The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • I left home because she denies me sex, says man

    I left home because she denies me sex, says man

    A 39-year-old man, Abuzeidu Umoru, has pleaded with a Lagos Island Customary Court, to dissolve his 10-year-old marriage to his wife, Adewunmi.

    The petitioner, a native of Niger Republic, said his wife does not respect him and does whatever she pleases.

    “I love my wife wholeheartedly, but she doesn’t believe she is meant to be submissive to her husband. It got to a stage she denied me sex and I left home last December,” he said.

    Umoru who confessed having another woman he wants to marry said he ‘loves’ his wife more.

    “The girl is from Maiduguri and she is still schooling; when she is done, I shall marry her. My coming to court is not my wish but my wife is not cooperating with me. I saw her through nursing school and catered for her needs. I am still an illiterate. I don’t know the reasons for her actions. I want the end of our union and the custody of our eight-year-old son while our daughter lives with her,” he said.

    The respondent, Mrs Umoru, in her defence, said she also did not know where things went wrong.

    The 39-year-old nurse said when she got pregnant of her second child, her mother-in-law visited and asked her to prepare her food but since she was tired, her husband volunteered to do the cooking.

    She said:”After that day, my husband changed towards me. When I asked him what the problem was, he said I should ask his mum who was living with us at that time. When I went to beg her, she referred me to my husband’s brother. “Only for both of them to tell me that if I want peace to reign, I must vacate the flat in which  I was living with my husband and move to a one room apartment.”

    She said the room was in a bad condition when she moved there.

    She further said that in 2013, her mother-in-law said her husband was going to marry another wife and there was nothing she could do.

    “If it is his wish to marry another wife, I am not against it. I am just baffled over what is happening,” shae added.

    The Court’s President, Chief Awos Awosola, advised the couple to be peaceful and adjourned the matter till today.

  • Masqueraders protest in Osun

    Masqueraders protest in Osun

    It was an unusual sight yesterday as six masqueraders joined protesters in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government of Osun State to protest the proposed merger of tertiary institutions.

    The rumour had continued to spread in communities hosting the institutions – the State Polytechnic, Ikire, the State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, the State College of Education, Ila and State College of Education, Ilesa.

    It was gathered that the protesters prevented lecturers and students of the College of Technology, Esa-Oke, from entering the campus.

    They were said to have warned the government against the plan, maintaining that the move might have untold consequences if the proposed plan was not shelved.

    Residents of Esa-Oke yesterday barricaded the college road, sending students and workers back home.

    The Owamiran of Esa-Oke, Oba Adeyemi Adediran, said the protest was to prevent Governor Rauf Aregbesola from embarking on the alleged plan to merge the institutions.

    The monarch urged the governor to shelve the plan, saying the indigenes will prevent any attempt to merge the institution.

    Similar protests had been held in Ila-Orangun and Iree by indigenes of the two communities.

    However, the government had earlier stated that the plan was to restructure the institutions and not to merge them.

  • LASU workers celebrate VC’s exit

    LASU workers celebrate VC’s exit

    Lagos State University workers yesterday celebrated the exit of their Vice Chancellor, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa.

    Decked in Aso Ebi (uniform) earmarked for the occasion, the workers hired drummers and praise singers for a thankgiving at the university’s main gate.

    They  sang victory songs while dancing.

    The workers later moved into the university premises, danced through the departments and faculties.

    Though, the event coincided with the institution’s 33rd anniversary, the workers decided to rechristen the event “Independence Day,” saying the occasion was symbolic for two reasons.

    “We are celebrating the anniversary of LASU which clocked 33 last Sunday. But why we call it Independence Day is because we are celebrating our independence from the draconian administration of the outgoing management, headed by Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa,” said members of the Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (SSANU-LASU).

    For hours, the workers defied a downpour as they danced, displaying placards with the inscription: “Rejoice with LASU on the exit of evil.” “It’s the dawn of independence.”

    They were represented by the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU); Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Associations (NASU); and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

    Activities for the event began penultimate Sunday with a Christian interdenominational prayer followed by other activities such as symposium (Thursday), press briefing (Tuesday), Muslim and interdenominational prayers (Friday), among others.

    Obafunwa, became vice chancellor on October 31, 2010. His five-year tenure expired last Saturday. The latter part of his administration witnessed frictions with the workers who accused him of high handedness, favouritism, denial of workers’ promotion, non-payment of outstanding salary arrears, and victimisation of workers, among others.

  • 33 illegal pharmacies, patent medicine stores shut

    33 illegal pharmacies, patent medicine stores shut

    The Lagos State Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods has shut 33 illegal pharmaceutical stores and patent medicine shops.

    Drugs worth millions of naira were carted away from the shops in Ojo, Lagos.

    The measure, the agency said, was to sanitise the drug distribution system and rid the state of the menace of fake and counterfeit drugs.

