The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Council begins free health screening

    Executive Secretary of Ayob-Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Mr Ayinde Dele has flagged off a free health exercise campaign in the council.

    Declaring the exercise open, Ayinde said the free health exercise is meant to bring improve healthy living of the people of the council.

    The free health exercise which was carried out in conjunction with the Association of Community Pharmacist of Nigeria (ACPN), IDERA Zone witnessed large turnout of beneficiaries at the council secretariat.

     Dele urged the people to avail themselves of the free health care exercise to check their health status and live a healthy life style.

    “The greatest gift you can give yourself, family and people around you is healthy you; it is when you are healthy that you can go about with your business, make money and pay your tax to the government,” he said.

    Assuring the citizens of the continuity of the free health exercise, Dele appealed to them to stop the use of un-prescribed drugs and to always patronise the primary health centre.

    Also speaking on the occasion, ACPN Chairperson Mrs Nsese Mfon said they carried out the free health exercise because of report of serial unnecessary deaths in communities.

    “We found out that there are serial deaths among our people because of self-medication and lack of regular medical check, we decided to go round the communities to start telling them on the need to take seriously checking of their health status regularly and stop the use of un-prescribed drugs,” she said.

    IDERA Community Development Committee chairman, Comrade Abiodun Coker thanked the council and the ACPN for the free health service.

    Coker said as a way of helping the council to achieve more success in the exercise, his association will keep up the work of enlightening the public on the need for them to go for regular medical check-up.

  • Man commits suicide in Ondo

    Man commits suicide in Ondo

    A man, Damilola Ibitokun, has reportedly hung himself at Ori-Oke farm in Ero town, Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.

    Sources said Ibitokun, popularly called Seven Feet, because of his height, was sighted by neighbours and passers-by on his way to the farm.

    He was said to be shouting that he was going to commit suicide, holding a rope in one hand and a sharp knife in another.

    It was learnt that efforts to dissuade him failed because he threatened everyone with the knife.

    Sources said most people did not take him serious because he was a drunk.

    His widow, Muibat, said she and the deceased had been sleeping in a church in the last few months because of an undisclosed family problem.

    According to her, her husband left the church on Tuesday evening on the excuse that he was tired of sleeping in the church.

    She said: “We’ve been sleeping in the church for some time now.

    “But on Tuesday evening, he just decided that he was going home to sleep.

    “In the middle of the night, he rushed back to the church, shouting and banging the door.

    “He asked for the whereabouts of the man who was fighting me. But I told him nobody was fighting me.

    “He went back home. But some minutes later, some of our neighbours called me that my husband was shouting and running around that he was going to commit suicide and that nobody should stop him.”

    The deceased’s son, Ayomide, described his father’s death as shocking.

    He said his father was restless throughout the night, until he took his life.

    The remains of the deceased have been buried after some rituals were performed by the community.

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  • 14-month old baby rescued from kidnappers

    14-month old baby rescued from kidnappers

    Members of the Umunkpeyi vigilante group in Isiala Ngwa South local government area of Abia State have rescued a 14-month old baby, Master Chimnwemeri Uche from a kidnapping syndicate.

    The abductors were allegedly on their way to sell the baby to Nma Charity/Maternity and Rehabilitation Center at Umunkpeyi in Isiala Ngwa South when they were apprehended.

    Nma Charity/Maternity and Rehabilitation Center was recently raided for harbouring pregnant teenagers and selling babies illegally.

    Baby Chimnwemeri was said to have been abducted from their 13, MCC road, Abayi Aba residence on July 22 by Chinedu Ukachukwu a.k.a Obataosu (a troublesome person) from Ebiri Omuma in Rivers State and his accomplice, Kingsley Mbodo, an indigene of Umuowa, Orlu in Imo State.

    It was gathered that Ukachukwu, a former neighbor of the Uche’s asked Chiamaka, Chimnwemeri’s sister to buy him bread before they disappeared with the baby.

    The hoodlums were however arrested by the members of the Umunkpeyi vigilante group having failed to convince them of the rightful ownership of the baby. They were handed over to the police.

