The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Synagogue produces manifest of victims

    Synagogue produces manifest of victims

    A Coronary Inquest into the building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) yesterday heard that the manifest of occupants had been filed.

    The disclosure came 47 days after the incident occured, killing 116 people at the church’s headquarters in Ikotun, Lagos.

    Issues surrounding the manifest had generated tension between the church and the Lagos State Chief Medical Examiner (CME) Prof. John Obafunwa, who on several occasions, alleged that the church refused to honour its request for the list to enable successful identification of the deceased.

    At previous sittings of the Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe-led inquest, the court had emphasised the importance of the manifest to the process, directing the church to make same available to Obafunwa.

    Led in cross-examination by one of the church’s counsel, Olalekan Ojo, Obafunwa had insisted that the preliminary report already tendered and adopted before the court is a reflection of his position on the result of the autopsy carried out on the dead victims.

    Obafunwa informed the coroner that three pathologists team were on September 22, 2014 set up by him, ten days after the incident occurred.

    “I carried out my functions at the Mainland Hospital at Yaba. We started carrying out autopsy on the dead victims at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on September 23 and other locations on September 24, 2014.

    “There is no way I can physically carryout autopsy on all the bodies. The bodies were embalmed immediately after they were deposited at the mortuary.

    When asked when he first visited the scene of the disaster, Obafunwa said it was only on October 16 he visited, which was a guided tour.

    “It is not my duty to take debris at the collapsed site. It was also not my duty to know whether there is any detonation at the site of the collapsed building.

    Another witness, Ige Oladimeji, of the Nigerian Red Cross, said: “Synagogue provided ten ambulances to help evacuate casualties. In each of them, there were representatives of the church. Nobody prevented us from doing our job.

    “Members of the church were so compassionate to ensure that lives were saved.

    “On the second day of the incident, members of my team who worked round the clock confirmed to me that everything went well and more bodies were evacuated since I had left.”

    The inquest continues today with the South African Ambassador, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) expected to give evidence.

    Also the coroner rejected arguments from founder of the church, Prophet T.B. Joshua’s lawyers that the televangelist should not be summoned because he did not directly witness the September 12 tragedy.

    “The court has the power to summon whoever it deems necessary to assist it

    “The counsel should advise the Prophet to come. The church is not on trial. It’s not a matter of ego. Nobody is above the law. The court will be fair to all.

    “If he is an institution with immunity, the court will not even go there. If the man refuses to come, he can be arrested… He has to appear. We summoned the Prophet. We summoned the contractors.”

  • Drug trafficker bags 10-year jail

    A 31-year-old man, Onyemaechi Chibuzor, was yesterday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with hard labour for drug trafficking by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

    Justice Rita Ajumogobia found him guilty of dealing in a banned narcotic.

    The convict was arrested on December 20, 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja with 600 grammes of methamphetamine, a drug described as psychotropic (affecting mental activity and altering the mood).

    National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials arrested him while trying to board an Emirates Airline flight to Malaysia.

    The offence contravenes Section 11 (b) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Chibuzor was first arraigned on March 15, 2012, before Justice Benedicta Molokwu (retired), and was granted N1 million bail with two sureties. He pleaded not guilty. The case was re-assigned to Justice Ajumogobia following Justice Molokwu’s retirement.

    The prosecution called two witnesses, and tendered 14 exhibits, including the convict’s statements and other statements; laboratory report, exhibit forms, the seized drug and international passport among others.

    The judge held the prosecution proved the charge beyond reasonable doubts.

  • ‘Badagry deserves federal appointments’

    The federal government has been urged to consider indigenes of the ancient town of Badagry in Lagos in terms of federal appointments.

    A governorship aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in the state, Ademola Eniafe, an engineer, said the people of Badagry deserve to be rewarded by the federal government for their loyalty and commitment to nation building.

    Eniafe, who spoke during the 4th anniversary of ZIE Foundation in the town, said appointment is the best form of reward the federal government can offer Badagry indigene for its unflinching loyalty to the ruling party since the return of democracy in Nigeria.

    He encouraged the sons and daughters of Badagry to continue to show interest in the politics of the state and Nigeria as a whole.

    “We must remain faithful. We must continue to encourage participatory democracy. Therefore, I stand before you and the entire residents of Lagos State as one made sensitive by a tough childhood.”

  • Lagos intensifies battle against darkness

    Lagos intensifies battle against darkness

    •Switches on public lamps on Ikorodu Road, others

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Monday evening switched on an 11.8-kilometre stretch of public lighting covering Ikorodu Road, Iddo via Jibowu and Murtala Mohammed Way, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, even as he appealed to residents to take ownership of the asset for proper maintenance.

