The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • My man is an adulterer, says wife

    •‘She’s behind my woes’

    A 40-year-old fashion designer, Funmilayo Odeyinka, has prayed the Alagbado Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her 14-year-old marriage. She is seeking to divorce her husband, Toyin Odeyinka because he is “adulterous and irresponsible.”

    She said: “My husband womanises a lot. He once had an affair with our neighbour to the extent of getting her pregnant. My pastor revealed to me that if the woman had a child for my husband, she would kill our children. Surprisingly, five months after, I heard that she had aborted the pregnancy; that was the last I heard of her.

    “As if that wasn’t enough, my husband married another woman to whom he is indebted. He cares less about me and our children’s well-being. At times, he leaves home at odd hours, claiming it was on the request of his boss. I later got to know his boss was his new wife.

    “I was shocked when my mother-in-law said the medical bills paid by my husband when I had to undergo Caesarean Section was enough to build a house. Consequently, she advised her son to marry another wife. Since my presence alone irritates him, I willingly left his house. I just want our children in my custody because I am not comfortable with where they live.”

    Odeyinka, 48, who is not opposed to the divorce, accused his wife of being behind his problems.

    He said: “My wife is the reason behind our marriage troubles. I married another woman solely because my wife slept on the couch for a year without letting me touch her. I don’t womanise. Funmi is not disciplined. I never knew she spends our children’s school fees on cooperative enterprise until I was embarrassed publicly by our children’s proprietress.

    “There was a day I called my wife on phone from work and asked her to lend me some money to prepare food for the family which she offered. So, when I returned, I settled down to eat. As I was about swallowing the third ball of eba, she held my right arm, shouting that I must refund her money; otherwise, I wouldn’t enjoy the meal. My ex-wife’s current husband cursed me for several minutes on phone. In fact, he kicked against the idea of the children being in my custody.”

    Odeyinka, an electrician, vowed not to leave the children with the petitioner because she is also married to someone else.

    The marriage which was contracted under Native and Customary Law produced two children between the ages 10 and 12.

    The court’s President, Mr. Olubode Sekoni, fixed a chamber discussion and ordered the respondent to produce the children before the court on February 9.

  • Synagogue: South Africa to repatriate remaining bodies

    South Africa will this week convey home the remaining bodies of its nationals killed in the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) building collapse last September 12.

    Minister in the presidency Jeff Radebe told reporters that a South African airforce C130 aircraft would be dispatched to Lagos Monday “to bring the mortal remains of those that have been positively identified.”

    Of the 81 bodies, 70 were repatriated in November, two months after the collapse of the multi-storey building.

    The outstanding 11 are still undergoing DNA identification.

    “Our repatriation team is departing this afternoon for Lagos,” said Radebe, and “when they land, we will know precisely how many South Africans will be repatriated.”

    Nigerian authorities have been driving the testing and verification process.

    A delayed rescue operation, “climatic conditions” and the sheer number of victims that had to be identified were responsible for the prolonged wait for the bodies, Radebe said.

    No fewer than 116 people, including Nigerians and other foreign nationals, were killed in the incident.

    The Lagos State coroner is conducting an inquest into the incident.

  • Stowaway: operator strengthens security at terminal

    A private operator, Executive Aviation Nigeria Ltd, which terminal was breached by a stowaway suspect, last weekend, has strengthened security at its facility to prevent a recurrence.

    A teenager, Samuel Ogunbiyi, attempted to stowaway in a private jet owned by Tag Aviation and parked at Execujet’s terminal.

    Execujet’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter de Waal, said more security personnel had been deployed in the airside through which Ogunbiyi sneaked into the private terminal, which is an international Fixed based Operator (HBO).

    He said the suspect, who entered the airpot on Saturday night, was able to access the facility, by hiding and running for cover whenever he saw people coming.

    Ogunbiyi, he said, accessed the airport premises through the broken perimeter fencing at the Shasha/Akowonjo area and sneaked through the airside to the Execujet facility.

    The Beesam Police station, which is at the airport, confirmed that the suspect did not pass through any of the airport gates but “scaled through the MMIA along Shasha axis”.

    De Waal said the suspect was found when the pilot wanted to take off. The pilot did routine walk with security operatives and Ogunbiyi was seen hiding in the wheel-well of the aircraft.

