The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Dismissed police officer ‘steals’ N875 from church

    Dismissed police officer ‘steals’ N875 from church

    A dismissed police corporal charged before a Mushin Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly N875 from “petition box” of a catholic church.

    The box is for holding prayer requests.

    The defendant, Patrick Nkanu (45), was arrested by military personnel inside the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos on January 11, after he allegedly broke into Saint Martin De Porres Catholic Church “to steal” the money.

    He was arraigned before Magistrate Abegunde Davies on two counts of sacrilege and stealing contrary to Sections 309 and 285 (5) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    Prosecuting Inspector Ezekiel Ayorinde told the court that the defendant committed the offence around 7:50pm.

    He said the soldiers on duty discovered the chapel door was unusually locked and on opening it, they caught Nkanu opening the petition box with weapons.

    The defendant, who claimed he was stranded and needed money to return to his base at Badagry, pleaded not guilty.

    He was granted N5000 bail, with two sureties in the like sum who must provide one-year tax verification. The matter was adjourned till March 11.

  • Police clear LASTMA on reporter’s accident

    Police clear LASTMA on reporter’s accident

    A police inspector who was at the scene where a trailer ran over Rasheed Abubakar, an Entertainment Reporter with a softsell journal, Encomium, has cleared officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) of any wrongdoing.

    The inspector who spoke on condition of anonymity said the trailer’s driver was not pursued by LASTMA officials.

    According to him, the driver did not even know he hit someone until a driver of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) blocked him and alerted the police.

    “The victim,” he said, “alighted from a bus and was hit by the back tyres of the trailer unknown to the driver.”

    Corroborating the police reports, Mr Ishaq Abubakar, an elder brother to the victim said some people who witnessed the incident made statements similar to the police version.

    Abubakar, a staff of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who spoke with Rasheed 20 minutes before the accident said LASTMA officials were not culpable.

    “I called him (Rasheed) that morning; he told me he was about leaving office. 20 minutes later, he called to say he just had accident. I immediately rushed down to Ojota. People there told me how it happened before I joined the ambulance that took him from one hospital beside Eleganza to Gbagada,” he said.

    Reacting to the latest development, LASTMA Public Relations Officer, Bola Ajao, thanked The Nation for painstaking efforts to unravel the truth.

    “We still stand on our policy to deal with whoever is found culpable but thank God none of our officers was involved in the incident. Like I said last week, the agency is not going to shield anybody,” she said.

    “Going by the series of training our officers have gone through, we believe they are adequately orientated on what is expected of them on roads. They are trained to be humane but firm with commuters,” she said.

    The LASTMA image maker enjoined the public not to mistake men in mufti for LASTMA, saying that all LASTMA officials have been warned to always put on their uniforms while on duty.

  • Poor attendance stalls inquest on Synagogue building collapse

    Poor attendance stalls inquest on Synagogue building collapse

    Further hearing in the coroner inquest on the September 12, 2014 Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), building collapse continues on Wednesday.

    Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe adjourned the case yesterday following poor attendance by lawyers and interested parties.

    Before the adjournment, Magistrate Komolafe said he was determined to conclude the matter in two weeks.

    He warned lawyers and interested parties against delaying proceedings, saying during the remaining days of this week interested parties would be allowed to watch the CCTV footage tendered as exhibit.

    The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) January 5 to 25 strike affected the coroner’s sitting.

    Last December 23, it adjourned till January 6 when it hoped that Justice Lateefa Okunnu would have ruled on an application filed by SCOAN founder Pastor Temitope Joshua.

    In the application, Joshua, among others, prayed Justice Okunnu for an order stopping Komolafe from exceeding his jurisdiction in the handling of the case.

  • ‘Pay attention to your health’

    ‘Pay attention to your health’

    The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Rural Development, has held its first free health initiative in five communities in Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of the state.

    No fewer than 50 Corps members attended to the residents, who were tested for high blood pressure, malaria and HIV/AIDS, among others.

    Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner for Rural Development Cornelius Ojelabi said the scheme was organised to educate people on the need to “give utmost attention to their health.”