    The project is broken into two sections with one consisting of 1.2 kilometres from Ikorodu Road to Jibowu, while the second consists of 10.6 kilometres on Murtala Mohammed Way (from Jibowu to Iddo). It brings to a total of 410 kilometres of roads so far lit up by the government in the last three years.

    Fashola also appealed to motorists who ply the roads to obey the Traffic Laws especially by not driving against traffic, warning that by driving against traffic, they not only endanger their lives but those of other road users.

    The governor, who said the switching on ceremony marked the end of the construction work in the area, added, however, that it also marks the commencement of maintenance works to make sure that the road stays in good state of repair.

    He appealed particularly to communities hosting the projects, including churches, schools, Railway Compound as well as others who pass through the roads, to treat the infrastructure as a public asset adding: “It belongs to you”.

    “The lighting, I believe, will help this place on a daily basis. At nights, it will make security better, it will also improve the night economy in this community”, the governor said.

    Aside providing jobs for a total of 89 people made up of 56 technicians, 12 painters, 10 welders, eight engineers and three supervisors, the project has increased the amount of functioning public lighting within the state to  410 kilometres while it signifies government’s continued commitment to light up the city ‘pole  to pole’.

    Other major highways that have benefited from the public lighting project in the last three years include: Gbagada Expressway, Carter Bridge, Iju Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, Marina Road (Badagry) and Alhaji Masha (Surulere), among others.

    The General Manager of Lagos State Electricity Board, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, praised Fashola and the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure as well as the board for their roles in bringing the project to a successful conclusion, adding that the lighting has connected Ikorodu Road all the way to Iddo.

     

  • Calypso parleys UNILAG for contest

    Calypso parleys UNILAG for contest

    Grand Oak Limited, a leading marketer of  beverages changed the social landscape of the University of Lagos when it treated students of the institution to a swell moment during its annual Biobaku Hall Week, an event that brings the students together at the end of an academic session.

    The one-week affair gave the students an opportunity to showcase their talents in music and cooking competition; Mr. Macho and Mr. Biobaku among others.

    Calypso’s Brand Manager, Joy Alabata said the company sponsored the event to create fun for the students, adding that Calypso is the spirit of fun and that such events serve to deliver that promise to their consumers.

    The hall’s chairman, Moyosore Adebanjo, a 300-level student of the university said Calypso had been supporting the event for the past three years.

    Abidemi Arawole, a 100-level student emerged the winner of Mr. Biobaku Hall for the year, while Anthony Ajayi-Igunbor, was named Mr. Macho.

    Keshinro Damilola, a 400-level student of Urban and Regional Planning emerged tops in the cooking competition as he outshined three other contestants with his pot of sizzling fried rice, egusi soup and Semovita. He smiled home with a pack of Calypso Coconut Liqueur and some other goodies. Olatunji Oladotun, a 200-level student of Physics won the Rap contest.

  • Synagogue yet to send manifest, says pathologist

    Synagogue yet to send manifest, says pathologist

    •’116 died in building’
    •Lawyer seeks to stop inquest

    A coronary inquest into last month’s building collapse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Lagos, yesterday heard that victims of the disaster died from traumatic asphxia.

    The state Chief Medical Examiner (CME) and forensic pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa made the disclosure during an inquiry before Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe.

    Obafunwa said though the conclusive medical report was not ready yet, there are reasons from autopsy to ascribe the cause of death to traumatic asphxia as a result of crush injury.

    He said a total of 116 people died from the incident, contrary to the official 86 given by the rescue agencies and the 115 death toll which was reported long after the operation ended.

    Obafunwa stated that 116th body was brought in on September 22, after a patient who sustained injury during the disaster passed on at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    He told the coroner that 46 bodies were deposited at Isolo General Hospital’s mortuary – six at LASUTH mortuary (before the death recorded on September 22) and 63 at the Mainland Hospital’s mortuary in Yaba.

    Explaining the role his team played, Obafunwa said that autopsy of external appearance, clothing and photographs were taken, while internal examination of various injuries were documented.

    The CME stated that only five families totalling 10 persons have turned up for DNA samples at the state pathology department, expressing fears that case of missing persons will arise if more families do not come forward to donate samples for identification. He disclosed that some of the bodies were already decomposed because of heat.

    Obafunwa stressed that the heat was not as a result of fire or explosion but because of the temperature variance underneath the rubble.

    The chief pathologist said  some of the bodies were mutilated, with severe cuts, multiple injuries, fractured ribs and bones, adding that following the decomposing nature, the bodies were embalmed.

    “We took samples of subsequent examination for the purpose of DNA analysis and the dental team moved in for dental charting. Prior to the commencement of the autopsy, the bodies were finger-printed. Five families came forward – two members from each.

    “All these were packaged in addition to 116 bone samples, 116 muscle samples of autopsy cases among others were shipped to the laboratory currently doing the DNA. At the moment, the autopsy report, dental report and photographs are being put together and will be included in the microscopic findings.