    “He did not come through the Presidential (VIP) Gate; he came though Shasha/Akowonjo area and there have been thefts at the airport because that area is porous. People sneak into the airport through that area. However, we have fortified security at our own facility, but the airport management should also do the same, so that this kind of thing will not reoccur. We are sure it will never happen again at our facility. He took the advantage of power outage, the interlude it took to switch on to generator. But we have taken care of that now,” De Waal said.

    In his confessional statement, the suspect claimed he entered the hangar through the Air Defence Corps of Nigerian Air Force, located next to the Presidential/ VIP Lounge in the airport on Saturday night, with the help of someone he simply identified as “a brother.”

  • NAPTIP arraigns woman, 24, for alleged human trafficking

    The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffick in Persons (NAPTIP) has arraigned a 24-year-old woman, Ife Yussuf, at the Federal High Court in Lagos for alleged human trafficking.

    She was accused of inducing three persons aged, 15, 16, and 22 into prostitution, by securing travelling documents for them to Burkina Faso from Lagos.

    The prosecuting counsel Mrs Kehinde Falade said the accused person was arrested at the Ketu area of Lagos following a tip-off.

    Yusuf pleaded not guilty to a nine-count charge of the offence, which contravenes sections 15 (a), 16, and 19 (b) of the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Law Enforcement and Administration Act, 2003.

    Following an application for bail by her lawyer, Mr Segun Onikoyi, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    The sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and must provide tax clearance.

  • Lagos unveils measures against bird flu

    Lagos unveils measures against bird flu

    Lagos State Government has urged the public to maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene to curb the spread of the avian influenza virus popularly called bird flu.

    It gave the advice following the flu’s outbreak in some poultries in Lagos.

    In a statement yesterday, Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris advised the public to avoid contact with chickens, ducks or other birds; their feathers, faeces and other waste in areas with the disease.

    Idris listed other measures that could help halt the spread of the disease to include; washing hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, particularly after touching any poultry, eggs or bird meat and keeping children away from sick or dead poultry and birds.

    “Please, avoid slaughtering and cooking of sick or already dead poultry or birds, ensure that poultry products and eggs are thoroughly cooked before eating, ensure rearing of poultry far from dwellings and sleeping areas and make sure cooking surfaces are well clean before and after preparation of poultry products,” he said.

    The commissioner explained that the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus presently circulating among chicken and other birds in the state is “highly infectious,” adding that it has caused death of millions of chicken and other birds. The strain, he said, killed 166 humans in 11 countries during the 2007 outbreak.

    “Avian influenza is spread by direct and indirect contact with sick or dead chicken, eggs, and also through handling and slaughtering of live infected poultry. For now, there is no case of human infection in the state, only loss of chickens and other birds has been reported; human death has however been recorded with this present outbreak in some African countries,” Idris said.

    has urged the public to maintain adequate personal and environmental hygiene to curb the spread of the avian influenza virus popularly called bird flu.

    It gave the advice following the flu’s outbreak in some poultries in Lagos.

    In a statement yesterday, Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris advised the public to avoid contact with chickens, ducks or other birds; their feathers, faeces and other waste in areas with the disease.

    Idris listed other measures that could help halt the spread of the disease to include; washing hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly, particularly after touching any poultry, eggs or bird meat and keeping children away from sick or dead poultry and birds.

    “Please, avoid slaughtering and cooking of sick or already dead poultry or birds, ensure that poultry products and eggs are thoroughly cooked before eating, ensure rearing of poultry far from dwellings and sleeping areas and make sure cooking surfaces are well clean before and after preparation of poultry products,” he said.

    The commissioner explained that the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus presently circulating among chicken and other birds in the state is “highly infectious,” adding that it has caused death of millions of chicken and other birds. The strain, he said, killed 166 humans in 11 countries during the 2007 outbreak.

    “Avian influenza is spread by direct and indirect contact with sick or dead chicken, eggs, and also through handling and slaughtering of live infected poultry. For now, there is no case of human infection in the state, only loss of chickens and other birds has been reported; human death has however been recorded with this present outbreak in some African countries,” Idris said.

  • Two ‘dead’ in intra-party fracas

    Two persons were feared killed on Sunday, while five others sustained gunshot injuries during a clash in Lagos.

    The incident, which occurred around Amukoko in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, was said to have been orchestrated by a supremacy battle between two politicians.

