The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Resident’s safety not negotiable, says Assembly

    Resident’s safety not negotiable, says Assembly

    •Lawmakers visit mudslide victims’ home

    A Lagos State House of Assembly Ad hoc committee had stressed the need for residents’ safety.

    The ad hoc panel on the mudslide which hit a house in Isheri-Magodo, Lagos on November 7, killing four siblings, promised to find lasting solution to the problem.

    The Lanre Ogunyemi-led panel, which was at the site yesterday, said it would unveil the immediate and remote causes of the incident.

    Ogunyemi said: “We want to look at the way of solving what we see as imminent danger here. From what we have seen here, government needs to do something to make sure that we avert needless loss of innocent lives.

    “We will do everything to make sure that we give people a new lease of life. We all must sit down at the table with all the stakeholders and members of the community to look at the technical and general causes of the issue and come up with what will be a lasting solution to avert a recurrence.”

    According to him, the assembly will invite the Ministries of mining, land and physical planning because of the ongoing land excavation in the area. The Lagos State Safety Commission will also be invited.

    A member of the committee, Bisi Yusuff, decried the way some houses were built without consideration for safety.

    Reacting, Mr Idowu Anjorin,  Chairman of the Landlords and Residents Association of Onisha Otun Araromi Community, where the incident happened, said all constructions were approved by the government.

    Anjorin attributed the cause of the incident to illegal extension of some buildings on highland without any attempt to control erosion.

     

  • N89b properties, cash gone in fire

    N89b properties, cash gone in fire

    CASH and properties worth N89.26 billion were lost in fire between January and last month, Lagos State Fire Service said yesterday.

    Over 1,558 emergency calls were received during the period, the state fire chief, Rasak Fadipe, told reporters in his Alausa, Ikeja office.

    He warned  residents against storing petrol at home because of the product’s scarcity, urging them to be safety-conscious.

    Fadipe lamented the rise in fires, which he said, led to “avoidable colossal loss of lives and properties.”

    “This figure attests to the fact that people are yet to comply with the safety advocacy campaign of the government and this has become a source of concern,” he said.

    The agency, Fadipe said, has been repositioned and transformed with new equipment to meet the challenges of a mega city.

    No fire, he said, was small or big considering the havoc caused in its aftermath.

    Buying fuel in jerry cans or containers and storing at home, vehicle booths or within the premise of the office pose great danger, he said, urging parents to warn their children against careless handling of electronic appliances, naked lights and gas cookers, amongst others, which are major causes of fires.

    Fadipe said basic portable fire protection equipment, such as fire extinguisher, fire blanket and fire alarm system should be kept handy to prevent the spread of fire when it occurs.

    He advised filling stations to avoid dispensing fuel in polythene bags; selling to vehicles with engines runnings and  disallow clustering of motorists around pumps to avoid scuffle that can spark fire.

    They should also ensure safety within the station and should not hesitate to call the  fire service on 112 and 767  in case of emergency.

  • Three ex-convicts held for alleged traffic robbery

    Three ex-convicts held for alleged traffic robbery

    Three ex-convicts yesterday again ran into trouble following their arrest for alleged traffic robbery at oshodi, Lagos.

    Mustapha Adekunle, 21, Olumide Popoola, 20 and Femi Amusa, 20, were arrested by Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives following a tip-off by their victim, Olasunkanmi Oyelakin.

    The victim said his blackberry phone was stolen by the suspects during early morning traffic rush around Bolade, Oshodi.

    He said: “I was on my way to Ajah at 6:30am, I saw Adekunle passed by the bus I boarded. Unknown to me, he was monitoring me. A few minutes later, I noticed a missed call on my phone, and as I brought out the phone, he took the phone from me through the  window and ran away. Because there was traffic, I made no attempt to struggle with him, but got down from the nearest bus-stop and I began to monitor him. I noticed that he had regrouped with his friends and one of them was telling him to hand over the phone he stole from me.

    “I knew I couldn’t handle the three of them all alone, so I informed the RRS operatives who followed me to the place where he was arrested.”

    Adekunle said he was driven by frustration to steal the handset.

    “I am a bus conductor in Oshodi. I am from Ibadan and a secondary school dropout. I sleep in Ojuwoye, Mushin. I am an ex–convict. I don’t want to go to prison again. Government should please have mercy on me. I was frustrated into traffic robbery. I won’t do it again,” he pleaded.

