The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • I don’t want her anymore, says man

    A 47-year-old businessman, Valentine Emetosin, has sought the dissolution of his 11-year-old marriage to his wife, Clementina, before an Agege Customary Court in Lagos, over lack of care for their children.

    The petitioner, who lives at Oba Falabi Street, Ojodu Berger, a Lagos suburb, said his wife’s attitude changed few months after their wedding.

    “I married her four months after I met her in an eatery during a trip to Onitsha. I would say I never really enjoyed the moments we spent together as a couple,” he said.

    The petitioner also said they treated each other like strangers in the house and that she saw his relations as her enemies.

    He said: “Whenever my wife looks at me, I am always scared because I don’t know what she is ready to say or her intentions. She looks at me with disgust. Few years after our marriage, when I couldn’t tolerate her, I travelled to her home town on several occasions to report to her family.

    “In 2008, she left with our children on the pretext of going to her shop. I searched every nook and cranny but I couldn’t find her even her siblings were not aware of her whereabouts. It was when she couldn’t cater for them anymore, she returned them to me.”

    Emetosin said he took her back to her family seven years ago to nullify the union, saying he was shocked when she showed up four months ago that she had come to stay.

    “I don’t want her anymore. I have another woman and my children attend one of the best schools. She is homeless and has nothing. Please if she wants to see our children, she is free to come to court. I don’t want her close to my house because my current wife is scared,” he said.

    The marriage produced two children between the ages three and 10.

    The court’s President, Pa Adekunle Williams, said since the petitioner presented evidence, the case will continue with or without the respondent. He adjourned the matter till August 24 for judgment.

  • ‘Hackers’ infiltrate bank account, withdraw N1.5m

    The Police in Lagos yesterday arraigned four alleged hackers who withdrew N1.5 million from one Ugo Donald’s bank account at the Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    The accused – Oduwole Oluwatobi, Okonofua Harrison, Ikenna Ohaji and Olaide Taiwo, are standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy and fraud.

    They pleaded not guilty.

    But the Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Olakemmi Omisope, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime in November 2014 in Lagos.

    “These four men hacked into the bank account of Donald and debited the account to the tune of N1.5 million.

    “That act amounts to stealing and their offence is in contravention of Sections 285, 387 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Omisope said.

    Counsel to the accused Dannel Abbe urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms.

    Magistrate Owunmi Martins said granted the accused N500, 000 bail each, with two sureties in the like sum.

    The case was adjourned till September 17.

  • Boko Haram strikes again in Kaduna, targets school construction site

    Boko Haram strikes again in Kaduna, targets school construction site

    Fear has once again gripped residents of Kaduna State following a brazen attack by the notorious Boko Haram insurgents on a government-backed school construction site in Zaria, one of the LGA of the state. 

    The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, appears to be a deliberate effort by the insurgent group to halt educational development in northern Nigeria.

    The targeted site is part of a major educational infrastructure project initiated by the central bank of Nigeria as an intervention towards the education development in Kaduna State, aimed at expanding access to education across the state. 

    According to eyewitnesses and residents, the assailants stormed the site with firearms and explosives, vandalizing construction materials and destroying billboards bearing the company’s name—Morgan Omonitan & Abe Limited, a popular civil and structural engineering company in the country, contracted to carry out the project.

    “They came with full force, and it was clear they were not just attacking randomly,” said a terrified resident who witnessed the chaos. 

    “They specifically removed the name of the company from the billboard and left a warning saying the company should leave the North or expect more attacks.”

    Officials of Morgan Omonitan & Abe Limited, visibly shaken, confirmed the incident and expressed their growing concern for the safety of their workers. “Even with police protection, we are constantly living in fear. Our staff are on edge every day,” a company representative stated.

    The motive behind the attack appears to be Boko Haram’s long-standing agenda to undermine educational advancement in the region. The group, whose name loosely translates to “Western education is forbidden,” has a history of targeting schools, teachers, and education-related projects.

    Authorities have launched an investigation and stepped-up security in the area, but residents remain fearful. 