    Other members of the gang – Gold, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Ohadiwe were detained at the Abayi police station.

    The Ohadiwe’s admitted to giving the suspects shelter but denied having knowledge of the crime they committed.

    Ukachukwu said their plan was to sell baby Chimnwemeri to the proprietress of Nma maternity home, who he said had been buying babies from him.

    He confessed to be responsible for the kidnapping reported at Okpu Umuobo village and accused his friend, Kingsley, of luring him into the business.

    But Kingsley, a furniture maker at Ogwa denied the allegation. He said Ukachukwu persuaded him to travel to Aba to beg his wife (Gold) to come back home.

    Mr. and Mrs. Uche thanked God, the vigilante, Army and police for their efforts in helping them reunite with their child.

    Police spokesman Ezekiel Udeviotu Onyeke said the suspects would be transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.

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  • Assembly okays fly-over for Agege-Pen Cinema

    Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday approved a fly-over for Pen Cinema, Oba Ogunji, Agunbiade and Iju Road in Agege to reduce traffic gridlock in the area.

    It urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to take up the construction of the bride as “a  matter of urgent importance.”

    The resolution followed a motion moved by Oluyinka Ogundimu titled: “Call for Construction of Bridge Around Agege-Pen Cinema-Oba Ogunji-Iju Road.”

    Ogundimu said the traffic around the area was affecting the productive hours of residents, their health and economic activities.

    He said: “Motorists and commuters plying Agege axis and Pen Cinema experience daily chaos leading to incessant accidents, traffic gridlock, loss of lives and productive hours.

    “Unless urgent steps are taken by the government, the people would continue to suffer.”

    The Agege-Ifako Model City Plan provided for a fly-over at the cross road, Ogundimu said.

    The bridge, he said,  would  also help those residing or going to Alimosho, Ikeja, Ifako-Ijaiye and Ogun State.

    A member, Bisi Yusuf, said: “Because of the congestion, most of these hoodlums waylay the people and rob them of their property.”

    In her contribution, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso said there were about 10 housing estates in the area, so it is important that the bridge is constructed.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said: “Even if you pass through Pen Cinema-Agege around 10pm and 11pm, there will still be traffic jam.

    “The number of estates growing around Agege surpasses the infrastructure around the area. There is nothing we can do than to construct a fly-over in the interest of all the people.”

  • How to curb human trafficking, by NAPTIP, others

    Lagos Zonal Command of the National Agency For Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) has urged Nigerians to shun human trafficking.

    The Zonal Commander, Mr Joseph Famakin told the News Agency of Nigeria that NAPTIP would continue to enlighten the public on the dangers of human trafficking until it is eradicated. He spoke on the occasion of the “World Day Against Human Trafficking.

    Famakin said: “We are winning the war against human traffickers but we also need to do more to curb the menace to its barest minimum. We will continue to do all we can to enlighten the public on the tactics and the routes human traffickers use to engage in their illegal acts.

    “We will also continue to enlighten the stakeholders and security agencies on how to fight the war against human trafficking. Everyone should join force to say no to human trafficking.”

    He urged Nigerians, especially parents to monitor their children well as a way of ending human trafficking.

    “Parents should watch over their children. We should train our children and not encourage other people to do that for us. These traffickers then take them to places we do not know which might make them vulnerable to trafficking, abuses and hawking in traffic,” he said.

    But, some Nigerians believe that the country can only win the war against human trafficking if it alleviates poverty and embraces free education.

    A lawyer, Mr Monday Ubani, said there should be more enlightenment programmes in the rural areas because people there had yet to know the dangers of human trafficking.

    “The level of enlightenment is not enough to reach out to the rural and urban areas. Some of them are not aware of the dangers and the legal consequences. We need to do more to educate the people because child abuse and baby factories are all over the country,’’ he said.

    Another lawyer, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, said security agents must be proactive in fighting the war.

    Ataene urged human rights organisations to be on the offensive in order to reduce the menace.