    The raid was conducted with officials of the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Lagos State Ministry of Health and Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr Olufemi Onanuga said the raid came on the heels of government’s war against fake and expired drugs and operators of illegal drug stores.

    Onanuga said the 33 outlets were sealed off for offences contrary to the provisions of the law on the operation of pharmacies and patent medicine stores, adding that the task force has a renewed mandate to comb every part of the state and fish out illegal drug sellers.

    He said: “The raid was necessitated by the persistent defiance of government’s stipulated regulations on drug production, importation, manufacture, sales or display for sales, hawking, distribution, adulteration, and possession of drugs by illegal operators.

    The shops were sealed off for offences ranging from sales of drugs without license from the regulatory authority; to failure or refusal to relocate from a market area and adherence to the mandated distance between a patent medicine shop and market place as stipulated by the law; and sales of counterfeit and fake drugs amongst others.”

    Onanuga added: “Operators of pharmacies and patent medicine stores should ensure that their activities are within the ambit of the law just as he reiterated government’s avowed commitment to stream lining the drug distribution system in the state in order to ensure the safety of the citizenry. It is important that operators of pharmacies and patent medicine stores operate within the ambit of the law regulating their operations as the state government would not take it lightly with any operators of pharmaceutical products who disregard the laws of the State,”

  • Gridlocks, insecurity ‘ll soon be over, says commissioner

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef has assured Lagosians that the major problems confronting them would end soon.

    He described the personalities in the state executive council as people with vast knowledge and great potentials, whose impact would begin to materialise in no time.

    He urged Lagosians to be patient with the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration.

    AbdulLateef attributed the problems confronting the state to the high influx of people because of its unprecedented infrastructural development over the years.

    He said: “There is no state as attractive as Lagos, this has made the influx of people in the state at a monumental level higher than that of any other state in the country. Lagos is the only mega city in Nigeria, so if you develop infrastructure, you must expect that people will abandon those states without infrastructure for a state like Lagos, making the challenges of running the state enormous.”

    Expressing dismay at the rising crime wave in the Centre of Excellence, the commissioner said the state would embark on data gathering of all residents, institutions and organisations to ascertain those operating in the state.

    He said: “If you look at Lagos today, there are so many people coming in, even from neighbouring countries like Chad, Niger, Ghana among others and even beyond. We are not going to wait until an explosion is heard before we  address the issue of insecurity. We want to understand who and who is living in Lagos and where? That is why we want to embark on data gathering; we want to have a data of all churches and Mosques, social organisations, residents and all other institutions that operate in the state.”

    AbdulLateef also attributed the massive gridlocks encountered by Lagosians  daily to impatience.

    He said: “The fact that we don’t want to apply extreme force on Lagosians has given rise to this. Extreme force to obey law and order should be the last thing in a civil society. Lagosians should understand that what we practice is an inclusive government. Therefore, you should not disobey traffic rules and volunteer to control traffic. By doing these, we will see the gridlocks will be a thing of the past.  The Home Affairs unit will take it on itself to engage the people and make them understand what civil culture means.”

  • Association rallies support for Ambode

    Association rallies support for Ambode

    A community-based development group, Lafiaji Community Association (LCA), has enjoined Lagosians to rise in support of the government in tackling insecurity and traffic snarls.

    The association lauded the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration for canvassing a new strategy to combat crime.

    Governor Ambode at the end of a retreat for executive council members, over the weekend, urged the police to step up their surveillance and come up with new strategies to tackle crime.

    LCA president Babatunde Abozos urged residents to be security conscious.

    He said:“Our people have to be vigilant in every aspect. Though, God is the only person that secures our lives; we have to be wary of what goes on around us. Any suspicious move should be reported to security agencies. We must also checkmate the activities of hoodlums and commercial bus drivers that hide under the guise of fighting for political parties to create chaos in the polity. On our own, we are ready to give the present administration our full support particularly in the area of community development.”

    The association’s former Vice President, Ayo Benson said the association would contribute towards youths’ development.

    Benson said: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. The number of jobless graduates is alarming and this I think, should be looked into with utmost urgency. We have uncountable graduates without jobs and they have families to cater for. Frustration sometimes forces them into nefarious activities. If people are employed, their level of thinking will change and they will be more useful to the society.”

    He lamented the incessant epileptic power supply, urging government to intervene quickly.

    “Electricity is very important in our country and people believe that our electricity is not good; that’s why a lot of industries has moved out of our country. If our electricity is improved, I believe a lot of these companies would return and that will creat more job opportunities to the youths,” he said.

    He warned the youths to eschew criminal activities.

  • Trial of teacher ‘caught’ with assault rifle, 350 bullets begins

    Trial of a 62-year-old lecturer at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, Anyanwu Longinus Obialor, for alleged illegal possession of arms and ammunition has begun at an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    Obialor was arraigned on June 14, 2011, after his arrest on June 12 at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by the police for allegedly being in possession of one Saiga Assault Riffle and a PFG pistol.

