The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Teacher in court for alleged sodomy

    A 45-year-old teacher, Akintobi Kayode, who allegedly put his manhood in the anus of a 14-year-old deaf and dumb boy, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kayode, who resides at Oladelu Street in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos is standing trial on a two-count charge of rape and breach of peace.

    The accused pleaded innocence.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Jimah Iseghede told the court that the accused committed the offence sometime in May and July at his residence.

    Iseghede said the accused after assaulting the boy, overpowered him before having a carnal knowledge of him.

    “The boy, who is deaf and dumb, resides in the same neighbourhood with the accused. The accused always sends the boy on errands and on that day, he also sent him on an errand and lured him to his house and had a carnal knowledge of him by penetrating his anus.

    “Kayode took advantage of the boy because of his condition … due to the pains he was experiencing he told his parents what the teacher had done to him,’’ he said.

    Iseghede said the offence contravened Sections 166 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    Magistrate L.Y. Balogun granted Kayode N200,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    The case was adjourned till September 30.

     

  • Man ‘defiles’ stepdaughter

    A 37-year-old man, Oluwaseyi Akinmulayo, who allegedly defiled his step daughter, yesterday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court.

    The accused, who lives at Omorale Johnson Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, is facing a charge of defilement.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Jimah Iseghede told the court that the offence was committed sometime in February at the accused’s residence.

    According to Iseghede, the accused defiled his 15-year-old step daughter and told her not to tell anybody.

    “The girl later told her mother. The accused disappeared after committing the offence but was caught and brought to court,” he said.

    The offence, according to the prosecutor, contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The accused denied the charge.

    Chief Magistrate Tajudeen Elias admitted the accused to a bail of N2 million in addition to two sureties in like sum.

    He ordered the accused to pay N200, 000 into the court’s registrar’s account as part of the bail condition.

    The case was adjourned to September 9 for mention.

     

  • Civil Defence parades suspected pipeline vandal

    A 30-year-old driver, Sunday Ewaranwon, yesterday said he took to pipeline vandalism to make money to pay his children’s school fees.

    The suspect, who was paraded by the Lagos State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ikeja, said he was in charge of securing the products got from vandalised pipelines.

    “I went to visit my brother in Bariga to ask if he could borrow me some money to pay my children’s school fees but he said he was broke. His friend, Fidelis, entered his house and said he had a 50-litre petrol he wanted to sell. Fidelis said those he sent on errands said they were tired and couldn’t secure the other products. As Fidelis left my brother’s place, I went to him and said I was going to secure the products till the following day. He promised to pay me N15,000 and I agreed. Not up to 30minutes after Fidelis dropped me off to start the job, I was arrested,” he said.

    Ewaranwon said he didn’t know where Fidelis got the fuel.

    “I was only securing the products. I have not worked for four months because my vehicle has been faulty. I have been sitting at the garage where they give me N100 or N200 daily. It couldn’t sustain me. I needed to do something to sustain my family,” he said.

    The state commandant, Gabriel Abaffi, said the suspect was arrested with 154 jerry cans of 50-litre petrol and 33 empty 50-litre kegs at Ijora, Lagos.

    Abafi said the product was loaded in a wooden boat with 30-Horsepower Suzuki engine.

    “They were two suspected vandals but one of them, whose name was given as Godbless, jumped into the river when he sighted our men. He had 7,700 litres of petrol worth N669,000. The jerry cans had names on them with different signs. People should strive to get legitimate jobs they can rely on,” he said.

  • Two couples docked for fighting with blades

    Two men and their wives who allegedly attacked one another with blades and sticks were yesterday arraigned in an Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for breach of the peace and assault.

    Tijani Ganiu, 55, his wife Omolara, 46; Lukman Abiru, 58, and his wife Oluwakemi, 38, all of Oriwu Road, Ikorodu, were accused of conducting themselves in a manner likely to cause a breach of the peace by fighting in a public place.

    The prosecutor, Corporal Abosede Adegeshin, told the court that “On August 28, 2015, at about 10am at their residence, one couple engaged the other couple in a fight, using sticks and blades to attack each other up.”

    According to her, the fight was caused by a minor disagreement between their daughters and both couples’ children also joined in the scuffle.

    Adegeshin said the offences contravened Section 54 of the Criminal Code of Lagos State, 2011.

    All the four accused pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate O. O. Olatunji granted them N100,000 bail with two sureties each and adjourned till September 24.

