The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Pastor in ‘spiritual pregnancy’ row

    An hairdresser, Rose Godwin, has been arraigned before an Apapa Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining N5000 from a pastor, Pius Ophie, she claimed impregnated her spiritually.

    Prosecuting Police Corporal John Iberedem said the accused is facing a two-count charge of breaching public peace and obtaining by false pretences.

    Iberedem said the accused, 42, committed the offence on April 16, at Eseagu Street, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos.

    He said the accused allegedly obtained N5000 for antenatal from the pastor, under false pretences.

    Iberedem said: “The complainant, Pius Ophie, a Pastor, said he met the accused for the first time the day she came for counselling in church.

    “The pastor told the police that the accused complained that she was always having dreams of a man having sexual intercourse with her every night.

    “The pastor arranged to carry out deliverance for the accused and later told her to come with her relatives.

    “But to Ophie’s surprise, the accused came some weeks after the deliverance and told him that she had a dream about him sleeping with her.

    “Godwin claimed the complainant impregnated her spiritually and the accused then started to demand for money to register for antenatal care.

    “The accused obtained the sum of N5000 for antenatal care from the complainant, on the pretext that she will bear a spiritual baby.’’

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened Sections 166 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    But the accused  pleaded not guilty.

    Senior Magistrate G.L. Otepo granted the accused N50,000 bail with one surety in the like sum and adjourned the case till July 20.

  • Customs intercepts N122.5m smuggled goods

    Customs intercepts N122.5m smuggled goods

    The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone “A’’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted smuggled goods with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N122.5 million.

    Its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Uche Ejesieme told reporters in Lagos yesterday: “The unit was able to effect 205 different seizures of assorted, offending and prohibited items with a Duty Paid Value of N122, 521,030.

    “Some of the seized items include; foreign parboiled rice, 53 different seizures in different locations and those different seizures translated into 3,003 bags of 50kg parboiled rice, with a Duty Paid Value of N19, 501,306.

    “For smuggled frozen poultry products, we had 45 different seizures from different locations translating into 6,713 cartoons of the product with a Duty Paid Value of N36, 250,000.20.

    “We also had seizures of vehicles coming from unapproved routes and some of them trying to invade payment of appropriate taxes and levy and in that regard we intercepted 46 of such vehicles.

    “Thirty-three of them being pure Tokunbo (Used) and 65 of them regard as scraps and the DPV total N36, 220,500.’’

    Ejesieme said the command also seized new and used textile materials, foot wear, vegetable oil, mosquito insecticides, spaghettis, soaps, wine and used tyres.

    According to him, the seized goods is over N30.5 million.

    Quoting the controller in charge of the command, Turaki Adamu, he said: “We have waged a relentless war on smugglers and our focus remains identifying illegal entering points and the essence of that is to ensure that we dismantle them and by extension cutting their supply chains.

    “This is what we have been doing over time; we are not resting on our oars and the assurance is that we are beginning to have collaboration and support with members of the public. Recently, we revived our concept of customs community relationship. It is a platform whereby we engage stakeholders, trying to sensitise and educate them on the dangers of smuggling, particularly those of them living at those fringes of the border areas, so that they will be well acquainted with the effect of smuggling to the nation’s economy and also to their lives.’’

  • ‘Day nickname gave me tears’

    Do you have a nickname? Then, you must be watchful at night lest you fall prey to pickpockets in some parts of Lagos.

    A victim yesterday relived to The Nation, his ordeal two weeks ago, in the hands hoodlums on Fafolu Street in Mushin.

    Popularly addressed as “Chairman,” a former image maker of a prominent Yoruba gospel artiste, was returning home from work when he ran into the hoodlums.

    He said: “It was about 8.10 pm. I was about to alight from a bus at Fafolu where I hoped to board my last bus home in anticipation of a sweet night rest shortly after as the place is just a stone’s throw to where I live. It was a very busy moment at the bus stop as many were waiting to catch buses.

    “Suddenly, I heard a voice shout my appellation – “Chairman … Chairman!” Who could that be? I wondered. Immediately, two boys I could not identify appeared beside me. I found myself sandwiched between them as they hailed me again, hugging me in the process. I managed to flash a smile thinking that as a local politician that I am, they might be from my area.”

    After exchanging pleasantries with the boys, he said, they hurriedly disappeared into the dark.

    “Responding to an instinct, I dipped my hands into my pockets only to discover that my expensive phone set was gone. Ah, upon the number of years I have spent in Lagos, they still got me; I told myself. It was futile to look for whom I could not recognise. I summoned the courage and boarded the next bus home. It was when I told some neighbours the next morning that I knew better that I had fallen prey to the latest antics of “Lagos boys.” I wept, honestly, I wept,” he added.

    Investigations showed that  the boys’ trick had been in use for long. “If the person is not a baby, he should have been aware long before his experience. It is not new. All one needs to do is to be wise and always realise that one is in Lagos and not his village,” a female victim said yesterday.

