The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Trader charged with obstructing NAFDAC officials

    Trader charged with obstructing NAFDAC officials

    A trader, Abiodun Ilesanmi, was yesterday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly obstructing National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) officials from performing their duty.

    The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation alleged that Ilesanmi prevented members of the Federal Task Force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods from ascertaining the genuineness of food products sold at Mile 12 market on September 3.

    Ilesanmi trades in Shops 28 and 29 at the market.

    The prosecutor, Umar Shamaki, who signed the charge on the AGF’s behalf, said the offence contravened Section 2 (1)(a) and is punishable under Section 11 (2) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Section Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap C34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    The offence also violates Section 25 of NAFDAC Act, Cap N1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Mohammed Yunusa will hear Ilesanmi’s bail application on September 16.

  • Barber’s death sparks row

    THE police have been accused of trying to frame up a businessman, Alhaji Mutairu Owoeye, for the murder of a barber, Bidemi Akinde.

    Owoeye is alleging that the Zone II Command at Onikan, Lagos, is after him “over an earlier misunderstanding”.

    Recounting how the barber died, he alleged that Akinde was killed by thugs led by a cult chief, named “One Hour”.

    Owoeye denied that policemen from Sango Ota Area Command killed the barber, saying his travail with the Zone II Command started when he was appointed agent of a property at Oke-Ore in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

    “As the land was occupied by illegal occupants, I decided to inform the occupiers of a court judgement in respect of the land as many may not be aware and to this effect, I printed a public notice to be pasted on the land as the judgement debtors are prone to violence. I decided to seek police protection to avoid unpleasant scene. I forwarded a letter to the police which was approved by the Inspector-General of Police, who directed the Ogun State Police Commissioner to treat. The office of the Ogun State Police boss equally directed the area command at Sango to implement the directive.

    “Consequently, the police assigned a team of officers led by one Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Afolabi to assist me in carrying out the exercise. As my workers went about pasting the posters, the judgement debtors in the company of a large group of thugs numbering over 80 and accompanied by fake armed uniformed men led by “One Hour” invaded the scene and started firing gunshots indiscriminately.

    “Two of the policemen sustained serious wounds and the police were forced to beat a retreat. Hours later, my residence at Atan, which is far from the scene was again invaded by the hoodlums who fired indiscriminately, destroying everything in sight. The invading vandals made spirited attempt to abduct me, but for the timely intervention of the police. In a twist of fate, I was arrested for allegedly causing the death of Akinde.

    “A wrong impression has to be corrected. I was not arrested by the armed uniformed men. In fact, they were out to kill me. I was rescued by the police from Sango-Ota and the police at Zone II, Onikan, Lagos took over the case with intent to carry out a revenge mission over an earlier misunderstanding between me and them after an illegal raid on Orudu village in Ibeju-Lekki, during which the Police arrested and charged an 84-year-old woman to court for stealing N22,000”, Owoeye said in a statement.

  • One feared dead in police, okada riders clash

    ONE person was feared dead and scores injured yesterday when policemen and commercial motorcyclists clashed at Ogolonto in Ikorodu, Lagos.

    But Lagos State Police chief Fatai Owoseni said there was no such clash, adding: “There was no riot in Ikorodu. There was no fight between police and motorcyclists. If police arrested motorcyclists, they are doing their job. No one was killed or injured”.

    The Nation gathered that the incident occurred about 9am, after the policemen allegedly impounded about 500 motorcycles.

    The policemen allegedly raided parks to arrest the motorcyclists.

    The angry motorcyclists reportedly vandalised government properties, including Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) and LAGBUS vehicles.

    An eyewitness, Fadeel Akinlolu, said the incident caused a traffic gridlock which lasted for over an hour.

    He said: “I saw more than five people injured on the ground. I really cannot say if anyone died because I was inside a bus. The problem started after policemen arrested about 500 okadas. The angry Okada riders started attacking government properties, which led to a fight with the policemen and state government officials. It took over one hour for calm to return and the gridlock cleared.”

    Saying there was no such incident, Owoseni stated: “We heard there was an issue there but the Area Commander and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) were with me at Ikotun. So, I have released them so that they can go and investigate. They are yet to give me feedback, I will get across to my public relations officer (PRO) to issue a release once they get back to me.”

  • Five ‘cultists’ in court

    Five men were yesterday arraigned before an Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly being members of a secret cult.

