Seven men were arraigned before an Ikorodu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos yesterday for allegedly breaking into a shop.
They are Dauda Isiaka, 21, Adamu Sule, 20, Sodiq Amodu, 27 and Suleiman Mamadu, 27, Umoru Abubakar, 21, Abdullahi Adamu, 28, and Abubakar Abdullahi, 31.
They were also accused of stealing a cash sum of N1,052,400. The accused pleaded not guilty.
Magistrate Olanrewaju Olatunji granted them N100,000 bail each. The case had been adjourned till September 3.
The Lagos State Special Offences Court yesterday struck out an Environmental Law violation suit filed against for suspects for want of jurisdiction.
Gbolade Onalaja, Yinka Agbabiaka, Gloria Ocheme and Adeola Egbeyemi were charged before Magistrate J.O. Adeyemi on three counts of bordering on the violation of Environmental Laws.
But through their lawyer, Gbenga Ajala, the defendants had challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.
In a seven-page notice of preliminary objection, the defendants prayed the court to quash all the charges levelled against them.
They argued that the charges were outside the jurisdiction of the Magistrate court, adding that some were related to collection of dues by a body registered under the Trade Union Act.
The defendants submitted that the court being a creation of statute by virtue of the provision of Section 1(1) of Special Offences Court Laws of Lagos State, lacked the mandatory power to conduct the trial.
Besides, they argued that there was no enabling law that empowered the court to entertain offence created under the Criminal Laws.
Citing plethora of legal authorities, Ajala submitted that “where the commencement of a prosecution of a charge does not disclose facts supporting prima facie case against an accused person, the charge must be quashed”.
Ruling on the preliminary objection, the court upheld the argument of the defendants and struck out the suit.
Magistrate Adeyemi said having gone through the defendants’ application, it was found to have merit.
Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area has inaugurated a Primary Health Centre (PHC) to improve the health care of the populace.
The opening, was done by the council’s first Executive Chairman, Dr Christopher Anago.
Executive Secretary Mrs Oluwafunmilayo Akande-Muhammed promised to make health care accessible to the residents.
She said: ‘’It is a fact that the Primary Health Care campaign was by a former Minister of Health, Prof. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti and the Lagos State Health Sector Reform Law of 2006 gave strength to it, by stressing that every citizen in the state is meant to have access to minimum health care which must be made available in every ward with a minimum of 10,000 persons and this is what we are delivering to the people now, although the populace in this ward is more than that.”
She expressed optimism that the centre and others would run a daily 24-hour service.
According to her, necessary materials including resource personnel have been provided in the centre to serve the community.
‘’Everything concerning health is here except the extreme one. The council is doing well to maintain the health of the populace and this centre is a further demonstration of our efforts to improve the health care,” she said.
She urged the residents to see the centre as theirs and not mismanage it.
Dr Anago hailed the council chief for upgrading the centre.
The policeman whose picture went viral on social media for allegedly being drunk on Friday has been arrested.
The yet-to-be identified officer was photographed by a Twitter user in Amuwo Odofin and shared on @Gidi_Traffic Twitter handle, was seated on a motorcycle with another officer, supporting him.
According to the poster, the officer who was dressed in uniform was drunk and staggering to the point that onlookers had to assist his other colleague to prevent him from falling.
However, he was arrested after the attention of the Commissioner of Police Fatai , was drawn to the picture.
The police boss, it was learnt, immediately ordered the X-Squad leader to identify the officer and detain him for interrogation.
It was gathered that the newly deployed CP who has embarked on tour of the various divisions across the state, has also caught about three Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) drunk on duty.
Owoseni, The Nation gathered, had gone on most of his tours without informing the DPOs, thereby, catching most of them in one illegality or the other.
It was also learnt that police officers who engage in bribery and extortion of commercial motorists, as well as arbitrary arrests are being arrested across the state.
A source told The Nation that Oweseni has given orders for the bundling of police personnel around Okota, Isolo and Ejigbo who rip off innocent citizens with impunity, adding that most of them have been arrested already.
Confirming the arrest of the drunk officer, the state command’s spokesperson, Patricia Ikpowansa-Amadin, said he was being interrogated.
“He has been arrested and will be investigated. He was alleged to have been drunk so that is what he is being investigated for.
“There are a myriad of punishments that he could face according to the Police Act and Regulations, and the adjudicating officer is at liberty to choose from those punishments if he is found guilty,” she said.
Police prosecutors at Tinubu Magistrate’s Court in Lagos found in possession of a robbery suspect, Olalekan Bayo, 60 wraps of hemp at the court’s mini-cell.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the hemp, concealed in a Viju milk bottle, was delivered to the suspect by a courier, who fled on sighting the policemen.
Sergeant Andohemba Koti said the suspicious way the courier entered the court premises showed that he was on a mission.