     

  • Vandals ‘kill’ three policemen

    Vandals ‘kill’ three policemen

    •They are missing, say police

    There was confusion yesterday over the fate of three policemen after an encounter with vandals in Ikorodu, Lagos.

    Unconfirmed report said they were killed in gun battle with the vandals. But the police denied the claim, saying the policemen were missing.

    The policemen – an inspector, a sergeant and a corporal – from Owutu Police Station were allegedly killed at Olainukan, Agric in Ikorodu around 6am.

    They were said to have demanded bribe from the vandals.

    Another policeman identified as Yerima was said to have been injured and was rushed to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

    It was gathered that the officers, who were on patrol,  were shot by the vandals, who were in a vehicle containing several jerry cans of petrol.

    It was learnt that the 50-litre kegs were hidden under the vehicle’s seats. The fuel was scooped from ruptured pipelines around Ikorodu.

    According to a source, an altercation ensued after the vandals refused the policemen’s demands.

    “The armed vandals opened fire on the patrol van, killing the three policemen on the spot, while two others escaped with bullet wounds,” he said.

    A trader around the police station said he saw stern-looking policemen when he returned from the mosque early on Monday.

    A food vendor said she ran away on hearing sporadic gunshot around 5am.

    “When the gunshot was becoming unbearable I had to run away, abandoning what I was preparing. When everything became clear, I heard that two policemen were killed and the vandals also sustained injuries. We are sitting on gunpowder here in Olainukan, because this is the transit point where black market business thrives. Government should come to our aid,” she said.

    She told The Nation that riot policemen have been parading the area in search of the suspects.

    A police source said some suspects had been arrested, adding that they were being profiled.

    But police spokesperson Patricia Amadin, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), denied that any policeman was killed in the incident.

    She said three officers have been missing since the incident, adding that the command headquarters was aware of the development.

    About seven policemen, she said, were deployed in from the division following information that armed militants had infiltrated the area.

    “At about 3am, we got information that some armed militants were heading towards the direction and the division was put on alert.

    “On sighting the policemen, the vandals opened fire but no policeman was killed. At the moment, three of the seven policemen who went on the mission have reported at the command while three others are still missing,” she said.

  • Lagos Speaker to build resource centre in Agege

    Lagos Speaker to build resource centre in Agege

    •200 pupils get free GCE forms

    Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa has promised to build a resource centre in Agege for the training and empowerment of youths and women.

    The project, he said, would begin soon.

    He spoke during the distribution of free General Certificate of Education (GCE) form to some pupils on Sunday.

    He said: “This resource centre will have all the necessary modern information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and vocational training machines of different types and it will be responsible for training and empowering youths and women not only in Agege but also in the entire state.”

    The aim of establishing the resource centre, Obasa said, is to make youths and women self dependent adding:

    “Our aim is to teach you how to fish rather than giving you fish to eat. By training and empowering youths and women, we are not only making them independent but also making them employers of labour,” he said.

    Obasa described the free GCE forms distribution as one of his educational development programmes aimed at assisting indigent pupils in realising their dreams.

    “We have been doing this since 2003 and this is the 12th edition. Annually the number of beneficiaries keeps increasing. Last year, we gave out 100 forms, this year, we are giving out 200 forms and I want to assure you that the number will increase next year by the special grace of God,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Dockers suspend work over colleague’s death

    Dockworkers at the Five Star Logistics Terminal at Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos suspended work yesterday following the death of their colleague, Mr Paul Ifah.

    Two dockworkers have died at the terminal in less than two weeks.

     Ifah was crushed to death by stacked heavy-duty pipes which rolled off a crane.

    On September 19, Samson Oheha died in another accident.

    The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on Monday gave a 21-day ultimatum to terminal operators to comply with safety rules or face picketing.

    Mr Adewale Adeyanju, President of the Dockworkers’ Branch of MWUN, confirmed Oheha’s and Ifah’s death to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Adeyanju alleged that the terminal management failed to adopt safety measures while the operations were on.

    “The incident which happened at about 1a.m. was an eyesore and a very unprofessional way to operate. The management of the terminal failed to comply with safety standards for this kind of operation, which caused the pipes to roll off and kill the man. It is very sad because it is the same terminal where a dockworker died on September 19 – and has yet to be buried,’’ he said.

    Adeyanju said though the police report showed it was an accident, the case would not have resulted to death if standard safety measures were adopted.