  • Why we hiked fares, by bus drivers

    Why we hiked fares, by bus drivers

    Lagos commercial vehicle drivers yesterday attributed the hike in fares to high petrol  price and long queues at filling stations.

    Some of them urged the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to regulate petrol price and ensure its availability.

    Mr Salaudeen Ajibola, who plies Idumota-Oshodi route, said that he buys petrol at the black market at high cost.

    “Since the commencement of petrol scarcity, I spend up to N10, 000 in buying the product every day as against N5, 000 before the scarcity. How do I make up for the extra money if transport fares are not increased?’’ he asked.

    Mr Paul Onu, who plies Orile –Oyingbo route, said the business was no longer lucrative.

    Onu said: “Transport business is no longer lucrative because of the long hours wasted in queuing for petrol at filling stations; most stations are no longer selling at the regulated price of N87 per litre.

    “The time we could have spent on the road carrying passengers are used at filling stations; sometimes we make only one or two trips in a day. At the filling station that I just bought fuel now; the pump price is N130 while some sell for N150.

    “If I buy at filling stations selling at the approved prize of N87 per litre, l will have to remain there for hours. I cannot afford to buy at the black market because fares cannot be increased outrageously on the route I ply as there are other competitors who will prefer to go for less.”

    A commuter, Mr Taiwo Bamgbade, who lives at Ojota and works on the Island, said  the fare hike was taking its toll on commuters.

    “You can imagine me spending up to N1, 000 or more to the office instead of N500 before now and there is no increase in salary; how do I cope with other responsibilities,” he asked.

    Transport fare from Oshodi to the Island which hitherto  cost N200, has gone up to N300; Ojota to the Island jumped to between N400 and N500 from N300.

  • Drug trafficker jailed nine months

    A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday sentenced Emeka Otah to nine months imprisonment for Indian hemp trafficking.

    Justice James Tsoho sentenced Otah to prison after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

    The judge sentenced Otah after reviewing the facts of the case provided by Mr Idris Danjuma, an exhibit keeper at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    Tsoho said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, adding that the sentence would take effect from February 25, the day the convict was arrested.

    The judge also ordered that all exhibits should be returned to the NDLEA for destruction within 90 days if there is no appeal against the verdict.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Aliyu Abubakar, said forensic analysis proved that the substance found on Otah tested positive to cannabis sativa, a drug similar to cocaine.

    He said the convict committed the offence on February 25, at Gbaji Check Point at Seme Border on Badagry, Lagos.

    The offence, he said, contravened Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation 2004.

    Before the sentencing, the convict’s counsel, Mr G. U. Okaka, prayed the court to be lenient on his client.

    “He has learnt his lessons in a hard way. My client is remorseful and has promised never to involve himself in such an illicit business,’’ the counsel said.

  • Ambode ‘ll ensure grassroots ‘growth’

    Ambode ‘ll ensure grassroots ‘growth’

    Lafiaji Development Association President Babatunde Abozo, has assured Lagosians that Governor-elect Akinwunmi Ambode will ensure more development at the grassroots.

    Abozo, who described Ambode as a grassroots man, said he would follow the footsteps of Governor Babatunde Fashola and former Governor Bola Tinubu.

    “He would continue from there and develop more. He even has more experience when it comes to administrative issues because he has been a council treasurer. I knew him when he was the council treasurer of Mushin Local Government under Willy Akinlude’s administration. From there, he went to Ajeromi-Ifelodun before becoming the Accountant-General of the state and that is the heart of the work. So, the experience is there, he knows all the nooks and crannies of the state. With his experience and even as a young chap, he is younger, more dynamic, more vast in his grassroots affairs, I am sure Lagos State would have more transformation during his tenure,” he said.

    Ambode, he said, is well known in Lafiaji on Lagos Island, adding that is his base.

    “The place is called Talonyoju Junction. He is one of the forces in that junction. So, Lafiaji as a whole was for Ambode. We supported him for continuity and more development. Moreso, Lagos State Government has been supporting Lafiaji Development Association with our programmes because this is our state and we want more development in it.”

    He urged Lagosians to be patient with the incoming administration, saying: “They should be a little bit patient. He would come in gradually. Ambode is a more managerial and social; he will definitely improve on what this outgoing administration has done.”

  • ‘My wife is carrying another man’s pregnancy’

    A middle-age man, Mr Samson Musa, yesterday asked an Ojo Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve his marriage because his wife is carrying another man’s pregnancy.

    Musa said his wife, Tunrayo, of three years, was sleeping with other men.

    He said Tunrayo’s six-month pregnancy was not his.

    “I can’t live with a woman that is promiscuous, sleeping around, troublesome and does not have any regard for me,” he said.

    Musa also asked the court to grant him custody of their two-year-old son “so that the boy will not grow up to be like his mother”.