“I was standing in front of the court this morning when I saw this young man with a bottle of Viju milk. When he entered the court premises at first, he was looking in the left and right directions and I thought there was something fishy about his mission,” he said.
Koti said the cases of inmates smuggling hard drugs and other dangerous weapons into the prisons and cells were a threat not only to other inmates, but to prison warders and other people.
He said additional charges might be filed against the suspect.
The suspect told NAN that the courier was sent from Ikoyi Prisons to deliver the bottle of Viju milk to him and that he did not know the content.
“The person just came and said Lekan, this is for you from your friend at Ikoyi Prisons and I said okay. I do not know the courier or the source and I did not know that the bottle was stuffed with hemp, ’’he said.
The Lagos Zonal Command, National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic In Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) has urged the judiciary to hastily dispose of cases involving human traffickers.
The Zonal Commander, Mr Joseph Famakin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that speedy prosecution of suspected traffickers would help in prosecuting the fight against the vice.
Famakin, who spoke against the backdrop of the number of cases the agency had pending in the High and Supreme Courts, said it would also restrain intending traffickers.
He disclosed that the agency had 53 cases pending in the six states within zone and seven in the Court of Appeal and four in the Supreme Court.
Famakin said: “The problem is that the judicial procedure is cumbersome in the sense that there are cases that can last for two to three years. And in the process sometimes, witnesses become disillusioned. In a case that is on for two years, and witnesses have given evidence, then the judge is transferred, a new judge takes over and the case has to start over again.”
Famakin said in the process, prosecution witnesses could have begun a new phase of life and might find it difficult coming back to the court.
He said: “I give you a simple scenario, a lady who was trafficked came back to Nigeria, she was rescued by NAPTIP and as the case commenced she testified.
“Then at the stage of concluding the case which has been on for four years, the judge was then transferred and another judge took over and the case had to start again.
“By then, the lady had got married and her husband was unaware she was a victim of human trafficking because of stigmatisation. In trying to call her to come and testify for us again, she was already pregnant for the second time.
“She told us there is no way she could come to testify and that she has come to Lagos up to five times to come and testify earlier on. What will she tell her husband that she is going to Lagos to do?’’
The commander said the judicial system needed a holistic reform not only for cases of human trafficking but in all court proceedings.
“The problem is a general one that allows cases to last for more than what it’s expected to be, we need to do something about it. If you know the number of cases we have in Lagos zone presently, about 53 in the six states in the zone.
“We have seven cases in the court of appeal, four cases in the Supreme Court but we have handed over two to Abuja to handle. And some of these cases have been on for about five years,’’ he said.
The Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria (ASOHON) has vowed to combat the emerging menace of illegal orphanages and homes in Nigeria.
Its National President Reverend Dele George and the General Secretary Dr Gabriel Oyedeji said the emergence of illegal orphanages and homes has led to the disturbing operations of baby factories in the country.
This, Reverend George said, is not a healthy development for the country.
George, the founder of Little Saints Orphanage, Lagos, said, ASOHON is set to hold a national conference on trafficking.
With the theme The Nigerian Orphans – Any hope for the future, Reverend George said
the one-day conference billed for Saturday, 22 at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, is meant to bring together all operators of orphanages in Nigeria on how to improve social interventions services in the country.
George said: “Our goal is to chart a cause for our industry and brainstorm on actionable solutions to problems confronting the association and Nigerian orphans. We are hoping this event will help bring orphanages across the country together to network, get to know ourselves, exchange information and ideas that will provide a way forward to the many challenges we face to build a stronger association in Nigeria.”
As special guests of honour, the wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Oludolapo Osinbajo and the wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode would be delivering keynote addresses at the conference, according to the General Secretary, Reverend Gabriel Oyedeji.
Human rights lawyer, Mr Festus Keyamo, will deliver a lecture on Child Trafficking in Nigeria, Causes and the Way Out while Reverend George will share the experiences of running an effective orphanage or home drawing from her 21 years’ experience in care giving to orphans in Nigeria as well as shed light on how the Lagos State Chapter of the association has been able to consolidate on her members, a feat that have been replicated in Oyo, Edo, Delta and Plateau States. Five delegates from each state are expected attend. According to Oyedeji, 25 states have confirmed their participation.
Oyedeji said: “We want to share our experience with other orphanage and home operators across the country with the idea that, after the conference, members will go back to their respective states and rally other orphanages in their state to form a united chapter in their states. The association wishes to use this opportunity to invite all operators of homes and orphanages to the conference”
The Lagos State Fire and Safety Service said it has recovered the bodies a sexagenarian and a traditional chief from two wells in the state.
The Director of the service, Mr Rasaq Fadipe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incidents occurred at Idimu in Alimosho area of Lagos and Imota near Epe.
He gave the names of the dead as Otunba Adeoye Lasisi, 63 and Amoke Adeokun, 50
The director said Lasisi, a visually-impaired, was recovered from a well of about 120 feet at Ayayo Road, Imota, while Adedokun’s body, a man believed to be deranged, was found in a well at Ajilekege Street, Pipeline Bus Stop, Idimu.