    He said the union had written to all terminal operators and stevedoring companies on the need for safety.

    According to him, only a few of the operators complied with safety requirements for dockworkers.

    When a NAN correspondent visited the terminal, a worker, said the stacked pipes gave way and fell on the late Ifah.

    “The wooden wedges used to hold the heavy pipes could not stop them as they slide down. Ifah could not escape immediately because he was controlling the rope,’’ he said.

    The terminal’s General Manager, Captain John John, told NAN he was not in a position to speak with the press on the incident.

  • Bricklayer drowns in stream

    The body of a bricklayer was yesterday recovered from a stream in Magodo Phase II by officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

    He was said to have gone to the stream for a bath after close of work at a construction site at Magodo waterside on Sunday evening.

    It was gathered that the deceased simply identified as Abdullahi got drowned on the stream.

    His fellow workers reportedly became worried after waiting for him for long and contacted emergency workers.

    The Nation gathered that the emergency workers’efforts to rescue him on Sunday night failed. They returned to the scene yesterday and fished out his body.

    It took a combined team of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) officials, police and local divers to recover the body about 4:30pm.

    LASEMA General Manager, Michael Akindele said the body has been deposited in a morgue.

    The police, he said, would investigate to ascertain the cause of death, appealing to developers to monitor their workers closely to forestall such incidence.

    “LASEMA received distress call at about 6:45pm on Sunday of a young artisan working at a construction site by Magodo waterside who drowned in a stream.

    “Our response team searched through the night and continued Monday till his body was recovered at about 4pm.

    “The body was handed over to State Embalmment and Mortuary Unit (SEMU) by LASEMA officials with police officers from Magodo police station. The police will carry out further investigation on the incident,” he said.

     

  • Man jailed for sexual assault

    Man jailed for sexual assault

    A Tinubu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced Olatunji Abejoye, 28, to one year imprisonment with hard labour for beating up a woman who refused him sex.

    Magistrate L.A. Owolabi found Abejoye guilty of the four-count charge of assault preferred against him by the police.

    The convict, who was arraigned on August 14, was alleged to have assaulted one Jumoke Adepoju, who allegedly owed him N300.

    Prosecuting Sergeant Aondohemba Koti told the court that the convict and complainant had known each other for two years and were neighbours in Ibeju-Lekki.

    Led in evidence by the prosecutor, Adepoju said on August 13, at 2pm at Kajola Town, Ibeju-Lekki, Abejoye hit her with plank and injured her after she refused him sex.

    She alleged that Abejoye also beat her up when he saw her with her boyfriend.

    The complainant said Abejoye was arrested after she reported the matter at the Elemoro Police Station.

    But, the convict denied assaulting her over sex, saying the reason for his action was the N300 change she owed him.

    He told the court that he had given her N500 when she requested for N200 loan, adding that he later told her to keep the change, which she refused to give him.

    Abejoye alleged that the victim fell on the plank while he was chasing her.

    Delivering judgement, Magistrate Owolabi said some residents of Ibeju-Lekki, who were brought in as prosecution witnesses, testified that the convict is violent.

    He described the convict as “a violent person”, going by the injuries he inflicted on the victim over money.

     

  • Council sponsors 50 for WAEC exams

    The Isolo Local Council Development Area Executive Secretary, Jubril Olusegun, has presented 50 General Certificate of Education (GCE) forms to pupils in the area.

    Olusegun said the gesture was part of the council’s social responsibility to equip the youths for the future.

    He promised to organise coaching class for them.

    “When one has education, he has everything. I know this is going to be a plus for their parents and our council. I assure there will be a follow-up after their examinations for those who perform excellently,” he said.

    He appealed to the beneficiaries to see the gesture as a golden opportunity to pursue their life-time dream, urging them to be serious with their studies.

    The Council Manager, Mr Kehinde Yusuf, said the gesture was aimed at reducing the number of social miscreants in the community.

    “The issuance of GCE forms has always been part of the council’s activities but presently, there will be extensive coaching to ensure they succeed,” he said.

    The Head of Education Department, Mrs Olajumoke Akinyemi, said five pupils were randomly chosen from each ward.

    “I feel elated to be part of those helping these pupils. When you train a child, you train a nation. People should assist the less-privileged pupils, who are willing to study. Those selected should also make use of this opportunity,” she said.

    One of the beneficiaries, Olowode Funsho, thanked the council for relieving her parents the burden of purchasing the form.