    Popoola and Amusa denied being in-traffic robbers.

    “We were in Lagos to make money to buy working tools having completed our apprenticeship,” Popoola said.

    The RRS has also recovered a locally-made gun with a cartridge in Surulere, Lagos Mainland.

    The gun was recovered around 2am during the RRS patrol of Iganmu Bridge by the Nigerian Breweries Complex.

    The patrol team had spotted three on the bridge.  On sighting the police, the men fled.

    During a search of where they were standing, a locally-made short gun was found with an unspent cartridge.

    Police spokesman Joe Offor, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the suspects had been charged to court.

     

  • Civil Defence arrest three for alleged theft of IKEDC meters

    Civil Defence arrest three for alleged theft of IKEDC meters

    THREE men have been arrested for stealing Smart Card Meters belonging to  Ikeja Electricity District Company (IKEDC). They are Uzor Anyanwu, 29, a contract worker with IKEDC, Hassan Usman and Peter Etamen Anyanwu,  who was paraded along with the others last Friday by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), said he stole the meters to enable him  get money for his mother’s medical bills.

    He said: “I install meters for IKEDC. I was arrested because I stole two meters from our site. My colleague, Etamen, said I should help him to get two metres as a customer has given him money to install meters for him. He didn’t tell me the amount he was given but he said he was going to pay me N20, 000 each for the meters. So I told him I was going to give him whenever they were available. Few months later, he called me on phone and reminded me. The day I got the meters, I told him but he didn’t give me any kobo. We don’t sell them. They are for free.

    “The problem is that when I was employed, I was told they were going to pay N1,000 for each meter installed and N700 for a single-phase meter. But, for over four months, I haven’t been paid. They said it is until they check what we have installed that they will pay us. I have been using the little money I have for transport. The period Etamen brought the idea was the same time my mother needed money to treat herself. I didn’t get the money let alone my mother who is now late. I am not happy about what is happening. I am still young and also the first child of my family. They should please make this a warning for us.”

    Lagos State NSCDC Commandant Gabriel Abafi said the suspects were caught tampering with IKEDC installation.

    He said: “Usman was held along Ikosi-Ketu on October 28. He quietly waited until Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) took light and he destabilised the phases. After thorough investigation, he disclosed to have been in the business for a long time. Also, the two other suspects were caught with smart card readers/meters meant for another zone which have been computerised but they didn’t know. They confessed it was a former official of IKEDC who wanted the meters. Meters are not for sale; they are installed free.”

    Abafi enjoined the public to request for meters through the appropriate channel.

    IKEDC’s Head of Corporate Communications, Pekun Adeyanju said the firm had distributed 2,000 meters since May.

    “We started a mass roll-out in September. And our target is to install 10,000 to 12,000 metres on a monthly basis. We are targeting 300, 000 installed metres between now and 2016. Everyone will get it; residents don’t need to pay anybody. They need to be patient,” Adeyanju said.

    Usman, a native of Niger State, said he was on his way to his shop in Mile 12 when he was caught defecating beside a transformer.

    He said: “I was on my way to Mile 12 market around 10am when I wanted to defecate. As I entered where the transformer was installed to use the toilet, IKEDC officials entered. I won’t gain anything from lying. I was pressed and wanted to use the toilet. The dirt outside where the transformer is installed made me go inside and not up to two minutes, the officials came. I sell tomato in Mile 12 market. I am married with eight children.”

    Etamen, 38, said a former IKEDC worker gave him the job, adding that he promised  Anyanwu N30,000 out of the N150,000 collected.

    “When Anyanwu told me the meters were available, he said he didn’t get them from a good source but I thought we were not going to be caught. He got me the metres. They should use this as a warning for us. I will never go close to it again. I have a wife and daughter to cater for. The man was already threatening me if I didn’t bring the meters; that was why I kept pestering Anyanwu,” Etamen said.

  • Lagos Speaker warns women on dangers of indecent dressing

    Lagos Speaker warns women on dangers of indecent dressing

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has warned women on the dangers of  indecent dressing.

    He urged them to save themselves from what he called the violence associated with immoral dressing.