    It was learnt that the fight was in two stages with the first one starting around 4.30pm.

    Three persons were injured in the other battle that happened between 11.30pm and 1am, four persons were shot.

    A source told The Nation that the group loyal to one of the politicians came from Ile Film, Apata, Iya Taiwo, Itire, Alaba Road; the other group came from Oba Amukoko and Campus streets.

    He said: “Yes, there were serious fights in the area. It was between thugs loyal to two politicians in the same party. One of the politicians had gone to the other’s stronghold to campaign accompanied by thugs and that was how a fight broke out.

    “They are not contesting for the same office, but are rather struggling on superiority. Three persons were shot in the first fight and we later heard that one of them died. Hours later, around 11:30pm, the fight continued at the other politician’s area and four persons were shot.

    “The ring leader of one of the camps is known as Miliku. The victims were rushed to a clinic bleeding. We have also heard that two of them died but I cannot confirm it since the area is still very tense at the moment.”

    Police spokesman Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said: “There was a skirmish involving supporters of the same party around Apata area of Amukoko during a house-to-house campaign in the neighbourhood. “Unconfirmed reports have it that two persons were killed in the skirmish but we have no report of such at the station. Normalcy has been restored in the area as visibility patrol and discreet surveillance have been activated.”

  • LUTH washes hands off patient’s death

    LUTH washes hands off patient’s death

    Is the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) culpable in the death of a nursing mother, Mrs Folake Oduyoye?  No, says the hospital, which is contesting her family’s claim that it has a hand in her death.

    Mrs Oduyoye died in LUTH last December 19 following her family’s inability to settle her medical bill.

    Her death sparked a protest by two rights groups, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Women House for Change Initiative (WACI).

    They staged a walk against maternal death and demanded that LUTH pay N50 million compensation to the bereaved family.

    Denying LUTH’s culpability in Mrs Oduyoye’s death in a chat with The Nation yesterday, its Public Relations Officer, Mrs Hope Nwawolo, said the institution is not running a free service, hence patients should pay for services rendered.

    Mrs Nwalolo wondered why people were portraying the institution in bad light over the incident.

    “In the first place,” she explained, “the woman did not give birth here (LUTH); she did not get the complications here; she was only transferred here when the former clinic could not handle her case. We took her at the emergency ward without demanding a penny for down payment whereas it is not same in other hospitals whereby you make heavy deposit before the patient can even be admitted at the emergency ward.

    “We took care of her, gave her injections, drugs and all other things necessary to make her survive. After the whole exercise and she was back on her feet hale and hearty, the family could not meet up with the bill, do we allow her to go? The Pharmacy where we procured the drugs, injections and other instruments used to revive her are demanding for payments, what do we tell them? Are we going to run this place aground because we need to pity the indigent patients? And if its run down, where else would patients run to? And if there are, won’t they pay for services over there. In most cases, some of the patients must have paid millions of naira at various private hospitals before being transferred here. We do all necessary thing to treat them only for them to say they cannot pay the bills. We even asked some of them to pay something at times.”

    The PRO said the hospital runs some schemes to offset the medical bills of indigent patients.

    “We opened special accounts where well meaning Nigerians pay into to cater for the indigent patients. Recently, a man gave us a cheque of N1.5 million for the medical bill of five patients, the money was not enough to offset their bills but we have to write off the balance and allow them go home. For how long do we continue to do that bearing in mind that this place is not a free health institution?

    “Sometimes it is you guys (pressmen) that we called upon to help publish cases of indigent patients so that good Samaritans may decide to offset the bills. Despite these efforts, some of the patients will even tell us that they do not want their cases on the pages of newspapers, yet they do not have money for the treatment,” she explained.

    Mrs Nwawolo chided the advocacy groups for disturbing public peace instead of looking for ways to assist the indigent patients.

    “There are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that solicited and contributed funds to cater for the less-privileged; they do come here to pay the bills of indigent patients. Why don’t they (WARDC and WACI) emulate such organisations? Let them organise rally to raise funds for hundreds of indigent patients and stop creating problem where there is none,” she said.

    On Mrs Oduyoye’s death, the PRO said surgeries, specialised tests; interventions, dialysis, drugs and other consumables were committed in treating her.

    According to her, the family of the woman still owes LUTH over N1 million.