    They are said to belong to the Aye ‘Axe Men’ confraternity cult that displayed weapons in public and breached the peace at Imota in Ikorodu on May 28.

    Prosecuting Police Corporal Mary Ajiteru told the court that Rabiu Kapo (18), Joseph Fasasi (aka ‘Alaye’) (31), Adebayo Juwon (32), Olatayo Kehinde (24), and Adesanya Rasak (18) and others at large, joined the unlawful secret society to misbehave in public.

    She said: “They conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace. They also displayed dangerous weapons in public without lawful authority and in a manner likely to cause terror.”

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate O. O. Olatunji granted them N100,000 bail and two sureties in the like sum each.

  • Lone survivor of Surulere fire dies

    The lone survivor of the fire that razed a self-contain apartment on 23, Michael Ogun Street, Surulere, Lagos Mainland, is dead.

    It was learnt that Chidinma, 8, died yesterday at the Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos.

    Seven members of her family died on the night of the fire.

    Her relatives collected her body from the hospital around 2.35pm.

    A neighbour, Christiana Faleti, who was with Chidinma, till her death said: “Since she was admitted, she has been breathing with the use of oxygen.  She was convulsing and when I asked the doctor what the problem could be, he said the smoke had blocked her heart and being a little girl, there was no way she could survive. It is really pathetic. I had earlier thought God wanted her to achieve something in life. With the little period I spent with her, she was like my blood. Only God knows! Only Him.”

    Simeon Eze, a relative, said the body has been deposited in a morgue, adding: “There will be a family meeting tomorrow to discuss how they will be taking to Enugu State for funeral. This is too much for us to bear. Who will this happen to that won’t feel like leaving this world? We want government to investigate the matter. We learnt it was a deliberate act by the tenants because we are non-indigenes. We are appealing to them to get to the root of the case.”

  • Lawmaker decries poor power supply in Badagry

    MEMBER representing Badagry Constituency II in Lagos State House of Assembly David Setonji has decried the poor power supply in Ajara community which comprises over 14 villages.

    Setonji called on the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in the area.

    Setonji said for over eight years, the area has been in darkness because the transformers were of low capacity and old. The transformers, he said, could no longer serve the community because of its large population.

    “It is sad that for over eight years, the Ajara community has been without electricity even now that power supply has improved nationwide. The reason for the present situation is because the transformers in the area which are of 11 KVA capacity can no longer serve the people effectively. They have become obsolete and are over 25 years old. We want transformers that are of 33 KVA capacity like the ones in Badagry metropolis and environs,” he said.

    The lawmaker said because of the unsteady power supply, artisans and other tradesmen cannot work except with generators compounding their cost of production.

  • Seven family members die in night fire

    Seven family members die in night fire

    SEVEN members of a family of eight were killed on Tuesday night when fire razed their self-contain apartment in Surulere, Lagos Mainland.

    The fire was caused by candlelight while the family was asleep.

    The lone survivor Chidinma (8) is lying critically ill in hospital.

    The dead are Kelechi Onoja, 28, his wife, Nkiru, 18, two children Favour, 2 and her three-week-old brother. Others are the late Onoja’s mother-in-law Mrs Okezie and her visiting two relatives.

    A neighbour, Uzor Alajemba, said he heard shouts of “help!” “help!!” “help!!!” from the apartment, adding that when he came out, smoke had filled the whole compound.

    He said: “I brought my family out of the house and called neighbours who alerted the fire fighters. I don’t how it happened. I just rescued my family.”

    Another resident, Tony Anslem said other tenants didn’t raise the alarm on time,noting that by the time fire fighters arrived, it was too late to rescue them.

    “We heard noise but we couldn’t rescue them because there was a burglar-proof at the entrance of the house. Nkiru’s mother was found burnt at the entrance of the door while trying to escape and the others were found on a mattress inside the room,” he said.

    The late Onoja’s sister, Obioma, in tears, said: “I live in Onipanu and I got the information this morning (yesterday), I was still happy that the house was burnt and not that they died until I got here. I don’t know what to do ooo! I am in shock. He is my younger brother. See the way my brother died.”