    As the state grapples with the aftermath, many are calling on the federal government to prioritize the protection of education infrastructure and bring the perpetrators to justice. 

  • Lawyer seeks divorce

    A Lawyer Mrs Hezelyn Chinwe yesterday pleaded with a Mushin Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her two-year-old marriage with Ernest over lack of care.

    Mrs Hezelyn said Ernest no longer care and give her the necessary attention and love she needs as a wife.

    Earnest also accused Hezelyn on maltreating her step son. He also told the court on how she went out two occasions without informing him and coming home late at night.

    “I have a son whose mum died few years back, ever since the boy came to the house she has been maltreating the boy and feeds him with expired and rotten food. Whenever I confront her concerning the issue, she yelled at me and never allow me utter a word,” he said.

    Magistrate R.O Mushishi adjourned the case to August 24.

  • Lagos seals six firms for N6.2m tax evasion

    The Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) has sealed six firms for failing to remit N6.197 million Personal Income Tax of their workers to the state government.

    Mrs Ajibike Oshodi-Sholola, Head of the Distain Unit of LIRS, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, that the companies were sealed during a state-wide tax law enforcement exercise

    Oshodi-Sholola, who led the enforcement team, said that the affected companies’ tax liabilities were between 12 months and four years.

    Oshodi-Sholola said most corporate organisations usually evade the remittance of the previous year’s tax only to remit taxes of current years, adding that the six companies’ tax debts were basically for 2011 tax-audit year.

    According to her, some companies think that jumping the previous years’ tax to pay off the current year tax will make the LIRS exempt them from paying the outstanding debts.

    “It is very wrong to overlook tax payment of any certain year and a misconception to think that government will forfeit tax payment of any registered organisation in the state.

    “Despite how long the tax of an organisation has lingered, the truth remains that the government will someday come for it,” she said.

    The team leader noted that the enforcement would continue until Nigerians imbibed the culture of voluntary tax compliance, adding that tax evasion was a criminal act.

    According to her, the companies that were affected by the recent tax enforcement include; pharmaceutical companies, a security management company, paint manufacturing firms and a media company.

    Oshodi-Sholola urged companies operating in the state to ensure that their tax files and documents are always up-to-date to avoid been shut by the LIRS.

    She said the poor administration and compliance to taxation system had resulted to low generation of revenue from tax.

    According to her, the poor taxation system was responsible for the poor maintenance of the nations’ infrastructures.

    “In western countries where everything is taxable, tax is government’s key source of income. The government can still streamline Nigerian taxation system to make it more rewarding.

    “I believe that effective taxation will boost government’s revenue and that is the only way the nation’s infrastructures can be maintained and sustained,” she added.

    Meanwhile, some of the affected companies complained of not being given notification by the state government before coming to shut down their firms.

     

  • Alade market: traders, govt trade words

    Alade market: traders, govt trade words

    •‘The place built by the concessionaire is inhabitable’
    •Ministry of the Environment approved it’

    The Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government Area Adekunle Dally Adeokun yesterday cleared the air on the controversy surrounding the status of Alade Market traders.

    He said there was no truth in the allegation that the council issued a 60-day ultimatum to the traders to move out of the market. According to him, no date has been fixed for the relocation.

    Describing the ultimatum as a “misrepresentation of facts,” Adeokun said at no time did he address a news conference or issue any statement giving the traders  ultimatum to leave the market.

    Adeokun spoke against the heels of yesterday’s protest by the Concerned Traders of Alade Market Men and Women (CTAMW), who alleged that the proposed relocation site is a flooded and swampy plane that is unsuitable for trading.

    Speaking on behalf of the market women, President of the Concerned Traders, Mrs Sulola Odunsi-Dania said the council authority had initially made the move to displace them and demolish the market in 2003, but the state government denied any knowledge of the planned demolition.

