested some of the accused while others escaped.

    The offence, Okuoimose said, contravened Sections 166, 171 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    According to him, section 171 prescribes a three-year jail term for an accused found guilty

    The accused pleaded innocence.

    Magistrate Aka Bashorun granted N500,000 bail each with two sureties each in like sum.

    He adjourned the case till February 29.

  • Driver, guard held for ‘unlawful’ gun possession

    Two men, Okechukwu Achinulo, 27, and Ogbuefi Emmanuel, 60, were yesterday remanded by a Lagos State Magistrates’ Court in Igbosere for allegedly being in unlawful possession of firearms.

    Magistrate O. Kusanu ordered that Achinulo, a driver, and Emmanuel, a security consultant, be remanded pending legal advice from the office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

    Achinulo and Emmanuel are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, receiving stolen property and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.

    Prosecuting police Sergeant Innocent Odugbo told the court that the defendants and others still at large, allegedly conspired to commit the offence in February, 2015.

    He claimed that Achinulo stole three Jojeff double-barrelled guns and seven Jojeff pump-action guns valued at N2million, all property of one Ezebunwa Donatus.

    The prosecutor also alleged that Emmanuel received five of the prohibited guns valued at N800,000 from Achinulo, without a licence.

    The defendants’ pleas were not taken. The case was adjourned till February 24.

  • Mob lynches suspected robber

    Mob lynches suspected robber

    •Three others injured 

    Four suspected armed robbers were yesterday beaten to a pulp at Jibowu, Lagos Mainland, for allegedly snatching the handbag of Joy Oroh.

    They are Ahmed Fatai, Rafiu Mogaji, Godwin Uzong and Bayo Kadiri, who was feared dead at the time The Nation got to the scene.

    The incident, which occurred at about 3:20pm, caused a gridlock around Jibowu Bus stop on Ikorodu road.

    It was gathered that the suspects snatched the woman’s brown handbag after she withdrew some money from Diamond Bank.

    Fatai was shot on the leg and arrested by a policeman attached to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Sqaud (SARS), who was on motorcycle patrol.

    The policeman was said to have called for backup from the Onipanu Police Station and Yaba.

    A motorcyclist, who saw the suspects dispossessing the woman of her handbag and chased them towards the West African Examinations Council (WEAC) bus stop in Yaba, was shot on the leg.

    The sight of the bleeding motorcyclist was said to have provoked bystanders who chased and caught three of the suspects beside First Bank on Morocco Road, Yaba.

    The three were saved from being burnt on the expressway by the police.

    The crowd booed as the policemen took the suspects to the station in their patrol van.

    At the time of filing this story, the suspects were being profiled at the division for onward transfer to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja.

    Three of the suspects could barely talk; the fourth, Kadiri, was not breathing.

    The Nation observed that all the suspects were in a pool of blood; Fatai pleaded for water.

    “We cannot give him water because if we do he will die. Once he drinks water here, that will be all. He was the only one that was shot on the leg. The others were beaten by civilians.

    “Look at this one, he is no longer breathing. I really doubt if any of them can survive. But we need to profile them first before handing them over. From what I have heard, they came all the way from Ijora to rob in this area,” said a police source.

    Police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent (SP), said the suspects attack the woman on a motorcycle.

    She said she was not aware if any of the suspects died.

    “They robbed one Joy Oroh who went to Diamond Bank in Jibowu to do a transaction of N200, 000. She was waylaid by the robbers.

    “One of them at large used the motorbike to rob her and fled, but the others ran out of luck.

    “One of them was instantly arrested by a policeman who was passing the area, while the others were nabbed at Morocco Road by a combined team of policemen. I am not aware if any of them is dead.  I do not have that information,” she said.

  • My escape was miraculous, says Ilupeju community ruler

    My escape was miraculous, says Ilupeju community ruler

    RECUPERATING Chief Michael Idowu Orelaja, Baale of Ilupeju in Odi-Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, yesterday, described as “miraculous” his survival from an attack by hoodlums.

    Three armed hoodlums stormed his palace on Sunday but failed on their attempt to kill him.

    Their guns failed, but they descended on him and his chiefs with machetes and broken bottles.

    Orelaja told The Nation in his palace yesterday that he was saved by the “prompt response” of passersby and residents.