    Opening the Fifth International Conference on Women and Children at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) on Victoria Island, Lagos, Obasa said society should be cautious in its campaign against women molestation, noting that some reported cases turned out to be untrue.

    “We should guard against false propaganda as some reported cases of violence against girls and women have proved non-existent,” he said.

    “Our ladies should desist from everything that can expose them to unnecessary violence. They should be mindful of friends they keep; the gathering they find themselves and the kind of dresses they put on. Some of these variables are inherent triggers of violence against them in most cases. So, morality should be their watchword on every occasion,” Obasa advised.

    He said the assembly passed two laws some years ago on Child Abuse and Domestic Violence against Women.

    These laws, he claimed, became necessary because the government and the society could no longer accept treating domestic violence as “family affair”.

    Wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode challenged the international community to be more pragmatic in its pursuit of children and female protection.

    Represented by Mrs Rhoda Ayinde, Mrs Ambode queried the potency of extant conventions, major international treaties, national policies and legislations that seek to protect women’s and children’s rights.

    “It is only when the international community and governments, across the globe wake up from their deep slumber and deploy commensurate political will to this ill-will that the feminine gender will begin to heave a sigh of relief,” she said.

     

  • Ambode’ll not disappoint Lagosians, says Commissioner

    Ambode’ll not disappoint Lagosians, says Commissioner

    Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode will not disappoint the people, Commissioner for Home Affairs Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef said yesterday.

    The Governor, he said, would  transform the state.

    The commissioner was responding to the comment of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria National Missioner Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Ahmad  at a prayer session organised by the group.

    Ahmed, who prayed for the success of the administration, said many people were not happy with goings-on in the state, urging Ambode to address their needs.

    He urged members  of the state executive council to do all they can to make the electorate happy.

    The Sheikh said: “Currently, nobody is commending this administration. People are not comfortable with the developments in the state. But we pray Allah will lead, guide you aright. Allah will give you power over danfo drivers, okada riders, armed robbers and the likes.

    “Allah will make it easy for you all to do what it takes to govern us successfully.”

    AbdulLateef said the administration would do everything to meet the people’s needs.

    “The administration of Governor Ambode is the people’s government. For me, I see my appointment as a test from Allah, we will not disappoint you all and I pray Allah guides us and gives us all it takes to succeed,” he said.

    At the event were former Federal Commissioner of Works Alhaji Femi Okunnu; former Inspector-General of Police Alhaji Musiliu Smith and Commissioner for Justice Mr Adedeji Kazeem, among others.

  • NDLEA finds N59m cocaine in whiskey packs

    NDLEA finds N59m cocaine in whiskey packs

    NATIONAL Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives have foiled plans by two men to import N59 million worth of hard drugs hidden in Irish whiskey packs and wooden frames.

    The wraps of powdery substance, which tested positive to cocaine, were intercepted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The suspects are Michael Okwuma, 31, found with 3.400kg of cocaine hidden in wooden frames and James Nwajagu, caught with 3.240kg of cocaine in Irish whiskey packs.

    NDLEA Airport Commander Ahmadu Garba, in a statement narrated how the suspects were nabbed.

    “Okwuma took off from Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil in a South African Airways flight through Johannesburg to Lagos. Nwajagu also left Brazil in an Emirates flight through United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Lagos. Both suspects will soon be charged to court,” Garba said.

    Okwuma told investigators that he was given the drugs by a Nigerian who is like a father to him in Brazil.

    He said: “I live in São Paulo with my wife and child. I work in a supermarket but my salary is not sufficient to take care of my family. The man that gave me the drug is like a father to me. He used to assist me financially whenever I needed help. I told him I was home sick because for two years I have not visited Nigeria. He was the one that bought my ticket and gave me $3,000. I was very happy for the gesture. He also gave me a bag containing children clothes and wooden frames to take to Nigeria. When I got to Lagos, NDLEA officers opened the bag and found cocaine.”

    Nwajagu said he was told to bring a bag to Nigeria and be settled financially.

    “I was in my village in Anambra doing menial jobs to sustain myself. I came to Lagos on a short visit when I met an old friend. He was very nice to me because he used to give me money, buy me drinks and food. He told me to bring a bag from Brazil and that he will settle me financially to start my own business. That was how I travelled out of Nigeria. On arrival, the bag was searched and cocaine was found inside packs of Irish whiskey. I never knew I will end up this way,” he said.