    “But we are awaiting three things before the final submission – report of the finger printing, DNA analysis and the list of those who might have been resident or working in the building. With all that, we should be able to come up with our final report,” said Obafunwa.

    Obafunwa said autopsy was performed on embalmed bodies that were decomposing.

    The church did not cross-examine Obafunwa on grounds that its needed time to study his deposition. The court obliged.

    In his evidence, the representative of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, said they were not allowed to complete control of the disaster site.

    But the church, through its counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said NEMA officials were let into the premises within five minutes with one vehicle.

    NEMA, however, said its men came with an Incident Response Vehicle (IRV) with about 30 equipment, adding that the church provided 11 ambulances that were used in evacuating the affected persons to hospitals.

    Meanwhile, the Federal High Court in Lagos has been urged to discontinue the inquest on the incident.

    A lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje is seeking an order stopping Justice  Komolafe from sitting over further inquest hearings on the collapse.

    He joined the state, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Adeola Ipaye and Mr Komolafe as respondents.

    The state constituted on September 26 under its Coroner’s System Law No. 7 of 2007 to investigate the causes and circumstances of the collapse.

    The coroner, who began sitting on October 13, had visited locus in quo (scene of the event). He also summoned the church’s leader, T.B Joshua, to appear on November 5.

    Ogungbeje contended that the composition of the inquest negates the principle of natural justice and Section 36 of the Constitution, and therefore should be declared unconstitutional and null and void.

    He argued that if allowed to continue, the proceedings would occasion miscarriage of justice.

    The lawyer said the coroner would base his decision on the testimonies of the same state officials who indicted Joshua and his church.

    Ogungbeje said the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), Building Control Agency, Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) and others made public and prejudicial statements on  the cause of the incident.

    He said Joshua’s claim that an aircraft hovered over the building prior to its fall, and that it could have been sabotaged, was ignored.

     

  • ‘I need help before he slaughters me’

    •I’m under spell, husband tells court

    A middle-aged fashion designer, Muyibat Sakariyau, has taken her husband, Jelili, before the Alagbado Customary Court in Lagos to seek the dissolution of their 20-year-old marriage.

    “He is a drunk; I’m afraid he may stab me to death one day because he goes about in the house armed with a knife,” Muyibat told the court.

    She said: “For inexplicable reasons, my husband just chose not to work. Anytime he begs me for money and I tell him I am broke, he will threaten to destroy me. In fact, on a certain day when I declined to lend him money to buy paraga (herbal liquor), he beat me mercilessly after pouring water and urine on me. In defence, I hit his head head with of one my shoes. My husband has since been moving around the house with a knife, threatening to kill me.”

    “At my shop, he publicly harasses me and destroys my wares. Whenever our children request money, he rebukes them and refer them to to me. It is five years now since my husband took to excessive drinking. He doesn’t give us peace of mind let alone cater for us; so, I want a divorce,” she further alleged.

    Jelili, 47, said: “It is true that I once destroyed her wares and harassed her publicly. But since she brought the case to court, I have stopped. I think I am under a spell because I find it hard to quit alcohol. I poured water on her because she refused to lend me N300. I also wanted to prevent her from attending a party that day.

    “Whenever I have money, I give her. I found it laughable when she said I am a drunk; she too takes hard drinks. But I love her very much and I don’t want a divorce.

    The court President, Mr. Olubode Sekoni, advised them to maintain peace and adjourned the matter till November 3.

  • ‘Victoria Island motorists ‘ll smile soon’

    ‘Victoria Island motorists ‘ll smile soon’

    A detailed study of the traffic impact pattern of the Eko Atlantic City project on existing road network on Victoria Island is being carried out by the Lagos State Government.

    Commissioner for Transportation Kayode Opeifa made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting on the proposed rehabilitation of Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island.                He said the state government was also looking at other public transport options, hence the need to understand the current traffic pattern.

    He said the study would show to the government the challenges with a view to coming up with appropriate solutions.

    Opeifa said the government was concerned about the perennial flooding on Akin Adesola Street and the effect on businesses and residents. He promised that the current effort would completely take off flooding on the road.

    The Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said the Authority would ensure the rehabilitation of the road drainage in a way that takes into consideration the smooth running of businesses along the street.

    He said apart from the enlarged stakeholders’ meeting, LAMATA would continue to engage property owners with a view to addressing their concerns and other issues that might arise as a result of the road rehabilitation.

    LAMATA’s Director of Roads, Mr. Funsho Elulade, said the 1.6 kilometre-long project would be constructed within a year.

    The Secretary of the Victoria Island, Ikoyi Residents Association (VIIRA) Alhaji AbdulLatif Muse, thanked the government for the upgrading of the road and other projects in the area.