    “The truth is that we were not served any notice by the Lagos State Government. It is sad to note that when the state government wants to repossess a particular place, they come up with sundry excuses. The place built by the concessionaire is inhabitable. It is located beside a canal behind the market. You need to see the place. Reptiles and other animals roam about and it is worse during the rainy season,” she lamented.

    Mrs. Odunsi-Dania said they had gone as a group to the Iyaloja General of Lagos State, Mrs Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, who called a meeting of the market women and the concessionaire, Mr Lai Omotola.

    “At the meeting Mr Omotola blatantly said that he had no business with us, to whom the Iyaloja entreated to have proper dialogue with us because we are the ones directly concerned,” she said.

    Legal counsel for the market women Jiti Ogunye, said there were various abnormalities in the way the concessionaire was going about the relocation.

    “These women are stakeholders who pay tax to the government. They can’t just be treated anyhow,” he said.

    Describing the protests as “a storm in a tea cup,” Adeokun said the issue surrounding the relocation is one that would be resolved amicably between the council, the concessionaire and the traders as it is “a family affair.”

    He said what happened in the council on Sunday was the inaugural meeting of the committee members in charge of the relocation and after the meeting, they all agreed to give the concessionaire 60 days to put some things in place at the new site.

    He said: “The committee of 16, which was made up of six members of the traders and five each from the council and the concessionaire, met and resolved that the concessionaire must open up the area and put interlocking paving stones on the floors, and build 100 locked up shops and additional Kee Clamp, build a perimeter fence and fit same with American wire mesh, all of which, he said, the concessionaire promised could be done within 60 days.”

    He said the true position is that after the 60 days, the committee is expected to inspect the site and review the activity of the concessionaire after which all the stakeholders are expected to meet to now negotiate when the traders would eventually move.

    “It is only after the committee has been convinced that the relocation is feasible that any negotiation on the relocation could be contemplated. The traders at the market are our people and we would not do anything to inconvenient anyone,” he noted.

    Adeokun called the cooperation of the market traders in the redevelopment of the market adding that the council will do everything to protect their interest.

    According to him, there was no truth in the allegation that the site is inhabitable because it was cleared for use by the state’s Ministry of the Environment and they are meant to stay there only for 24 months.

    He said most of the shops are being offered at ridiculously low prices and the council is ready to accommodate all irrespective of their status whether legal or illegal tenants of the market. He alleged that while most of the traders rented the shops from the council at N7,200, they reissued same to tenants at fees ranging from N500,000.

    Adeokun said though the initial projection was for the new site to be temporary, but the concessionaire in accommodating the grievances of the traders have had to invest heavily in constructing solid shops, that would be powered by a 350 KVA electricity generating set.

    He said the lawyers to the traders have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the council and concessionaire on the mode of relocation.

    The concessionaire, Mr Lai Omotola said the company would do everything possible to meet the demands of the traders to facilitate early relocation to enable it commence the contract.

  • I can’t die of hunger says, suspect

    I can’t die of hunger says, suspect

    A 72-year-old fisherman, Michael Dansu, yesterday said he took to pipeline vandalism because he can’t die of hunger.

    The Lagos State-born suspect was paraded yesterday alongside 12 others in Ikeja by the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Dansu said: “I have two wives, five children and 19 grand children. For a while now, I have not been able to fish because of the season and when member of my family were almost starving and I can’t die of hunger. So, I took the offer from my friend, Kwame. I was given N15,000 by one Nicholas Ajalesan, who owns the petrol. It was when we were about to take off from the high sea, we were arrested. We were sent. It is not what we do for a living.”

    Another suspect, Yusuf Arowolo, a driver, said he was promised N2000 after the trip.

    He said: “I was caught with 10 drums of diesel in Ojo. I have been idle for a while now since Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officials seized my bus for passing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane.

    “At times my friends gave me a bus to work for half day. It was my first time. I was sent. I didn’t know it was illegal. I needed something to eat. I have been gathering money for my wedding. Please I was sent.”

    Tola Kwame, a Ghanaian, said he took the job because he had nothing to eat.