    He said: “If you know your health status, then, you will know how it should be managed. I commend the services that the NYSC has rendered to residents living in the riverine areas. This has gone a long way to complement the efforts of the state government. So, I urge you all to embrace this opportunity. I understand that those with high blood pressure have been advised to visit the nearest Primary Health Centres (PHC).”

    The NYSC state coordinator, Akhanemhe Cyril, said the management took the screening to the rural communities to assist those who could not afford the high cost of medical treatment.

    “Some will be treated, while others suffering from several ailments will be given referrals. We intend to go round the rural areas in the state,” he added.

    The Baale of Otto-Awori, Pa Abel Ojelabi, thanked the organisers for bringing free medical services to his domain, adding: “for some time, I have been attending my monthly medical check up at a very distant hospital. So, this initiative is most welcome.”

    One of the medical personnel, Dr Ogunnaya Tosin, said though none of the residents had malaria, he encouraged them to maintain  good environment.

  • Fleeing suspected kidnapper held

    Fleeing suspected kidnapper held

    •Gang attempted to abduct transport magnate in 2013

    The police have arrested one of the two remaining fleeing gang members who attempted to kidnap the Young Shall Grows Motors Chairman Chief Vincent Obianodo in 2013.

    John Nnamdi and five others were arrested in Festac Town, Lagos last December 15 during a bank robbery in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

    Others are: Victor Anamaelechi (43), Onyema Nwatada, Nwa Ghana, Shola and Kingsley.

    Nnamdi told the Abba Kyari-led Lagos State Special Anti- Robbery Squad (SARS) that two of the four-man gang that attempted to kidnap Obianodo were killed in a gun battle with police.

    He and one Evans, who is still at large, escaped.

    “It was a kidnap issue please. It was one community bank worker that paid for the job. I got N5m and used my share to buy a vehicle, Acura Jeep (N7m) and police recovered it. We used to pretend to be police officers during operation. I supplied the guns the gang operate with. I hold one while Evans hold one,” he said.

    On another operation, Nnamdi said he got N7million share.

    “We operated with two Ak47 rifles, two cylinders and a bar which we use to break doors,” Nnamdi said.

    On how he was arrested, Nnamdi said: “I went for community bank robbery; we entered the community bank at about 1am. We met two security officers wearing white uniform. We tied their legs and hands with ropes.

    We operated for two hours. I was arrested in Akpo Junction in Festac Town by SARS operatives.” Nnamdi, 35, from Obinwa in Abia State, said he deals in musical instruments.

    “I am the gang leader. I am the gang armourer. I had been in Sagamu prison for four months. I got my guns from a friend called Okonkwo, who died during armed robbery operation,” he said.

    Anamaelechi, 43 from Mgbidi in Imo State, is married with two children.

    Anamaelechi said: “I sell generators; I have a shop at E18 Electronics Line in Alaba. We are here for robbery case. We were six. We robbed a community bank in Cotonou.

    We used Ak47 rifles, 12 magazines, 29 rounds of ammunition. We collected 20, 000,000 Cedis.  My share was N5m.”

    Kingsley, 36, from Delta State, said: “I am the one that made calls for the kidnap gang that kidnapped Dapson Filling Station director. I collected only N2.1 million.”

     

  • SURE-P midwives protest non-payment of salaries

    Midwives employed under the Federal Government Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) yesterday protested to the Lagos State House of Assembly over alleged non-payment of their salaries and other incentives.

    In a letter submitted at the speaker’s office, the midwives said: “There was a memorandum of understanding between the Federal Government and the host-state that salaries and other incentives will be paid to SURE-P workers posted to the host-state.

    They said since they started working about three years ago, they have not been paid nor provided accommodation.

    In the letter signed by Funmi Gasallo, they said they had petitioned Governor Babatunde Fashola which prompted the state to pay some workers for 2012 and 2013.

    “In fact some of our members have not received any payment at all. We urge the state to intervene before the current administration hands over. The SURE-P workers have ensured an effective and efficient health delivery system in Lagos State,” the letter added.

