The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Expectant mother flees after delivery

    A traditional birth attendant Oladele Bello has run into trouble for delivering an expectant mother of her baby.

    An hour after she gave birth, the woman pretended as if she wanted to buy air time and disappeared, leaving her baby behind.

    Bello was later accused by the police of killing the woman and detained.

    His lawyer and brother paid N50, 000 for his bail.

    Speaking with The Nation, Bello described the incident as frustrating.

    He said: “The middle-aged expectant woman walked into my maternity home at Orile-Iganmu in Lagos writhing in pain. I couldn’t overlook her because her condition was pitiful. Although, she wasn’t my patient; I successfully helped her to deliver her child. One hour after, she went along the street, I thought she went to buy airtime to inform her family. We expect her to come back but after waiting for hours and looking for her for days with no trace of her, I took the baby to Orile-Iganmu Police Station to report and I was given a police officer to accompany me to a motherless home at Lekki where we dropped the baby. But, on getting back to the police station, I was detained. I was shocked to have been accused of killing the baby’s mother.”

    Bello said it took the intervention of some of his patients who protested his arrest before the police granted him bail.

    He was release on bail to his brother, Oyeniyi and lawyer after paying N50, 000 naira.

    Oyeniyi, said his brother has been a professional traditional practitioner for 25 years.

    He said: “We paid N50, 000 with the assistance of a lawyer to bail him if not; the police was ready to put the blame on him. He has been helping pregnant women during child delivery and those with complications during child birth.

    One of his patients, who identified herself as Mrs Chukwuma said: “Since I have been visiting this place, I have never experienced any ill attitude from Mr Bello. We come here for antenatal, traditional treatment and delivery.”

    A police man, who recognised Bello at the station, said he once helped his wife when she had complications during the birth of their child.

    The Lagos state police command spokesman, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said they are making efforts to locate the mother of the baby.

    Nwosu confirmed that the baby is now at government mother less baby home, Lekki phase 1 Lagos.

     

     

  • Lagos distributes cooking gas to 31 local govts

    Lagos State Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy yesterday distributed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Gas Cylinders to 31 councils.

    Flagging off the exercise, the governor’s wife, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, said the exercise would help sustain the government’s campaign on safety and healthy living.

    She said the use of gas cylinder for cooking and other domestic works is safer and faster.

    “The success of this campaign is to stop the use of fire wood as a source of energy for cooking especially in our rural communities, but it is not just our rural communities most of our local eateries use fire wood, let them start to use the gas cylinders, it is faster and safer,” she said.

    She appealed to Lagosians to embrace the use of gas cylinders for all home and eatery.

    Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Taofiq Tijani said the use of the gas cylinders at homes for cooking will guarantee a safer environment.

    “The benefit of the use of gas for cooking include good health and clean environment; the environment will be devoid of smoke like when fire wood or kerosene is use for cooking,” he said.

  • JAMB shifts Ikoyi Prisons exams to March 17

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday shifted the 2015 Computer-Based Test (CBT) for Ikoyi Prisons inmates.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 28 inmates are among candidates scheduled to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in 400 centres nationwide.

    Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Public Relations Officer (PRO), told NAN on telephone that the postponement of the test was to ensure effective monitoring.

    He said all logistics to ensure the successful conduct of the examination at the prison had, however, been put in place, adding that it would now hold on March 17.

    Benjamin said reports reaching the board showed that no hitches had been recorded at other centres in Lagos.

    He said over 1.4 million candidates are participating in this year’s examination, which is fully computer-based.

    Deputy Controller of Prisons Ikoyi Prisons, Mr Aliyub Usman, told NAN that the 28 candidates writing the examination were ready to go.

    He said that before the news of the postponement reached the prisons, the candidates were all seated in the hall fully prepared, only to be told that the examination would no longer hold.

    According to him, the inmates are not deterred by the postponement as they are focused and determined to excel.