    “I am married with two children. I was told about the job by one Nicholas Ajalesan who resides in Badagry. I gathered six people who are also fishermen because we have been starving lately. I was given N20,000 being the captain while others were given N15,000 each. This is my first time. If not because the fish season is dry, we won’t be here,” he said.

    NSCDC Commandant Gabriel Abafi said seven out of the suspects were arrested last Friday in Badagry, Lagos, with 706 Kegs of 25-litre of fuel.

    According to him, the suspects attempted to move the products to neighbouring countries before they were held.

    Abafi said: “On August 5, officials of the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft (NNS Beecroft) handed over five suspected petroleum vandals to our command. They were said to have been on their way to Benin Republic with 81 drums of 250-litre petrol around 12.15am.”

    Abafi enjoined people to look for legitimate jobs.

  • Boat operators to face prosecution if…

    Boat operators in Lagos State who fail to provide life jacket to their passengers will be prosecuted, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), has warned.

    LASWA Managing Director Yinka Marinho, gave the warning in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

    He said the authority would no longer tolerate passengers travelling on waterways without wearing standard life jackets.

    “It is mandatory that all users of waterways wear life jacket. We are going to prosecute all operators who carry passengers without life jacket. We implore passengers to insist on the use of life jacket,’’ he said.

    He said that the penalty to be melted out on boat operators who failed to comply with the directive would be determined by the courts.

    Marinho said the regulations guiding boat operation would be reviewed and necessary penalties spelt out for erring operators.

    “Some operators have been prosecuted; our regulations will be reviewed and there will be penalties for non-compliance to the use of life jackets. If a passenger refuses to wear life jacket, operators should not allow such passenger on board for whatever reasons.

    “Passengers should also insist on wearing life jackets, because 80 per cent of the fatalities on the waterways are caused by non compliance with the use of life jackets,” he said.

    The Managing Director said that no fewer than 3,500 life jackets had been distributed in the state and many were still being expected.

    He said that the authority recently took delivery of 2,400 life jackets donated by the government for distribution to boat operators across the state.

  • Police promotes 364 officers

    The Police Service Commission has approved the promotion of 346 Superintendent of Police (SPs) and other ranks to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

    The officers, who were decorated yesterday at various command headquarters within the country, were urged to be good ambassadors.

    Those promoted includes, the former officer-in-charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja Lagos, Abba Kyari, who was instrumental in the arrest of various armed robbers, kidnappers and sea pirates.

    Also are Akin Adejobi, Aminu Mohammed, Abubakar Yakubu, Funke Olubanjo among thers.

    The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu urged the officers to be professionals in discharging their duties, saying that the promotion was based on merit.

    Ojukwu said those promoted were qualified and their promotion was well deserved.

     

  • Lawyer arraigned for ‘N4.8million fraud’

    A lawyer Johnson Anumudu was yesterday arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court, Igbosere, Lagos for allegedly defrauding his colleagues of N4.8million.

    The defendant was alleged to have obtained the money from two other lawyers seeking an office accommodation.

    Anumudu pretended as the owner of the property where the complainant sought office space.

    Arraigning the lawyer before Magistrate M. Owumi on nine counts of impersonation, stealing and obtaining under false pretences, prosecuting Inspector Philip Osijale told the court that the offence was committed in September last year, at 15B, Fatai Arobieke Street, Lekki phase 1.

    He told the court that the defendant fraudulently obtained N2.8million from one Olufunke Afolabi with the pretence of renting her an office accommodation, adding that another N2million was obtained from one Adebisi Fajuyigbe by the defendant for same purpose.

    ýHe alleged that after the complainants have paid and commenced renovation, the real owner of the property surfaced.

    Osijale said when the complainants confrontedý the defendant and demanded a refund of their money, he issued them dud cheques of N400,000.

    According to the prosecutor, the alleged offences were punishable Sections 312(3), 285(1), 378(1), 319(b) and 313(1)(b) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    Anumudu pleaded not guilty and was granted N500,000 bail with a surety in like sum.

    The matter was adjourned till August 25.