    During their protest last Thursday, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the WARDC Executive Director, described Mrs Oduyoye’s death unnecessary and preventable.

    Dr Akiyode-Afolabi said 144 women died daily of maternal complications.

    “It is very unfortunate that Folake died in LUTH after she was detained for 43 days because she could not pay her hospital bills of about N1.5 million. This is contrary to Sections 32 and 35 of the Nigerian Constitution. (Section 32 is about power to make regulations while Section 35 is on right to personal liberty),” she said.

    According to her, over 100 women are being detained in LUTH and some other hospitals across the country, because they cannot pay their hospital bills.

    “Today, we are burying Folake; we don’t know who is next. That is why we are saying `NO’ to maternal death in Nigeria,” she said.

    WACI’s Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin urged the three-tiers of government to pay attention to the health of women and children.

    According to her, Nigeria ranks second in the list of countries with high rate of maternal mortality.

    “Our walk today is to prove that we are tired of losing our women to maternal death and hospital negligence. In 2013, Nigeria recorded 239, 000 maternal deaths,’’ she said.

    She canvassed a review of the National Health Insurance Scheme to care better for women’s health.

    “We are also saying that all those women that are being detained in LUTH because they cannot pay their hospital bills should be released,” she said.

    Mrs Oduyoye is survived by her husband and four children.

    The widower, Mr Adeyemi Oduyoye, a printer, had claimed that the hospital detained and abandoned his wife without adequate medical care for 43 days.

  • ‘Steer clear of violence’

    ‘Steer clear of violence’

    “As the Chief Security Officer of this local government, I am more than ready to lead the battle against political thuggery and other forms of violence in the coming elections and after. Here, we want to retain the tradition of peace that we are known for.”

    With these words, the Executive Secretary of Agege Local Government Area of Lagos state, Omofunmilewa Adejombo, warned residents to be law-abiding, eschew violence and resist provocation.

    He spoke yesterday while briefing reporters on his administration’s efforts at preventing trouble in his domain before, during and after the elections.

    Adejombo, a lawyer, said he would do everything to prevent a repeat of the event that led to the killing of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Eyitayo Peters, at Orile-Agege.

    The council chief warned trouble makers to steer clear of the council in their own interest, saying: He admonished all those warming up to cause violence in the area to desist, saying: “I will make sure that if anyone is caught, the law of the land will take its full course irrespective of the party concerned.”

  • Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Two gunmen abducted yesterday, a marketer with The Nation, Mrs Joke Ajayi.

    She was said to have been abducted in the Latoogun area of Ijebu Ode in Ijebu Ode Local Government area of the Ogun State.

    The woman was said to be on her way to where newspaper agents converge to collect papers around 5.30am when she was abducted.

    A colleague, who was with her, said she was asked to lie face-down when they were taking her away.

    She said the gunmen came in an Opel Astra car.

    The witness said she could not identify the car’s colour because it was still dark.

    Mrs Ajayi’s colleague, Abdul-Rasaq Oyeneyin, who spoke with the abductors, said they initially demanded N50 million, but when he called back, it was reduced to N20 million.

    He said the woman’s abduction paralysed activities yesterday as most of the marketers were running around to ensure her release. The incident has been reported at Igbeba Police Station.

    “We have been praying since morning and we could not even eat. We are helpless. We are going through hell. We are sad. We need help. She is a single mother who is struggling to survive. Where do you think she can get such amount of money?” he queried.

    Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi could not be reached for comment.

  • Firm renovates LUTH facility

    The Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Construction, Sijibomi Ogundele has renovated the Male Orthopeadic Ward E2 of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin in Lagos, in fulfilment of part of its corporate social responsibility initiative

    Speaking at the unveiling of the renovated facility, Sijibomi said he was born in the hospital and therefore wondered what he could actually give back to it.

    He said he visited the hospital’s Male Orthopedic Ward E2 and decided to upgrade the bad condition of the toilet facilities.

    Sijibomi further said that one of the heads of departments told him that about one thousand people make use of the facility every month, which really inspired him to offer the gesture.

    The entrepreneur, however, promised that his company would continue in goodwill activities that will have a strategic impact in the life of people.

    The Head of Department, Nursing Services, Adetayo Taiwo, lamented that the place is always flooded with water, adding that patients did not enjoy good toilet facility until when Sijibomi came to their aid.