    Christiana Faleti, a resident, who took Chidinma to the hospital said: “Even before I came out, neighbours were busy pouring water from the ceiling because no one could access the entrance because of the burglar-proof. We rescued the girl from the toilet  after the fire was put out; a fire service official heard someone cough and sadly we saw a burnt little girl almost lifeless. The Lagos State Ambulance came to carry her and we took her to Gbagada General Hospital, around 3am, but on getting there, she wasn’t admitted because we had no money. So we came back home and neighbours gathered almost N50, 000 for her. I was scared. Her face has roasted. As a mother, I feel her pains.”

    The late Mrs Onoja’s brother, Michael Okezie, said their mother was to return to the village yesterday after babysitting her grandchild for a month.

    “Kelechi is my sister’s husband and we hail from Enugu State. He sells curtain materials on Lagos Island. I am sad. Why is it only their building that burnt? Why did the neighbours run away? These are questions I haven’t found answers to. Our mother went to the market on Tuesday to buy things for yesterday’s journey. We planned to see the baby this Sunday. There is more to this. Why didn’t they rescue them? Why?” he wondered in tears.

    [ad id=”403656″] Baale of Surulere, Kareem Awoyemi, said he learnt the tenants were not in good terms with the Onojas even before the incident.

    “They were not in talking terms with their neighbours; does that mean they shouldn’t rescue them. None of them came out. All of them ran away. I was informed around 3am that they needed money to treat the survivor, which I contributed. The building is over 23 years and we have never had such incident before. It is painful,” Awoyemi said.

    Another resident Ejike Eke-Opara said: “The fire was caused by candlelight because their light was disconnected few days ago because they couldn’t afford the prepaid meter. They were the only ones without light and they have been using candle. The occupants of this compound are terrible. Is it because they weren’t in good terms with them that they couldn’t try their best to save them? It didn’t affect the two buildings beside them. This is very strange.”

    A security guard, Desmond Mazeli, pleaded with government to take over the building because it was marked two months ago by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). He said since the landlord’s death, the building has been used for all sort of things, including drug trafficking.

    The bodies have been deposited in a morgue.

    Lagos State Fire Service Director Razak Fadipe appealed to people to desist from using candle in their homes, as it could be very dangerous.

  • Man electrocuted at Isolo

    A middle-aged man has been electrocuted in Jakande near Oke Afa Isolo in Lagos.

    An eyewitness, who gave her name as Medinah said the man and two others wanted to use a stick to raise an electric cable because of the height of the container they were conveying on a trailer marked BFG298XD.

    She said: “It threw him and he hit his head on a pavement. As he tried to escape, his leg got stuck in the trailer”.

    Lagos State Fire Service Director Razak Fadipe Director said the man’s head hit the cable when he climbed the trailer.

  • I’m a drug dealer, says blind man

    After two years in prison without trial, the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced a 21-year-old man, Nura Abdullahi, to five years imprisonment for unlawfully dealing in 62 kilogrammes of marijuana.

    He was said to have become blind in custody following his arrest on March 19, 2013 at Ezewanta Motor Park at Ijora, Lagos.

    He pleaded guilty when he was arraigned on September 3.

    Justice Mohammed Yunusa said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

    The five-year prison term, the judge said, took effect from the day the convict was arrested.

    The judge ordered that the banned narcotic recovered from him be destroyed.

  • Lagos to curb crime with sports

    Lagos to curb crime with sports

    Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Adebule has identified sports as veritable tools for crime reduction.

    Sports, she said, remained an avenue to develop the young and encourage social integration.

    Mrs Adebule said efforts were on to reduce crime, adding that attention will be paid to the provision of modern sports facilities and encouragement of young sports men and women.

    She spoke while receiving members of the Green Team Nigeria, an international basketball organisation that promotes the development of the game among children in the country.

    She hailed the team for doing Nigeria proud at an international competition held in Matera, Italy.

    The deputy governor urged the team not to rest on its oars, but to strive for excellence in basketball, pledging government’s support for the group and related groups committed to the development of the sporting prowess of children, especially of Lagos extraction.

    Green Team Nigeria president Jerry Frankie Aigbede described the group as the first African team to participate at the competition since its inception in 1993.

    The children, he said, were delighted to participate at the competition, which he said exposed them to the culture of other countries.

    He enjoined government at all levels to see sports as a development strategy for youths.

    “In order to address the societal disadvantage, marginalisation and discouragement which the youths face today, government at all levels must use sports to take youths out of their present state of despair to sporting greats,” Aigbede said.