    He was re-arraigned before Magistrate J.O. Adepoju, after the matter was transferred from the Ojokoro Division of the court.

    During proceedings, prosecuting Inspector Haruna Ibrahim told the court that the accused was to also found in possession of “350 assorted types of ammunition”.

    The magistrate denied the defendant’s request made through his counsel, Osagie Akioya, for the matter to be struck out and ordered that the case be tried de novo (afresh).

    Osagie told the court that Obialor was a lecturer at the Igbinedion University, Okada, and resided in Benin, Edo State capital.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge of illegal possession of arms and ammunition contrary to and punishable under Section 428 (d) of the Criminal Code of Lagos State.

    The magistrate granted him bail on the same terms as in June 2011 – in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in the like sum.

    The sureties must show proof of tax payment to the Lagos State government for the past five years.  The case was adjourned till November 15 and 16.

  • Lagos appeals judgment on local government caretaker committees

    Lagos appeals judgment on local government caretaker committees

    The Lagos State Government has appealed an high court judgment, which  voided the appointment of caretaker committees for local government areas and local council development areas.

    The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, in a statement yesterday, said the government has filed a notice of appeal and motion for stay of execution of the judgment at the Appeal Court in Lagos.

    The Appeal Court has adjourned hearing of the application for stay of execution to the November 18.

    Justice Abdulfatal Lawal last Friday declared the appointment of caretaker committees for local government areas in the state as illegal and unconstitutional.

    He gave the verdict in a suit filed by the National Conscience Party (NCP), through its lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa.

    The judge directed the Lagos State Independent National Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to conduct elections in all local governments within 30 days.

    Justice Lawal held that no governor is empowered by the constitution to take over the administration of local governments through the appointment of sole administrators or caretaker committees.

    The court rejected the argument of LAISEC that it was waiting for voter register from INEC since the same voter register and polling booths were used for the April, 2015 elections.

    Sources from the LASIEC said, the commission is yet to get the voter register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Nation learnt that LASIEC had made a request to the INEC to supply the commission with the latest voter register but that request has not been acceded to.

     

  • Police arrest Nwosu’s wife ‘fake’ kidnapper

    Police arrest Nwosu’s wife ‘fake’ kidnapper

    The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 200 level Economics student of Kogi State University, Sebastine Odo, who allegedly posed as one of the kidnappers of Mrs Toyin Nwosu, wife of The Sun Deputy Managing Director, Steve Nwosu.

    Odo was among the 30 suspects paraded by Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni at the Police Command, Ikeja yesterday.

    Explaining his role in the kidnap saga, Odo said: “I was not the real kidnapper; I just wanted to see if I could make quick money out of the situation.

    “I actually had a problem. I needed the sum of N100, 000 to solve the problem. When I heard about the kidnap of Nwosu’s wife, it occurred to me that it was an opportunity to get the money I needed.  I got Nwosu’s number from the back of The Sun newspaper. I told him that I would help him rescue his wife. I told him to give me N100, 000 to do the job for him.

    “Surprisingly, Nwosu told me that he had N2.5 million as ransom. I was shocked because I have not seen such money before. He was supposed to pay it into my account which I had forwarded to him but he did not. So, in the morning of the following day when I called Nwosu to know why he had not paid the money into my account, he told me that he had already paid the N2.5 million into the account of the main kidnappers.”

    On how he was arrested on September 22, Odo said he was tracked down through his phone by the police.

  • Four fake soldiers held

    Four fake soldiers held

    Four fake soldiers arrested at Idi-Araba, Agege and Mile 2 areas of the state were yesterday paraded by Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni.

    They are John Izunwanne, 25, John Otu, 23, Richard Acha, 22, and Simon Anthony, 39.

    Materials recovered from them included: two pairs of the Nigerian Army camouflage uniform; a pair of Army uniform, Army camouflage T-shirt,  a pair of boots, two Army belts and two jungle hats.

    Anthony told reporters that he was dismissed from service as a corporal for falling out from duty.

    “I was dismissed in January 2014 for falling out from duty. I am from Adamawa state. I wanted to use the uniform to travel to Lagos because I had no transport money. But unfortunately, I was arrested by soldiers,” he said.

    Acha, a welder from Benue State, said he found the camouflage T-shirt inside the bag his brother gave him at Ikeja cantonment.

    “I wore it. I was arrested for wearing the army T-shirt,” he said.

    Izunwanne said he bought the uniform at Ojo Cantonment on September 2.

    He said: “I wanted to go and sign my army recruitment form at Ojo Barracks when I bought the uniform at the Mammy Market. However, on October 7, my friend had a court case and I was to appear in court as a witness. The court was in Agege and I did not have the transport fare to go, so, I decided to wear my uniform to save me the cost of transportation.”

    Otu, a member of the Citizen for Peace and First Aid Missions in Nigeria, said he heard his friends were arrested and went to the police to secure their bail, only to be arrested for wearing the uniform.