  • Workers accuse Lagos of planning to sell water firm

    Workers accuse Lagos of planning to sell water firm

    DESPITE management’s refuttal of plans to privatise Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), the workers yesterday protested at the governor’s office in Alausa, Ikeja, urging him to stop the proposed sale.

    In branded blue polo shirts and face caps, the protesters under the aegis of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) disrupted traffic on Obafemi Awolowo Way as they marched to Governor Babatunde Fashola’s office.

    Carrying placards, with inscriptions such as, “We say no to privatisation, water is our right”, “Water is for the people, not business”, “We say no to sale of our common assets” and “Holloway, who do you represent?”, they said government was hiding under the guise of Public Private Partnership (PPP) to privatise the corporation.

    Last week, LWC Managing Director Mr Shayo Holloway, said that there was no plan to sell the corporation, stressing that LWC is only partnering with some firms under the PPP Law of 2004 to execute its master plan to increase potable water production.

    Holloway said the master plan would discourage the sinking of boreholes, adding that the multi-billion dollars project would provide surplus potable water to people at a cheap rate.

    But, the protesters said the PPP agreement would lead to LWC’s privatisation and workers’ retrenchment.

    Chanting solidarity songs, they said private firms have no business providing a service the government can handle. But the protesters could not see the governor who was said not to be in the office. They dropped their protest letter at his security post.

    Lagos AUPCTRE chairman Comrade Subair Muali said the workers would resist plans to sell off the corporation’s facilities to private firms.

    Subair, who noted the protest was not politically motivated, said the union had been engaging the government over the matter for the past five years. He accused Holloway of initiating the planned privatisation, saying the government wanted to hide under the PPP guise to sell off the 105-year-old asset.

    He said: “They can use any name to sell off public assets to private owners, we know it is privatisation. Holloway has been telling us that they are into Public Private Partnership, but we know his motive. How can you expect an individual to invest his money in producing potable water for the people without him wanting to take over the corporation asset?

    “Their aim is to retrench workers after they sell the water corporation asset to private investors. We do not trust their argument that they are not selling the corporation. We want the Lagos State government to know that water is not for sale; it must remain a social commodity to be provided by government to the people. We will not stop the protest until Holloway desists from his move to sell our common asset to his cronies.”

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) chairman in Lagos, Comrade Idowu Adelakun, said the workers would not stop until Holloway stops his “anti-people” policies at LWC.

    He said: “Lagos citizens and workers are rejecting privatisation of water in Lagos State. We have seen results of where privatisation has taken place; none has ended with good stories. This is why we want Governor Fashola to stop the secret sale of our assets to private individuals, because we don’t want the calamity that befell other government assets to fall on Lagos Water Corporation.”

  • Man charged with producing fake Alomo Bitters

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday arraigned a man, Akintunde Smith, at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit, Kasapreko Alomo Bitters.

    Prosecution counsel Umar Shamaki said Smith committed the offence on January 15 at 8, Omotara Street in Aguda, Lagos.

    NAFDAC said the defendant falsely labelled the product as Kasapreko Alomo Bitters.

    The agency arrested Smith following a complaint by the manufacturers that a counterfeit version was being produced and sold.

    The producers said the firm has introduced a hologram seal with security features on the cap to enable consumers identify the original Kasapreko Alomo Bitters.

    “We have introduced what is called a hologram seal, which is like a transparent white nylon at the cap. It is a security feature which enables our customers to identify the original product. Once you don’t see the seal, you stay off,” the producers said.

    The three-count charge contravenes Section 1 of the Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration) Act, Cap F33, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and is punishable under Section 6 (1) of the same Act.

    The offence also contravenes Section 1 (a) of the Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap C34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and punishable under section 3 (1) (a) of the same Act.

    Smith pleaded not guilty. Justice Okon Abang adjourned till May 6 and 7. He said the defendant, who had no legal representation, could apply for bail.

     

  • She forced me to marry her, says man

    A middle-aged man, Owodunni Rilwan, has sought the dissolution of his four-year-old marriage to Zainab, at an Agege Customary Court in Lagos, claiming that she is troublesome.