  • Why crime rate is high, by DPO

    why is crime still on the rise despite security agencies’ efforts to stem the malaise? It is because of the country’s weak infrastructure network, a divisional police officer (DPO) has said.

    The DPO, who pleaded not to be named, said the Federal Government must be ready to deploy computer supported data system to detect of crime and arrest perpetrators adding that nothing could be done with the current obsolete and outmoded system of investigation.

    “The police lack requisite data base for criminals; the establishment of dependable and accessible data base for residents anywhere in the country, specifically for whoever perpetrated any crime is essential to stem the development. The data base, which must contain the fingerprints of the individuals, is a simple way of exposing and arresting perpetrators of crimes, because no two fingerprints of individuals are the same anywhere in the world,” he said.

    The simple process of identifying fingerprints, he said, could stem the rise in crime.

    He stated: “Because of the absence of a data base, the experience has been that a criminal caught in Oyo State will serve out his term in that state and, upon being released by whatever means, would shift base to any other state and continue his (criminal) runs.

    “Even within a state, a person is being caught for the same crime over and over again. Why will a recidivist or a jail bird secure such easy passages? It is because of inadequate data base with which to nail him.

    “The reality today is that the same old criminals are being turned over across the courts in the country for similar offences and they are constantly getting away with it. This is a blame on us (the police), the court system and ultimately on the government which has not armed the system with a full-proof process of dependable data base”.

    In advanced countries, the DPO said, no police officer would stop your vehicle demanding particulars.

    “Once they suspect anything on sighting your vehicle, they note the registration number and they feed such into the data base. Every information about the vehicle and the owner will come out and they will track such vehicle in no time if necessary,” he said.

  • Row over Ayangburen stool

    Row over Ayangburen stool

    •Ruling house rejects kingmakers’ choice
    •‘I was validly selected’

    A row has broken out over the selection of Odofin of Ikorodu, Chief Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, as the Ayangburen-designate.

    Some members of the Lasunwon Ruling House to which he belongs are claiming that he emerged the oba-elect in breach of an existing pact.

    Under the agreement which was entered as consent judgment in a 2007 suit before an Ikorodu High Court,  Shotobi and the Adegorunshen branch of the ruling house were said to “have conceded that they would have no right in future to the next chieftaincy title that is due and available to Lasunwon ruling house.”

    The ruling house became eligible to fill the Ayangburen of Ikorodu stool following the death of Oba Salaudeen Oyefusi last August.

    Despite the challenge from some quarters, Shotobi is insisting that he was validly chosen by the kingmakers with his family’s support.

    The ruling house’s General Secretary, Chief Mukaila Adekogbe, and aggrieved members of its Lambo Lasunwon, Odujumo Araba/Ewejube and Odusajo branches, accused Shotobi of breaching the said agreement.

    In a statement, they said: “Consequent upon the demise of Oba Oyefusi on August 2, 2014, the chieftaincy stool of Ayangburen became vacant. Succession to the throne is governed by the declaration made under Section 4(2) of the Chiefs Law 1957 regulating the selection to the Ayangburen chieftaincy.

    “One of the aspirants to the throne is Chief Shotobi, who succeeded to his present title of Odofin of Ikorodu upon the terms of settlement signed by the parties in suit No IKD/57/2007. Chief Shotobi was the defendant while the Lambo branch of Lasunwon ruling house was the claimant.

    “To avoid an imminent defeat in the said suit, Chief Shotobi and the Adegorunshen branch of Lasunwon Ruling House conceded that the claimants would have no right in future to the next chieftaincy title that is due and available to Lasunwon ruling house. The present tussle is caused by the misconception of Chief Shotobi and his supporters as to what the word “chieftaincy” embraces. His view is that the stool of Ayangburen is not included in the word “chieftaincy”. He is in error.

    “We, the Lambo branch; Odujumo Araba/ Owujebe branch and Odusajo branch of Lasunwon Ruling House, predicate our stand on the definition of the word “chieftaincy”. We therefore hold that the kingmakers who are fully aware of the consent judgment quoted above are desirous to upset the applecart. This is mischievous and we urge the government of Lagos State to call the Ikorodu kingmakers to order so as to avoid a repeat of the disaster of 1952 which engulfed Ikorodu after the demise of Oba Adenaike Alagbe.”

