The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Man, 38 ‘defiles’ girl, 9

    A 38-year-old man, Cyprian Edundu, who allegedly defiled the nine-year-old daughter of his co-tenant, was yesterday charged before an Apapa Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Soji Ojaokomo told the court that the accused committed the offence on October 10 at his residence.

    Ojaokomo said the accused, who lives in the same house with the mother of the minor, lured her into his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

    “The complainant said the accused threatened to kill the minor if she dared to tell her mother about it. The girl, however, told her mother how Edundu had lured her into his room in the past and how he attempted to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her again,” Ojaokomo said.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Senior Magistrate Patrick Adekomaiya, said the case file be duplicated and a copy sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

    Adekomaiya granted the accused N100, 000 bail with one surety in the like sum and adjourned the case to June 10.

     

  • Vehicle owner gets ultimatum

    The Ogun State Police Command, have warned the owner of Scorpion car marked QJ 686 FST, Nissan Sunny  JW 560 AAA and 33 motorcycles parked at Ilaro and Idiroko Divisions to remove them within 14 days of this publication or lose them to members of the public.

     

     

  • Air Force men beat up FAAN official

    Air Force men beat up FAAN official

    A Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) official was yesterday allegedly beaten up by two Air Force men at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    The incident occurred while the airmen were carrying out routine air traffic duties at the airport’s departure.

    It was learnt that the FAAN official, Mohammed Shuaibu, of the Protocol and Passages Unit, told his friend to come and pick him at the airport.

    When he came out of the terminal building, the airmen were seen removing the number-plate of his friend’s car for having stayed too long where it was parked.

    Shuaibu went to beg the airmen not to take away the number-plate, but they reportedly rebuffed him despite showing them his identity card.

    Shuaibu reportedly collapsed from the beating, with blood oozing from his nostrils.

    A FAAN official said Shuaibu was first taken to the FAAN clinic from where he was moved to the airport hospital.

    At the time of filing this report: (about 5.49 pm), he had yet to regain consciousness.

    “Shuaibu is one of our staff at the protocols and passages section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. He asked his friend to come and pick him. When his friend came, he parked at the departure unit and called our staff who went to meet him. By the time he arrived, he saw two airmen standing with him and insisted on removing his number-plate.

    “Shuaibu begged them and introduced himself as a FAAN staff, but they seemed not to care so an argument ensued and they started beating him. By the time other people arrived on the scene, Shuaibu had collapsed and blood was flowing from different parts of his body.

    “We first moved him to FAAN clinic where they said his heart beat was slowing and he was finding it difficult to breathe, so we have to rush him to the airport hospital,” the FAAN official told reporters,” he said.

    About three months ago, a trolley operator at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Lagos airport died following attacks by a naval rating.

     

  • Trader ‘dupes’ businessman of N3.2m

    A trader, Blessing Ebele,31, was yesterday arraigned before a Surulere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining N3.2 million from a businessman under the pretext of supplying him 1,800 cartons of matches.

    The Prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, told the court that the accused committed the offences on August 12 at Iddo Market, Lagos.

    He said the accused fraudulently obtained N3.2million from one Mr Abiodun Adeniyi, under the pretext of supplying him the goods.

    According to the prosecutor, the accused did not supply the goods as promised and also refused to refund the money when it was demanded.

    The accused,  pleaded not guilty.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A.F. Adeeyo, granted the accused N500, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum. She adjourned the case till May 26.

     

     

  • Tanker drivers decry Lagos Govt vacation order

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) yesterday said the Lagos State Government order to its members would have a devastating effect on the economy.

    Its President, Mr Salimon Oladiti, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the multiplier effect of the directive might have grave consequences for the country.

    “The implication of the vacation order to truck owners/drivers will have devastating effect on the nation’s economy,” he warned.

    Oladiti, represented by his spokesperson, Mr Abdulkadir Garba, said the drivers were ready to comply with the order.

    He, however, said it would not be easy to return the trucks to Lagos to lift fuel after being chased out hurriedly.

    The union, he said, had met with the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and directed all its members to comply with the 48-hour ultimatum to leave the road.

    On May 13, the government gave the ultimatum to the drivers to vacate the bridge.

    The ultimatum followed the persistent traffic gridlock in Apapa which spilled over to other parts of the metropolis.

    The drivers, who parked within 300 meters of fuel depots, were ordered to relocate to safe parking lots pending the availability of petroleum products.

    Oladiti said though the time and condition given to the drivers were not convenient, they complied as law abiding citizens.

    He said more than 6,000 trucks thronged Lagos to load fuel based on information by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that it had 1.2 billion litres of fuel in stock.

    The PTD president said the union discovered that only six fuel depots in Lagos had the product.

    “Now that we have obeyed the order and the trucks are moving out of Lagos back to their different destinations without lifting products it will take time to persuade them to go back to Lagos.