    Rilwan said he met his wife where he worked in their compound.

    He added: “I never proposed marriage to her. She forced herself on me. During one festive period, she came to my father’s house without invitation. She cooked and assisted my siblings in everything they partook in. My friends who were present thought she was my fiancée because she behaved like a wife. That same day, she refused to return to her house until we landed in bed.

    “She never mentioned children from her previous marriage. Even when I asked who the child I always saw with her was, she said she was her mother’s last child. As I speak, the girl lives with me. There was a day she publicly called me a thief because I accused her of maltreating her child. Sadly, people really mistook me for a thief and dealt with me mercilessly.”

    In her defence, Mrs Rilwan said she doesn’t want a divorce, accusing her husband of damaging her womb.

    She said: “When he proposed marriage, I told him I had two children. He told me not to worry and promised to cater for my children’s responsibility.

    “He asked me to vacate where I lived that he had a piece of land in Sango he wanted to build a structure on. I assisted him with N500, 000. Few months after, we relocated. I thought it was the house he built. It was later I know the house was his father’s. My husband abandoned me there on the pretext that the shop was far from the house. Even when I complained he was meant to be with me during pregnancy, he ignored me.

    “At the period of delivery, my husband and his mother took me to a quack nurse. The nurse said my unborn child wasn’t in a normal position that it was something she could do without bisecting my stomach. In the process of turning the child with her hands, my womb was tampered with. When I wasn’t feeling too well, I went to another hospital where a doctor’s report revealed I won’t be able to conceive anymore that my womb had been damaged. I am not ready for a divorce.”

    The petitioner interrupted, saying: “I never collected a kobo from her and nothing is wrong with her womb, she is troublesome. It has been eight months since I left home. I don’t want this union anymore.”

    The court’s President, Pa Adekunle Williams, said a test will be carried out on Mrs Rilwan and he ordered the parties to bring two relations each for mediation.

    He adjourned the case till April 2.

  • 500 volunteers for public sanitation planned by NGO

    500 volunteers for public sanitation planned by NGO

    No fewer than 500 people have volunteered to participate in a sanitation scheduled for Ketu in Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area.

    Organised by The Clean-up Nigeria Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation, the event tagged Cleanup Ketu will hold on Saturday.

    The NGO Coordinator, Mr Alex Akhigbe, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise is aimed at working towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number seven, which is “Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.’’

    He said the exercise, “Cleanup Ketu,’’ would involve 500 volunteers, who have passion for the environment, to clean up the environment and create a changed attitude towards the environment.

    “The Clean Up Nigeria Initiative is a project of Passion House International, a non profit social enterprise, with core focus on waste management, community-led sanitation and youth development.

    “This is borne out of the need to promote a cleaner and healthier environment and aimed at reducing the high rate of mortality.

    “The event will create a platform for people to give back to the community as their personal social responsibility towards keeping the environment clean and green,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that previous editions of the exercise were Cleanup Ajegunle in December 2010, Cleanup Mushin in March 2011, Cleanup Amukoko in June 2011 and Cleanup Surulere in June 2011.

    Others are Cleanup Oshodi in December 2012, Project Clean and Recycle in December 2013, and Cleanup Makoko in June 2014.

    Akhigbe told NAN that a free medical check-up and Green Certificate would be given to all the volunteers after the exercise.

    The Cleanup Ketu Project is in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Green Alliances, and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

  • Bricklayer machetes neighbour to death

    An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has remanded a 29-year-old bricklayer, Ibrahim Tijani, in Prison for allegedly killing his neighbour, Bashorun Okanla.

    Chief Magistrate M.O Tanimola said the accused would remain in custody, pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    The accused, who resides at Okun in Ajah area of Lagos, is facing a charge of murder.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Elizabeth Ekuma told the court that the late Okanla had complained about the fumes from Tijani’s generator which was filtering into his apartment.