    “Tunrayo cannot take good care of our albino son,” he said.

    He said because to his wife’s ”promiscuity”, their son, Faruk, has been given many names at the motor park where she trades.

    “I can’t take it any longer,” he said.

    Tunrayo, 38, urged the court to disregard Musa’s allegations, saying he abandoned her.

    She said Musa is not providing well enough for her.

    “My husband does not take care of me and that is why I find myself roaming the streets because of no accommodation.

    “I was even raped twice in a container while hawking water in sachet popularly known as `pure water.’ Yes, I cannot say who owns this pregnancy, but as for my son, I will not release him. After all, Musa did not pay any bride price on me,” she said.

    The court’s President, Chief Joseph Ogunmola, advised the petitioner to retrace his steps and act as a responsible father and husband.

    He ordered that a test be done to ascertain the paternity of the disputed pregnancy.

    “I will advise the petitioner to also try to formalise his marriage,” Ogunmola said.

    “I also advise the respondent to stop having multiple sexual mates,” he added.

    He adjourned the case to June 22.

  • Barber ‘peeps’ at woman in bathroom

    A 36-year-old barber, Azeez Adewale, was arraigned yesterday before an Oshodi Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for peeping at a female neighbour in the bathroom.

    Adewale, who resides at Arowojobe Street, Oshodi, Lagos, is being tried for breach of peace and assault.

    Prosecuting Police Corporal Kehinde Olatunde said the accused committed the offence on May 17.

    He said the accused  peeped at his neighbour, Miss Victoria Emmanuel, in the bathroom while she was taking her bath.

    “The accused was secretly looking at the complainant when she was bathing,” he said.

    Olatunde said the accused was sitting at the passage when the complainant left for the bathroom with a bucket of water.

    “The accused sneaked and followed her behind, he went to the back of the bathroom where there is a small hole, stood there and was peeping at her while she bathed,” he said.

    The prosecutor said when the complainant noticed that someone was watching her, she poured the person soap water.

    “While she was bathing, she sighted an eye looking at her through a small hole in the bathroom and she poured the person soap water on the eye.

    “The accused forcefully opened the bathroom door, descended on the complainant by punching her severally on her face, and she quickly shouted for help and neighbours came to her rescue,” Olatunde said.

    He said before then, the accused had on two different occasions knocked on the complainant’s door at  midnight, saying he wanted to give her a message.

    “The accused knocked the complainant’s door at midnight begging her to allow him enter that her friend sent him to her, the complainant always ignored him, telling him to wait for day to break,” he said.

    The offence, Olatunde said, contravened Sections 166 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    The accused pleaded not guilty and was granted N50, 000 bail with one surety in the like sum.

    Magistrate Akeem Fashola adjourned the case to June 8.

  • Driver accused of stabbing neighbour

    A 39-year-old driver, Azeez Kolawole, was yesterday arraigned before an Apapa Senior Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, for allegedly stabbing his neighbour on the neck with a broken bottle.

    Kolawole, who lives on Ibadan Street, Benna Bus Stop in Ajegunle, Lagos, denied committing the offence.

    Prosecuting Police Corporal John Iberedem, said the accused assaulted Jamiu Isiaka by stabbing him on May 15 at their residence.

    “The complainant said he was in his room when he heard Kolawole beating his wife.

    “Isiaka left his room to settle the fight between the couple when the accused stabbed him with a broken bottle on the neck,” he said.

    The prosecutor said Kolawole contravened Section 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    Senior Magistrate G.L. Otepo granted the accused N50,000 bail with one surety in the like sum, and adjourned the case till July 7.

  • Tanker drivers insist on strike

    Tanker drivers insist on strike

    Striking Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) said yesterday they would not call off the action until oil marketers are paid their subsidy claims.

    Sahara Oil and Gas Unit of PTD, Auditor-General Isiaka Aremu said the strike would end once the marketers are paid.

    Petroleum products became scarce in Lagos about four weeks ago, following a disagreement between the Federal Government and the oil marketers over N200 billion subsidy claim.

    The marketers are claiming that they are being owed N200 billion, but the government is contending that it is N131 billion.

    The disagreement degenerated into non-importation of petroleum products and the consequent scarcity.

    A NAN correspondent, who monitored depots in Apapa, Lagos, reported that no petroleum tanker was allowed to load there.

    The tank farms visited were ASCON Oil and Gas; Ibeto Oil and Gas; Capital Oil and Gas; Total Oil and Gas; NIPCO Oil and Gas, and Folawiyo Oil and Gas,  Sahara Oil and Gas; Integrated Oil and Gas; MRS Oil and Gas and Mobil Oil and Gas.

    When Mr Tokunbo Korodo, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG)  Southwest Chairman, was contacted, he said: “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.”

    Also Mr Adewole Olufemi, Secretary-General of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA), did not respond to phone calls.