    ‘‘This is because of the losses they have incurred which were as a result of uncertainty, the tanker owners and the drivers will be wary of taking another risk to come to Lagos even if there is fuel,’’ he said.

    He expressed fears that the development would worsen the lingering fuel scarcity.

     

  • Don’t store fuel, fire chief

    Don’t store fuel, fire chief

    The Director of Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasaq Fadipe, yesterday warned against storing petroleum products at home to prevent fire.

    He gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to him, the fire service has observed that the scarcity of fuel has led to panic buying and storage of products at home.

    He said: “This has led to fire outbreaks across the state. In the first 14 days, the fire service received 71 emergency calls which is regarded as outrageous.

    “Fuel scarcity should not be a yardstick for illegitimate and inappropriate storage of fuel to the detriment of lives and properties. Landlords and tenants should be observant and desist from storing fuel at homes and commercial areas.”

    He said out of the 71 emergency calls, 64 were fire calls, five rescue calls and two turned out to be false calls.

    The director said the public’s nonchalant attitude to safety of lives and properties were of concern to the service.

    Fadipe advised residents to avoid using jerry cans to store petrol, kerosene and other flammable substances.

    He also urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, not to store fuel in their vehicles’ trunks.

    Fadipe appealed to petrol stations to desist from selling petrol in jerry-cans and disallow customers from clustering around dispensing pumps to avoid scuffle that could spark fire.

    Filling stations, he said, should also avoid selling petrol in polythene bags as well as selling fuel in the night to prevent fire.

     

  • NDLEA arraigns man for drug trafficking

    A 31-year-old medicine hawker, Monday Okorie, who allegedly dealt in different types of psychotropic drugs, was yesterday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) preferred a three-count charge of drug peddling against Okorie, who resides on Oniwaya Road in Agege, Lagos.

    The Prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, a lawyer with the NDLEA, told the court that the accused committed the offence on April 19 at his apartment.

    He said the accused unlawfully had in his possession 60 kg of Tramadol, 2.4 kg of Diazepam and 800 grammes of Rohypnol, psychotropic drugs similar to cocaine and heroin.

    According to him, the accused sold the harmful drugs to unsuspecting members of the public.

    The offence, Aernan said, contravenes Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Laws of the Federation.

    The prosecutor urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending trial.

    The accused pleaded not guilty and his counsel, Mr G. U. Okaka, urged the court to grant him bail.

    Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke will rule on the bail application tomorrow.

     

  • Suspected robber implicates innocent man

    Suspected robber implicates innocent man

    After weeks in custody, a man implicated by an armed robbery suspect has been released by the police.

    Tunde Akanbi, 23, was released following the suspect, Ahmed Adekeye’s of his statement implicating Akanbi in a robbery in Ajangbadi, Lagos, last May 2.

    Adekeye, 32, said he implicated Akanbi because he did not want to die alone.

    At a media briefing, Lagos Command’s spokesman Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said Adekeye was caught on May 2 at Imude, Ajangbadi by members of a vigilance group and Neigbourhood Watch.

    “Five of his gang members escaped; he was arrested. Ten minutes later, the vigilance group arrested another person identified as Tunde Akanbi and took him to the premises of the person the gang robbed. He was joined with Adekeye whose leg and hands were already tied on the ground.”

     “At the Ikotun Police Station, Adekeye said Akanbi was a member of his gang, but when he was transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Scorpion House, he confessed that he implicated Akanbi because he did not want to die or suffer alone.

    “Investigation is still ongoing and the suspect will be charged to court while the victim of circumstance, Tunde Akanbi, has been released and told to be reporting pending the conclusion of the investigation. Adekeye told SARS operatives that he lied to implicate Akanbi and that is why he is seen as a victim of circumstance.”

    In his confession, Adekeye said: “Please tell Tunde Akanbi, to forgive me because it was devil that confused me. I did not want to die or suffer alone because of the seriousness of the armed robbery case. I was the only person arrested, but we were six in number. I have been into many police cells, but this is the first time I would be in SARS cell.

    “I am from Iwo Village in Isi Local Government Area of Kwara State. I divorced my wife because of her unfaithfulness. My father, Adekeye Yusuf is late; he was a bus driver. He died in Ilorin in 2005 in an accident. My mother, Mrs. Ramota Adekeye, was the first to die because of the stress that my being a thief caused her.  I live in Suru Alaba in Lagos.”