    He said: “I was in the palace, having fun with nine of my chiefs after we finished discussion on community matters. It was some minutes before 9pm. Suddenly, two unidentified men barged in and said they wanted to see Baale. The other one was sitting on a motorcycle. The chiefs asked them what the matter was, but they could not say anything meaningful.

    “They were asked to leave, but the attackers brought out a gun and asked ‘who is the Baale among you’. One of them identified me and said ‘that is the Baale sitting down there’. Then, a resident, who saw the armed men, smashed the fluorescent bulb on the corridor of the palace and switched of other lights in a bid to confuse the attackers.

    “The armed men moved towards me and said ‘you are the one disturbing us from picking our own Baale; you will die today.’ Then, they pointed the gun at me at a close range but the gun failed. This was when I started to struggle with them. They brought out a dagger and stabbed me on the arm and leg. They took to their heels when they overheard residents coming to rescue me. As they ran away, they were shooting to scare people. People came in and rushed me to hospital.”

    The Baale alleged that the assassination attempt may not be unconnected with the chieftaincy tussle in the community. He fingered a traditional ruler as the brain behind the attack, saying the monarch had been threatening his life since he was elected Baale.

    Orelaja claimed the traditional ruler wanted to impose a non-resident on the community as Baale, a move, which he said the Council of Ilupeju Chiefs rejected. He said the king brought an impostor from Sango-Ota in Ogun State to terrorise Ilupeju residents and cause crisis in the community.

    Orelaja, who said, he had reported the incident at Ilupeju Police Station, urged the police to arrest the culprits and investigate the disturbance in the community. He also implored the police to protect him and members of his family, saying another attempt on his life may threaten peace in the community.

    Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmus, a Superintendent of Police, (SP), confirmed the attack, saying the police are on the hoodlums’ trail.

    She said the attack may be connected to the community’s chieftaincy tussle.

     

     

  • Lagos to bar Danfo from Broad Street, Apongbon

    Lagos to bar Danfo from Broad Street, Apongbon

    Yellow buses popularly known as Danfo are to be barred from Broad Street and Apongon as part of the strategies to free Lagos Island of traffic gridlock, the government said yesterday.

    Special Adviser (SA) to Governor Akinwumi Ambode on Central Business District (CBD) Mr Agboola Dabiri told reporters that the measure is aimed at making life stress free for motorists

    “You must have observed that the traffic within Apongbon from Broad Street has been terrible and if you are not careful, from beginning of Apongbon to Surulere can take like five hours,” he said.

    He said Apongbon towards Broad Street part of it to Funsho Williams (formerly Western Avenue) would be cordoned off such that commercial buses would find it difficult to pick and drop passengers.

    Buses, he said, move down from Marina through the bridge instead of taking Apongbon and Broad Street.

    “Our ultimate target is to make Broad Street and Apongbon zero tolerant to yellow buses,” he said.

    Dabiri said the challenges caused by street traders on the Island were also being addressed by creating barricades to make it difficult for them to operate.

    “As of today, we have sealed under the bridge with barb wires, we have enclosed the traders under the bridge within the barb wires so as to prevent them from moving,” he said.

    “Each day, millions of people visit Lagos Island for trading, we will do our best to maintain best standard in the CBD”, the Special Adviser added.

     

  • Police arrest five suspected robbers

    Police arrest five suspected robbers

    Two members of a notorious armed robbery gang that specialises in raping and videotaping their victims have been arrested in Lagos.

    Joseph Barise, 24 and Christopher Anafiok, 27, were arrested by policemen from Ajah Police Station after they attempted to extort one Mrs Ishola, a trader around Ikota Housing Estate.

    The woman’s scream, it was learnt attracted bystanders who accosted the suspects and found a locally made gun on Barise.

    A mob was said to have attempted to lynch the suspects, but they were rescued by patrolling policemen.

    It was gathered that another locally made gun as well as 16 live cartridges, charms and red candles were found in their home during a search.

    A source told The Nation that the suspects have confessed that they bought two motorcycles and a tricycle from robbery proceeds.

    The suspects, he said, admitted under interrogation that they have been robbing for years, adding that video footages of secondary school girls that they kidnapped and raped were stored on their phones.

    The suspects allegedly confessed that they were members of a five-man gang headed by Anthony Aniote.

    They claimed that Aniote supplies the gang with weapons and charms.