    He said: “At the borders, within the country and in the rural areas, there should be the presence of these human rights organisations to make it difficult for traffickers to thrive.

    “We have porous borders and villages, so, there should be the presence of these human rights organisations in all the nooks and crannies of the country.’’

    A security expert, Dr Onah Ehkomu, said unemployment, economic challenges, excessive poverty and lack of social security were the causes of human trafficking.

    “People, especially youths feel they must succeed by all means and a lot of young people think that if they go out of the country, they will become very rich. This is why young people avail themselves to be trafficked because there is a lot of misconception. Nigeria has been the worst offender in this act throughout the whole world,’’ he said.

    Activist lawyer Mr Festus Keyamo said the government must provide free education at all levels to reduce human trafficking.

    “When parents find it difficult to train their children, it results in trafficking which is why government should ensure free education across all levels. When parents find it difficult to train their children it results in trafficking them,’’ he said.

  • Lagos has fastest growing middle class, says Ambode

    Lagos has fastest growing middle class, says Ambode

    With more than four million people, Lagos State has the fastest growing middle class in the country,  Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said yesterday.

      The governor spoke at an interactive session in Lagos with the theme, “Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and International Trade Relations Dialogue Session”, organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

    Ambode restated his administration’s commitment to creating a conducive business environment.

    “With a population of over 20 million, Lagos cannot be ignored by any investor. Lagos has the fastest growing middle class with over 4 million people.

    “We will do our best to make the business environment safe and profitable for investors,” said the governor, who was represented by Mr Tunji Bello, the Secretary to State Government.

    According to him, the administration will leverage on the people’s goodwill and confidence to formulate policies to ease business process.

    He also identified infrastructural development, security, efficient public service and rule of law as the government’s critical areas of focus.

    Also speaking, Mr Oliver Everett, the Director-General, Commonwealth Enterprises and Investment Council, said Nigeria had potential of attracting foreign investments from Commonwealth nations.

    Everett, the guest speaker, noted that Nigeria with a population of over 170 million was at 3.1 per cent of intra-trade flow on the Commonwealth trade chart.

    He said: “I think it is time for Nigeria to leverage on its population and potential by having more investment from Commonwealth nations.

  • Police chief seeks monarchs’ support to fight crime

    Police chief seeks monarchs’ support to fight crime

    Lagos State police chief Fatai Owoseni yesterday urged traditional rulers to be “the eyes and ears” of security agencies in the fight against crime.

    Owoseni made the appeal when he met with the royal fathers at the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos to brief them on his agenda.

    He said the monarchs occupied an important position in the society since they were better placed to get information about individuals and their activities.

    The police chief said they should also assist in monitoring all persons and groups in their domains.

    Owoseni assured them of the command’s determination to provide adequate security for the state, adding that he was working on strategies to make the state crime-free.

    He urged the monarchs to do detailed investigation on those who wish to join the police before signing any document for them.

    This, he said, would check the intake of unscrupulous elements and help the police to check crimes.

    Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos and Chairman, Council of Obas and Chiefs, who chaired the meeting, urged the commissioner to ensure tight security in the state.

    Akiolu also urged the commissioner to check the criminals who now use the water ways to operate. He assured Owoseni of the royal father’s support.

  • Court orders police to produce Lekki bank robbery suspect

    Court orders police to produce Lekki bank robbery suspect

    Justice Iyabo Akinkugbe of the Ikeja High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered the police to produce, Ebi Tosan, who was arrested in connection with the March 12, Lekki Bank robbery before her on August 10.

    Five persons, including three policemen and a fish hawker, were killed in the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) robbery during which about N15million was carted away.

    The hoodlums, in military uniform, engaged the police in a gunfight on Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos State, for about 30 minutes before finally escaping through the lagoon in a speed boat.

    Four of them, including Tosan, were arrested on April 5 and arrested and paraded by the Lagos State Police Command. Others are Duke Odogbo, 38, Lawrence Kingsley, 31, and Ekelemo Kuete, 30.

    The suspects have not been charged to court.