    On the robbery that landed him in trouble, he said: “One of my friends, Aloma, a shoe maker based at Suru Alaba, called me to come and meet him at Ilogbo near Ajangbadi around 9.30pm. I met them in an Indian hemp joint, which is owned by Aloma. They were five there. They brought three cutlasses and three wooden batons. I took one of the wooden batons. Then we went to Orisa Street, Imude and stayed in an uncompleted building at about 10pm. At about 1.30am, we went to the victim’s house, a self-contained apartment. There were four of such apartments there. We broke the door of one of them, while Aloma cut the head of the owner of the house with cutlass. The man’s shout attracted neighbours and the vigilance group and people shouted “thief! thief! thief!” We ran to different directions; I ran to Mile 2. When I was caught, they asked me the names of my accomplices which I gave them. Maybe, that was why they went to the market and arrested Akanbi.

    “When we were handed over to the police, I still insisted that Akanbi is one of us. Even when I was writing statement, they asked me whether I knew him and I said yes. We were there four days before we were transferred to SARS. There, I insisted that Akanbi is one of us because I did not want to die alone.”

    In tears, Akambi said: “I have accepted his apology. I am from Okesuna side of Ilorin. I am a student of Arabic Studies. I have finished Q’uran but no money to continue. That fateful day, I just finished prayer and was coming back when one motorcycle rider carrying one person drove near me at about 7am on May 2. He asked me what I was doing there and I told him I was waiting to board a bus. He asked me where I was coming from and I told him I was coming from where I went for prayers. He tore my shirt and started calling me a thief. He forced me on his motorcycle. I sat between him and the other person. I was taken to Orise where I saw Adekeye tied. They asked for my name and I told them. They asked Adekeye whether I was one of them and he said ‘yes’. I was detained in police station three days before we were transferred.

    “Adekeye later told the Officer in Charge (O/C) of SARS that I was innocent; that he implicated me because he did not want to suffer alone. The O/C SARS ordered the investigating officer to hand me over to my people because I don’t know anything about the case.”

  • Govt sanctions 25 erring LASTMA officials

    Govt sanctions 25 erring LASTMA officials

    No fewer than 25 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has been sanctioned, Lagos State Solicitor General, Lawal Pedro (SAN) said.

    Pedro said the erring officers of the agency appeared before the disciplinary committee in his Ministry for various offenses which includes irregular issuance of fine tickets, refusal to put on uniform while on duty, illegal extortion of money from motorists, performing unauthorised duty, engaging the services of non-staff to drive an apprehended vehicle, among others.

    He said all the erring officers found guilty of various offences which include official misconduct and illegal practices have been sanctioned accordingly

    Pedro said government would no longer tolerate unruly behaviour, indiscipline, corrupt practices and disobedience to lawful orders by the traffic officers, charging them to henceforth desist from practices that could damage the reputation of the government.

    According to him, the era of indiscipline and impunity in the agency is over.

    He warned that henceforth, any officer found wanting will not go unpunished

    Pedro said government has re-branded the agency to serve the public better.

    The agency, he said, is now to be known as the Lagos State Law Enforcement (Traffic) Officer, adding that it will now operate under the Ministry of Justice.

  • Civil Defence chief proffers security tips

    Lagos State Commandant Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Gabriel Abafi has charged Private Guard Companies (PGC) to collaborate with public security agencies to guarantee their clients safety.

    Abafi gave the charge at a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, with the theme: “Drawing up a tested, trusted and virile national security template towards a re-positioned and new Nigeria.”

    According to him, the seminar was designed to brief members of PGCs on the current trends in security management.

    He said: “Security companies need to collaborate with public security agencies before their clients can be protected from crimes and hazards. Everyone should be security-conscious. If you sight a strange person in your midst, do not hesitate to alert security agencies, especially here in Lagos where anything goes.”

    The guest lecturer, Adebayo Akinlade, a lawyer and Director-General, Institute of Securities, said for an effective and efficient security service, there must be optimum transformation and improvement from private firms.

    National Finance Director of Association of Licensed Private Security of Nigeria (ALPSPN) Godwin Enuoyigbo said the association is not enjoying public patronage.

    He said: “Knowing the current security situation in the country, it is regrettable that some people still employ unlicensed and unprofessional security officers with utter disregard to us.

    “At the moment, we engage the largest number of security personnel in the country; so, we are in the best position to know what is happening and advise the government on security issues.

    “If we can be better recognised, we will provide information and assist in proper conduct of elections in subsequent years. Our services will also be needed in the area of disaster management.”

    Former ALSPN chairman Oladele Inheren said the seminar was organised to discuss security agencies’ role in the country.

    Security companies’ operators, he said, must be allowed to work without interference, adding: “We need to be recognised first before any duty can be carried out. We have information about every employer in case he/she needs to be tracked when there is a problem. I believe the crime rate will be reduced, if not totally eradicated, if we are known,” he added.

    Wale Adubi, who works with Strength Securities, said: “As an operator in the security sector, it is necessary that you keep in touch with your regulatory body. Most of us are limited in our scope of regulation; so, this interactive session is, indeed, a wake-up call for us.”