    Dismissing the allegations as baseless, Shotobi said: “The kingmakers have confirmed me as the Oba-elect. If the kingmakers have chosen me as the candidate for the stool, who else would say anything contrary to upturn their decision?

    “The Lasunwon Ruling House is made up of four branches and I come from Adegorunshen branch of the ruling house. It was a keenly contested race as other branches presented their candidates to the kingmakers; at the end of the selection exercise I was picked by the kingmakers as the best candidate for the throne.”

    A member of his family, Chief Sunday Ogede, said due process was followed in selecting Shotobi.

    The outcome of the exercise, he said, had been forwarded to the state government through Ikorodu Local Government, describing the controversial agreement which allegedly disqualifies Shotobi from the stool as being misrepresented by the aggrieved party.

    “The purported agreement mentioned by those against Shotobi does not encompass ascension to the stool of Ayangburen because there are other chieftaincy titles members of the family are entitled to occupy such as Adegoruwa and Otunba of Ikorodu. Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State, Cap 02,1979, defines a chief as a person whose chieftaincy title is associated with a native community but lower than of an Oba. An Oba, as defined by the same section of the law says that an Oba “is the paramount traditional ruler of a native community recognised as such by the government under any law and includes Aholu (of Badagry). Besides, the progenitor of the ruling house, Lasunwon, was once the holder of Odofin title and he later became the monarch of Ikorodu and he did not relinquish the former title. Another instance was that of Oba Ladega, who was the Adegoruwa of Ikorodu and did not resign from office before he later became the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, “he added.

  • Customs intercepts eight ‘car smugglers’

    Customs intercepts eight ‘car smugglers’

    Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) officials have arrested eight suspected smugglers in Ogun State while ferrying cars into the country.

    The suspects were handed over to the police following their arrest in the bush path of Idiroko in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun state.

    Ogun Area Customs Command spokesman Mr Usman Abubakar said the command recorded significant seizures last month, adding: “A total of 84 seizures with total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N81, 246, 069 were made in January 2015 as against 80 seizures recorded in January 2014. Our men have been carrying out their statutory duty towards reducing smuggling in the state.”

    “Apart from arresting car smugglers, the command has further stepped up its war against smugglers of rice and sundry items on land and sea as we sometimes collaborate with men of the Western Marine Command in Lagos to intercept and prevent rice smugglers from using waterways within our territory to carry out their illicit business.

    “This is to further sound a note of warning to smugglers to desist from the act as our men are more than ready to contain their activities which are inimical to the economic progress of our country,” he added.

  • Do the right thing, Lagosians told

    Spirit of Lagos, a non-political, non-religious organisation dedicated to behavioural transformation, has begun a state-wide road tour to sell its Do The Right Thing campaign to the people.

    Its ambassadors have been visiting parks, markets,major bus stops and terminals in all local government areas of the state, urging people to embrace democracy and orderliness.

    The group’s Project Director, Olaniyi Omotoso, said: “We are out in the streets to urge Lagosians to change those attitudes that negate the spirit of Lagos. We are letting them know that it is wrong for people to dispose their waste arbitrarily; it is wrong for people to dash across the roads where there are pedestrian bridges; it is wrong for people to evade taxes and so on and so forth.

    “As the elections are around the corner, the people need to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote according to their conscience, and not along their primordial or parochial sentiments. The people of Lagos must be actively involved in the process of electing those who will be in positions of authority. It is part of their civic responsibility.

    “The Spirit of Lagos, since its inception, has championed attitudinal change campaigns as a way of restoring sanity to Lagos State.

    “Before this current campaign of ‘Do The Right Thing’, we had ‘CHANGE YOUR THINKING’ campaign which has the primary objective of restoring those unique values that made Lagos a safe, just, prosperous and neighbourly place to live in and visit in the past”.

    The team has visited Mushin market, Ojodu Berger, Ijesha Bus Stop, Pako-Aguda, Festac, Ajegunle, Oke Ira in Ogba, Anthony and Okokomaiko among many other places.