    Barise claimed that Aniote usually gave them water to drink before they went on operation to avoid being caught.

    He said Aniote travelled for the Yuletide with the water and warned them not to go on any operation until he returned.

    The suspects said they went against his instructions when they were cash strapped.

    “They usually go to a drinking joint or a supermarket late in the night. They monitor the sales, and look into their save when they are giving customers change.

    “Then early morning the following day, they will strike. They have been doing this for about three years now without being caught. The worst part of it is that they also kidnap and rape young girls. Secondary school girls who usually go to school late are kidnapped by these monsters and taken to their apartment.

    “They buy food for them and then, point gun to their heads and sexually assault them. While, they take turns in raping the children, someone videos it and they use it to threaten the girls to keep quiet about the incident or have their sex tapes circulated,” the source said.

    In a related development, the police have arrested three suspected armed robbers who terrorised their victims with toy guns in Ayobo Ipaja Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the state.

    Olarenwaju Rilwan, Ope and Enitan were arrested by operatives of Abesan Police Station at Ipaja, after their victims, a couple, held on to one of them.

    It was learnt that the woman, upon discovering that a toy gun was pointed at her, grabbed Rilwan and screamed; the other two fled.

    His colleagues were later arrested through him.

  • Three injured in accident

    Three injured in accident

    Three people were injured yesterday when the brake of a Toyota Sienna space bus failed at Okunola Bus Stop on Egbeda Road, Lagos.

    The occupants, two women and a child, it was learnt, were heading to Ikotun when the accident happened.

    The vehicle veered off the road and plunged into drainage.

    Passersby and motorists quickly rushed to their aid.

    They were taken away by some Good Samaritans.

    A trader, Mrs Bola Ogunniyi, said she was attending to a customer when the vehicle veered off the road, adding: “I am glad I didn’t ask my children to attend to the customer if not, the case would have been different. As I was just measuring the litres of oil, the car tumbled off the road and came to a halt in front of me. I was shocked. That moment, I didn’t know what to do. Those who drove were also shocked. I am grateful.”

    Another trader, simply called Alhaja, said she was sleeping when she heard a loud noise.

    She said:”I really can’t talk because everything is still like a dream. I just don’t know how it happened. The noise woke me.”

    A motorcyclist, Muftau Saliu, said it was the third time in three months that such incident would happen, adding: “That part of the road is sloppy and whenever there is an accident, vehicles fall inside the ditch. The ditch has also turned into a refuse dump. I thank God we haven’t recorded any casualty because it would have been worse,” he said.

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) officials towed the vehicle away.

    LASTMA spokesman, Mahmud Hassan, advised motorists to drive with caution and obey the traffic laws, adding: “Motorists should also make sure their vehicle is in a good state before setting out. They should also plan their journey ahead to avoid overspeeding.”

  • Six injured, vehicles burnt in Mushin gang war

    Six persons were injured and many vehicles burnt yesterday during a gang war on Isolo Road in Mushin, Lagos.

    The Akeem ‘No Case’ and Ilesanmi boys were said to be fighting over the control of Isolo bus stop.

    The Nation gathered that both groups have always claimed to be the ‘landlords’, of the area, at the expense of commercial motorists.

    Dangerous weapons were freely used in the fight that lasted almost an hour, with motorists scampering for safety.

    Some road users took to social media to warn others about the fight, calling on the police to act immediately.

    Residents and traders urged police to come to their aid.

    They also urged the police to prosecute four members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Rasheed Adeshina (a.k.a Action), Salami Rauf, Waheed Oseni and Azeez Gbadamosi, who were allegedly arrested with the service rifle of a dead policeman, and their sponsors.

    The suspects were arrested during the raid of a bakery that they used as their armoury.

    According to a resident, the police were aware of the hoodlums’sponsors.

    He urged the police to go after the “big fish”, who provides the hoodlums with guns and weapons.

    “These boys have given the police the names of the boys and the police know them very well.

    “One of the persons, whom they said bought the Ak-47 rifle and the Pump Action gun for them, is walking freely in Mushin and I wonder why he has not been arrested to explain how a police rifle was found in possession of his boys.

    “This is a serious issue and must be given serious attention if the commissioner of police wants peace. Many lives and properties have been lost during this crisis. I learnt that there are some influential people within our area who are benefiting from this crisis and they are pressurising the police to release the suspects,” he said.

    Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said the suspects would be prosecuted, adding that anyone caught disturbing the peace will not go unpunished

     

  • ‘How I dumped my kids for botched Libya trip’

    ‘How I dumped my kids for botched Libya trip’

    •Victim’s mum: God said she should go 

    One of the four women saved from being trafficked to Libya last week has said she dumped her two children for her husband for the botched trip.

    Twenty-six-year-old Cecilia Bankole, a hairdresser and three others, were rescued from a suspected trafficker, Ganiyat Ajijola, who was arrested at Abule-Egba , Lagos by Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives, last Friday.

    Her husband, she said, resisted her plan to abandon the children in search of job in Libya.

    According to her, when the issue was discussed with her husband initially, he disagreed with the plan.

    Bankole said: “I told my husband to allow me to go so that I would have an opportunity to raise funds for the family. I pleaded with him but he insisted in having the custody of his children. Although, I am a hairdresser but I have not graduated. So, going to Libya to work as an artisan would enable me raise funds for my freedom as well as take care of my family. Even, when my mother pleaded with him that she would be taking care of the children while I will be away, he still declined. However, after much persuasion, my husband threatened that if I go, he would take the custody of the children and would never allow me to see them again,” she added.

    The suspected trafficker, she said, did not tell them how long they would stay in Libya.

    “The trafficker didn’t tell us the number of years we are going to spend in Libya. She only told us the due date of the passport and that we are going by road,” she said.

    But her mother, Mrs Maria Bankole, said the suspect told her that her daughter would be re – united with her after two years.

    “I was informed that a big madam, whom Ganiat Ajijola was working for in Libya needs hairdressers to help her manage her shop. Upon hearing that the people will be going abroad, I volunteered my daughter because she is a hairdresser. I begged her husband but he declined to allow her go on the trip but I have prayed about it and God said she should go. That is why I am encouraging her”, she said.

    Mrs Bankole, a prophetess, added: “I followed them to the point where they were arrested because I want to know Ajijola before their departure. I am not aware they were going by road. They told me Ajijola was taking them to Abeokuta to arrange an international passport for them”.

    RRS operatives, who had been trailing the suspect for weeks were acting on a tip–off from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

    The suspect and her victims have been immediately transferred to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person (NAPTIP).

     

  • Hoodlums stab community leader, chiefs

    Hoodlums stab community leader, chiefs

    THERE was panic in Ilupeju in Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos on Sunday following an attempt on the life of its Baale, Chief Michael Idowu Orelaja.

    Three suspected assassins reportedly stormed Orelaja’s palace on Ilupeju Road around 9pm, firing at him and his chiefs.

    But their guns failed. They then stabbed Orelaja and his chiefs with a dagger and broken bottles.

    Orelaja and his chiefs were meeting when the hoodlums arrived on a motorcycle.

    A resident, who suspected the movement of the hoodlums, was said to have raised the alarm and switched off light around the palace.

    The Nation learnt that the assailants broke the door to enter the palace.

    The hoodlums fled the scene, shooting sporadically to scare residents, who had gathered to chase them.

    A resident, who gave his name as Abolaji, said he saw the assailants when they arrived at the palace.

    He said: “They were three men on the bike. Two of them came down, while the other remained on the bike without switching off the engine. I heard one of them said ogbeni yen ti wa n be (the man is at the place). They quickly broke into the palace and attempted to shoot the Baale. Their guns refused to shoot. They broke bottles and stabbed the Baale. When, they came out of the palace, they saw a group of residents moving to the scene. They fired several shots to escape from the scene.”

    Nike, Orelaja’s daughter, who was at home, said it looked like an “horror scene”. She said she was in the living room with her mum and her siblings when the assailants arrived.

    She said: “My dad was in his palace, meeting with his chiefs when the attackers arrived. We did not know what was going on until we heard sounds of broken bottles from the direction of the palace.

    “We heard my dad screaming for help. We rushed to the palace to know what was going on, but we met him and other chiefs in a pool of blood. We heard gunshots as the attackers rode on motorcycle to escape. It was a scene of horror.”

    Orelaja was still in hospital at the time of this report. The Nation gathered that Yeye Oge of Ilupeju, Chief Folashade Jinadu, was also injured in the incident.