    Tosan took Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Officer-in-Charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, and Attorney-General of Lagos State to court seeking the enforcement of his fundamental right.

    The suspect is seeking a declaration that his arrest, torture and continued detention by SARS without granting him bail is a violation of his rights, preserved by Sections 34(1)(a), 35(1)(4) and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.

    The suspect, who is praying the court to order the police to release him on bail, is also claiming N100 million damages for what he termed unlawful detention and torture.

    His lawyer, Chief S.W. Baidi, is contending that his client’s continued detention is an “infringement and curtailment of the applicant’s constitutional right to personal liberty, freedom of movement and presumption of innocence.”

    At the resumed hearing of the case, yesterday, Justice Akinkugbe reaffirmed Justice Lateefa Okunnu’s July 9 order that the police should produce the suspect in court.

    Akinkugbe, a vacation judge, also granted the suspect’s application for accelerated hearing of the case.

    In a 26-paragraph affidavit in support of the originating summons, Tamuno Amos, who claimed to be the suspect’s uncle, said he believed that his nephew’s continued detention by the police is a deliberate act to “extract a confessional statement from him on the alleged offence.”

    Amos, who said he had not been allowed to see his nephew since his arrest, claimed that “the applicant is suffering on daily basis without access to food, bath and other conveniences and he may die in custody unless granted bail.”

  • ‘Why we founded breast milk bank’

    A Non-governmental Organisation, African International Babycare (Afribaby), has said the breast milk bank was created to cater for motherless babies.

    Afribaby lamented that many babies die due to lack of breast milk especially, those who lost their mothers during delivery.

    Founder of the Afribaby Initiative, Dr Oscar Odiboh, made this known at a briefing on the World Breast-feeding Week in Lagos.

    He said: “Private organis-ations should support the initiative for all babies whether their mothers are alive or not to access it.  We are not saying that they should give us direct fund for the project, but erect the facilities and structures for us to manage.

    “Children whose mothers die during delivery also need breast milk and should not be denied. The baby should be accepted in the society like any other and be given full access to breast milk. Abandoned babies should not just be rescued, but be given breast milk as expected, they should not be denied right to life. If we do not provide for them, they have the tendencies of not giving the society peace in the future.”

    He said women should be allowed to combine breastfeeding and work in the formal, non-formal or home setting respectively.

    Odiboh asked employers in both the private and public sectors to abide by the Mother-friendly Workplace Initiative, which was a 22-year of global action supporting women in combining breastfeeding and work based on the revised International Labour Organisa-tion (ILO) Convention 183 on Maternity Protection.

    While appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and Governors to emulate Lagos State Government on six months maternity and ten days paternity leave, he urged the National Assembly to revisit Afribaby’s Exclusive Breastfeeding Bill presented to the seventh Assembly in 2013.

  • Two foreigners charged with $8.8m fraud

    The Lagos State Government has preferred a four-count charge of $8.8million fraud against an Indian-Briton, Deepak Khilnani and an Indian, Dr Sushil Chandra, before an Ikeja High Court in Lagos.

    They were alleged to have duped a firm, Green Fuels Limited, the money in 2008.

     Khilnani, a chartered accountant, who was not in court was represented by his counsel, Kayode Ajekiigbe.

    The prosecutor, Akin George, alleged that the defendants “fraudulently tricked Green Fuels Limited to pay greater sum for a machinery purchased from Gentec Limited than it would have paid for such machinery.”

    The defendants were also accused of making false statement to the Corporate Affairs Commission “knowing same to be false, with intent to defraud the shareholders and members of Green Fuels Limited.”

    The offences, according to the prosecution, contravened Sections 390(6), 421, 422 and 436 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C17, Vol.2, Laws of Lagos State, 2003.

    Khilnani’s counsel, Ajekiigbe told Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye that his client was absent because he had not been served formally. Ajikiigbe said he was in court because of  a publication he read in a newspaper.

    George replied that the defendants’ counsel was in court because they were aware of the charge.

    Justice Ipaye adjourned the matter till August 12.