    “An argument ensued between the duo which led Tijani to enter his room, and pick a cutlass which he used to attack the deceased on one of his legs and the left hand”, she said.

    Okanla, she said, died in hospital.

    ASP Ekuma said the offence was committed on February 8, around 2.30pm at Okun Ajah, Lagos.

    The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    The magistrate adjourned the case till April 15, pending advice from DPP.

  • 28 inmates to sit for UTME

    NO fewer than 28 Ikoyi Prison Inmates will write the Unified Tetiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) 2015 which holds between today and March 21.

    Ikoyi Prisons School Principal Mr Ayodele Obarewo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday that the inmates were adequately prepared for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)-organised examination.

    Obarewo said more inmates had shown interest in furthering their education, after attending several reform programmes at the facility.

    The principal said the rise in the number of inmates registered for this year’s UTME was encouraging.

    Fourteen wrote the examination last year.

    Obarewo said logistics had been finalised for the conduct of the examination, adding: “We have been preparing the candidates to the best of our ability, and they have equally shown determination and focus to excel. Some teachers have been coming around to take them in various subjects as well as computer practice. They have been showing great zeal to write this examination, especially those whose term will soon expire. Such candidates are putting extra efforts to excel, to be able to participate in the post UTME.

    “However, we need more equipment in the facility, which will enable us to accommodate more of the inmates, who are interested in furthering their education.”

    The school, Obarewo said, has only 10 computers, adding that they are inadequate for the 28 inmates to practice.

    “We are, therefore, calling on well-meaning Nigerians to assist, “he said.

    NAN reports that over 1. 4 million candidates would write the examination in 400 centres across the country.

  • Court adjourns N621m suit against LAGBUS till April 27

    In ikeja High Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned till April 27 hearing in the N621 million suit filed by the family of a Lagos businessman, the late Francis Oranyeli against the LAGBUS Asset Management Company Limited, operators of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

    The family led by its head, Pastor Victor Oranyeli is seeking N621 million from LAGBUS and its driver, Babatunde Ogun, as compensation for the death of itsbread winner.

    The other claimants in the suit are the late Oranyeli’s younger brother, Chinedu Oranyeli and widow, Mrs Taiwo Oranyeli.

    The late Oranyeli was allegedly knocked down by Ogun who drove a bus belonging to the company on September 5, 2013 while standing on the kerb at Ebute Ero, Lagos.

    The victim sustained spinal cord injury and died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos.

    When hearing resumed in the case yesterday, counsel to the claimants, Chief Gabriel Amu Justice Atinuke Oluleye that attempts to resolve the matter amicably were being frustrated by the company and its insurers.

    Amu urged the court to hold the defendant company accountable as the victim was a young man who left behind dependants including a wife, three children and aged parents.

    But counsel to the defendants Mr. I. Okorie asked for more time to respond to the plaintiffs’ claims.

    Justice Oluyemi granted his request and adjourned the case till April 27.

    In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs are demanding for a declaration that the “driving of Babatunde Samuel, the 2nd defendant, in the course of his employment as staff, driver, employee of LAGBUS Asset Management Limited, which led to the death of Francis Oranyeli on the 5th day of September, 2013 was negligent and caused the death of late Francis Oranyeli.”

    They therefore demanded “a sum of N121, 200,000 being special damages for negligence, reckless, dangerous, and drunken driving committed allegedly by the second defendant whilst in the employment of the first defendant which occasioned and caused the death of the late Francis Oranyeli.”

    The plaintiffs are also asking the court for “N500 million being general damages for negligence, lack of consortium, lack of sustenance and maintenance, bereavement, loss of estate, loss of earnings, traumatic shock and emotional suffering consequent upon the death of Oranyeli occasioned by the lack of due care and negligence of the second defendant, who at all material times was in the employment of the 1st defendant.”

    They averred that the first defendant’s driver, driving negligently without due care and caution recklessly and dangerously, was involved in an avoidable accident with four cars, resulting to the injury and death of Francis Oranyeli, who was a pedestrian on the side of the road,” it stated.