  • Police impound 105 Okada, arrests 98

    Police impound 105 Okada, arrests 98

    The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 98 persons and seized 105 motorcycles for traffic offences.

    The motorcyclists and street traders were arrested during a special operation by a joint task force on enforcement of traffic laws. They were arrested for plying restricted areas and hawking on the highway.

    The operation was carried out on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Ikorodu, Agege Motot roads, Orile-Iganmu, Costain, Mile 2, Lagos Island and Oshodi-Apapa expressway.

    The task force comprised operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Lagos State Task Force on Environment headed by Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Supol Olubokola Abe.

    The operation, the team said, would be continuous to ensure that road users complied with the State Traffic Laws and Regulations.

    The team said preliminary investigations revealed that motorcycles were used to commit robbery and other nefarious activities on the highway.

    “This operation is an in thing to bring sanity to our highway. This will in no small measure prevent in-traffic robbery and criminal attacks on motorists and commuters, which have become a menace to the metropolis,” the team said.

     

  • Four women held for alleged child theft

    Four women held for alleged child theft

    A 25-year-old woman, Ms Nkechi Obi, from Omuwa town in Imo State has been arrested by the Police Command for her alleged role in the theft of a week old baby boy.

    She was said to have taken the ‘stolen child’ from Onitsha in Anambra State for ‘delivery’ to the buyer on Lagos Island.

    Police chief Fatai Owoseni said yesterday that the suspect’s interrogation led to the arrest of three other suspects, Ogechi Njoku, Patience Nwaogbo Ego and Ngozi Izuora.

    Owoseni said the suspects told the police that the would-be receiver had already paid N1, 010,000 for the baby. Their collaborator, who is based in Anambra State, he said, is on the run.

    Ms Obi, mother of four, said she was not aware that the child was stolen.

    She said: “What happened was that my sister, though not my biological sister, who I used to help to sell clothes in Onitsha, told me I will be going to Lagos one morning. She chartered a bus and asked me to take a baby to a woman in Lagos. I did not know the woman but she gave me her phone number and told me to call her on phone when I reached Oshodi in Lagos.

    “When I reached Oshodi, the driver of the bus who had been suspecting me based on the fact that the baby had been crying and I was unable to calm him down, drove straight to Makinde Police Division where I was arrested. Upon interrogation, I told them that I was the mother of the child and that the father who had impregnated me out of wedlock had run away. But after much questioning, I had to tell the truth.  I confessed and told the police that my sister at Onitsha gave me the child to send to the buyer whose name was given as Mrs Ogechi. They said Mrs Ogechi has two girls and was said to be looking for a male child which she could not have. So she decided to buy one.

    “Sincerely I have been rather unfortunate in life. I am an orphan who was given into marriage at age 16. I married Mr Paulicap Eze who had a wife and a female child. The idea behind the marriage was to give him more children particularly a male child since his wife could not produce after many years of waiting.  I gave him four children but last year, we had a misunderstanding and I was sent packing living behind three of my children. The fourth child, who is two, was with me until two months ago when my husband came to take him from me.”

  • BRT gets 434 new buses

    BRT gets 434 new buses

    •LAMATA launches Ikorodu – CMS route extension

    The Lagos State Government will tomorrow inject 434 new buses into the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) operation, the project’s consultant said yesterday. The high-capacity air-conditioned buses will convey no fewer than 400,000 passengers daily on the Ikorodu-CMS via Mile 12 route.

    The state will also launch the extension of the high-capacity buses’ operation from Mile 12 to Ikorodu.

    Under the exercise, four lanes will be added to the road and BRT routes placed in its middle.

    According to the Lagos Metropolis Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) consultants, the Mile 12–Ikorodu route is a two-in-one project which includes the widening of the 13.5km road from four to six lanes. They added that the BRT lanes will run in the middle with supporting infrastructure.

    Some of the infrastructure is to ensure commuters’ safety and convenience include three bus terminals at Mile 12, Agric and Ikorodu; one state-of-the-art depot at Majidun with capacity to accommodate over 400 buses, 15 bus shelters and six pedestrian bridges, among others.

    BRT operation on the Ikorodu–CMS via Mile 12 route is expected to ease traffic on that road, aid economic growth and provide jobs for thousands of people.