According to Fadipe, Lasisi had planned to go for treatment at a hospital at about 4 a.m. before the disaster occurred.
Fadipe said: “The wife said she was surprised when he called her husband to come and bathe with the hot water she provided that he could not be found.
“The wife claimed she later looked for him outside and found his touch light near the well. She said she believed that, perhaps, her husband wanted to fetch water from the well. It was then they called firemen at Imota.
“It took us about eight hours with the assistance of a specialist in well-digging before we could locate his body in the well. Firemen had earlier went into the well thrice without locating the body, until the specialist after performing some rituals, brought him out,’’ Fadipe said.
He said that of Adedokun might have occurred as a result of abandonment by her children.
“She felt abandoned by her children in her own building and decided to jump into a well of about 130 feet in the compound. The body was later recovered after about one hour,” he said.
Fadipe said the bodies had been handed over to the police and advised residents to always secure wells in their houses properly to avert such disasters.
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has commenced rehabilitation and expansion of water distribution network in Surulere to provide potable water to the residents. The scheme is part of the implementation of Second National Urban Water Sector Reform Project (2NUWSRP), sponsored by the World Bank in collaboration with the state government.
When completed, the LWC Managing Director, Mr Shayo Holloway said, the project would provide clean water to more than 6,000 houses in the Surulere axis, noting that the project would span 91 kilometre distribution network.
He said the rehabilitation and expansion project, which is divided into four phases, would involve repair of water utilities and re-connection of houses in Surulere, Itire-Lawanson, Yaba-Ebute Metta and Victoria Island to the Lagos water service.
He said the first phase of the project is being carried out in Surulere.
The water project, he said, will last for 18 month during which the corporation’s engineers are expected to install high-density pipes in the targeted areas.
Holloway, who noted that the current water output of the state was below the consumption, said the project, when completed, would have the capacity to boost the potable water production and reduce demand deficit.
The project coordinator, Mr Raheem Ipaye, said the project would involve rehabilitation of old pipes installed 50 years ago, noting that the corporation would carry out the expansion work with use of High Density Polyethylene Pipe (HDPE) to prevent vandalism and leakage.
Ipaye said: “LWC has raised its performance bar in terms of project implementation and execution. We assure residents that the project will be executed with minimal disruption to human activities.”
The areas to be covered in the project include Ojuelegba-Tejuosho, Stadium-Barracks, Akerele-New Lagos, Ogunlana Drive-Obele Oniwala-Idi Araba, Kilo-Adelabu-Bab Animashaun-Orile and National Arts Theatre-Funsho Williams Avenue-Costain axes.
Mushin Local Government Area yesterday said it has resolved the dispute between it and traders at the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market.
The council’s Information Officer Olusegun Akinyemi said the disagreement over the market’s re-development has been settled.
This, he said, was made possible by the intervention of concerned eminent Igbo personalities.
He quoted the council Executive Secretary Babajide Bello as saying that the allegation that the council was interested in taking over the market was not true.
Bello said: “In the first place, the market belongs to Mushin Local Government. The traders are our tenants. We are concerned about their general well being. When the market is finally redeveloped, it is these same traders that will occupy the place.
“Every genuine shop owner in that place will have their shops back without any stress. Those who wish to have new shops after redevelopment will approach the council for terms of acquiring their own shops.
“We have been on this reconstruction move for over two years. It has nothing to do with politics or ethnic colouration.
“All we are particular about is an acceptable, sane, cleaner and safer environment for buying and selling, where all will be proud and free to patronise.
“The environment of the market needs to be sanitised. We are involving all the stakeholders in order to avoid frictions. The dream of a Mega city for Lagos State must be met.”
According to Akinyemi, one of the terms of truce is that the traders needed additional three months to organise themselves so that the developer can move into the market on October 1.
“This is the third time we are giving concession to the traders, because we are flexible and concerned about their welfare. We are in a democracy; everybody must be carried along. It was also agreed that the development will take place in two phases for the convenience of the traders.
“In fact, trading activities will not be affected significantly because the traders will remain in the market while construction work takes place.
“It was also agreed that all the legal issues concerning the re-development of the market be withdrawn forthwith,” the council said.
The council said it was further resolved that the traders would not molest any of the workers or council official who may visit the market during the redevelopment.
The statement said those at the meeting included former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch chairman Onyekachi Ubani; Acting Chairman of the Conscience Group Emma Onyilofor; All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman in Lagos Joe Igbokwe; Chairman Board of Trustees of the market, Mazi Chukwuka Nnamdi; Chairman, Ladipo Traders Association Kingsley Ogunor; a Council Manager Mr Rasaq Oladeji; Council Legal Officer Peju Akin Ajayi, among others.