    He tasked the government to clean up the canals around Victoria Island/Ikoyi to help address the perennial flooding that has sacked many residents from the homes in the area.

     

  • Customs moves against trans-border crime

    Customs moves against trans-border crime

    •Restricts vehicular movements

    The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up efforts to combat trans-border crime.

    The command said this is in line with the Federal Government’s measures to ensure improved national security, especially at the border.

    The command’s Area Comptroller, Willy Egbudin, led other security agencies operating at the border at the beginning of the campaign for trans-national border security.

    He said: “The global travelling and trading system has, in recent times, been vulnerable to criminals and terrorist attacks. If left unchecked, it could adversely affect nations and global economic system.”

    Egbudin described Seme as the busiest border in West Africa because of its strategic location between two major commercial cities – Lagos and Cotonou.

    The NCS chief said the border also hosts a number of travellers and traders, adding: “The increase in legitimate trade and travels across the frontier comes with a lot of economic advantages. It is accompanied also by smuggling and other cross-border crimes. Therefore, in view of the foregoing, security agencies have been collaborating for a coordinated management.”

    Egbudin said NCS’ counterpart in Benin Republic was also involved in the fight against trans-border crimes.

    He traced such crimes to the mode of transport, saying: “We have been receiving reports of unsuspecting travellers being disposed of their valuables by some unscrupulous commercial motorcyclists. We have also got reports of cyclists who were dispossessed of their motorcycles by some criminals posing as passengers.”

    The area comptroller regretted that some motorcyclists did not live to tell their stories because they were reportedly murdered by their “passengers”.

    He said: “Investigation has also shown that these nefarious acts and other cross-border crimes are mostly committed at night.”

    To tackle trans-border crimes, Egbudin said security agencies, in collaboration with the Association of Commercial Motorcyclists and Tricyclists decided to take proactive security measures at Seme border.

    According to him, the activities in the area had been restricted to 6am to 10pm, even as he warned that violators of the directive would be prosecuted.

    The measures, he stressed, became necessary because the nation was passing through security challenges.

    Egbudin said the solution rested with all Nigerians to ensure that the precarious security situation was not exploited by those pretending to champion national development or those pretending to be human rights defenders.

    The NCS chief, who urged Nigerians to unite to protect the nation, disclosed that the Seme command handled exports worth N4.9 billion in the first six months of this year.

    Egbudin said goods exported within the period included plastics, furniture, fruits, drinks, mattresses, beer and slippers, among others.

    He added that the total for Nigeria’s Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) was N24.5 million.

    Egbudin noted that despite the challenges of the Atlantic and porous terrain of the command, it suppressed smuggling and related offences.

    The NCS chief said the feat was recorded through increased enforcement, enlightenment of the border communities and educating the public on the dangers of smuggling.

    He said 18 suspects were arrested within the period while their cases were being investigated or prosecuted, adding that the command also made 487 seizures with a duty paid value (DPV) of N196.2 million.

     

  • Rotary’s 1000 limbs for the disabled

    Rotary’s 1000 limbs for the disabled

    The President, Rotary Club of Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos State, Dr. Christopher Anyakorah, has sought the support of well-meaning Nigerians for the less-privileged.

    He made the call during his inauguration at the Le Real Hotel, Ajah, assuring that the club would give 1000 artificial limbs to disabled persons across the country.

    Anyakorah said the club was making its little contributions towards enhancing the wellbeing of the less-privileged in the society.

    He maintained that it is the tradition of Rotary Club to improve the lot of the people within its areas of operation, stressing that it had impacted positively in the lives of residents of VGC and Ajah through several projects.

    He explained that the donation of artificial limbs to disabled across the country was informed by the need to look beyond Ajah for such people, explaining: “There is will be no tribal, educational or social barrier. We just want to extend our kind heart to fellow human beings who have been constrained by their inability to freely move about and fulfil God’s purposes in their lives.”

    The Rotarian said that one of his major assignments when he took over the mantle to lead the club was a visit to the Arrow of God Orphanage, where bags of food items, toiletries, clothes and learning materials were donated.

    He said the club paid its electricity bill of N250,000 and promised to support the home in other areas of urgent needs.

    “I want to use this opportunity to appeal to Nigerians, particularly those who have more than enough to eat, to remember these people who can barely afford basic needs for survival. We were actively involved in educating VGC residents about the dreaded Ebola Virus; we are also considering the establishment of a vocational school in Lekki Peninsula; this will include a residential, multi-faceted volunteer-based institution to handle mechanics, tailoring, cooking and carpentry,” he said.

    Anyakorah assured that the club would continue to cater for the educational needs of the schools it has adopted, stressing that his administration would supply free drugs to hospitals and clinics in the interest of Nigerians who cannot afford costs of medical treatments.