The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • ‘I don’t want him anymore, he is irresponsible’

    A 34-year-old singer, Titilayo Ogunshola, is seeking the dissolution of her 12 years old marriage at the Alakuko Customary Court in Lagos.

    She is asking the court to dissolve her marriage to Shola Ogunsola over what she described as constant attacks.

    “I don’t want him anymore. We had nothing when we got married, but we overcame every challenge. He is irresponsible. My husband can leave home for more than two months, leaving just N1, 500 for our upkeep. It has been three years since we lived together. My husband is yet to rent an apartment for me. My husband accused my children of sleeping with each other. But how is that possible? Yet, he didn’t see anything wrong in taking them to the police station. I have rented a new apartment now; so, all I want is my children; I don’t want to remain in the marriage anymore,” Titilayo said.

    But, Ogunshola, 41, a studio engineer, said his wife might have been hypnotised.

    “I love my wife because she stayed with me when we could barely make ends meet.  My wife and I used to buy foodstuffs on credit in those days; yet, she didn’t dump me!  So, I wonder how and why she has suddenly changed. She became very secretive, which has now made me to conceal any vital information from her.

    “She said I am irresponsible, but she has never paid our children’s school fees. Worse still, my children lack motherly care.

    “My daughter once complained of pains in her private parts. When she persistently kept complaining, I was forced to ask her the cause. Sadly, she said her brother ‘touched’ it. I was confused. I kept asking myself how and where.  I beat my son mercilessly until he confessed that my stepson, who lives with us, lured him into it. If my wife was available and responsible, my 12-year-old son wouldn’t have had carnal knowledge of his sister. If my wife was there, she would have taken proper care of our daughter and she would have educated our son because I was always out there to make ends meet.

    “I really want her back because my children need parental care and love. I don’t want enmity among my children,” he said in tears.

    The marriage is blessed with two children.

    The court’s President, Chief Godwin Awosola, said the children should be with their father.

    The case was adjourned till Thursday.

  • Two years after, kidnappers of Ondo broadcaster arrested

    Two years after, kidnappers of Ondo broadcaster arrested

    TWO members of a robbery/kidnap gang that abducted and raped a broadcater with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Akure, the Ondo State capital, two years ago have been arrested by the police in Lagos.

    They were arrested at Egbeda, Lagos suburb last month.

    Bashiru Raji (35) and Jacob Christian (35) were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja.

    Raji claimed to be from Odigbo in Ondo State and a mechanic with two wives and seven children. Christian is from Nkerefi in Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State. He is a rice trader in Oja-Oshodi Market in Akure.

    They were declared wanted by the Ondo State SARS for the kidnap of the newscaster. They were said to have taking to farming to evade arrest.

    The suspects were arrested when they attempted to rob a bank and a man said to have a large amount of dollars at home. Sources said the suspects would be transferred to Akure to answer charges against them.

    Raji said: “I am the one that drove my gang members the day the journalist was kidnapped. We were five but I only know the name of one person. I don’t know the name of the journalist. On the day we kidnapped her, we blocked her in Akure along the expressway junction that leads to Abuja and Lagos. I arrested one of our gang members Ebi when I heard he raped the journalist and handed him over to the vigilante. We collected N1 million as ransom and I got N200, 000 from it. Our leader is addressed as General. I have not robbed before. It was Ebi who sells Indian hemp in my compound that lured me into kidnap job’’.

    He said the gang’s plan to rob a bank and an Alhaji that keeps dollars and other foreign currencies at home was leaked to the police.

    The police, he said, arrested two of them while others escaped.

     ‘’I came from Delta State while Jacob came from Enugu State. We were to meet in Egbeda before going for the operation. It was only two of us that had arrived before SARS operatives stormed the place and arrested us’’.

    Christian said: “It was one of my friends that called me and told me that there was job that will pay big money and asked me if I was interested. I asked him what type of job and he said it was to kidnap a journalist. I got only N10,000 from the N1million. I sell rice and beans at Oja Oshodi market in Akure. I was not getting enough money so I joined the people selling Indian hemp. I even had Indian hemp farm in Ita Odogbolu in Akure North Local Government. It is just a plot. I used to harvest it every seven months.

    Each time I harvest and sell, I make N150,000.  I used to sell it to buyers from northern states of Nigeria three years ago. I did not know what got into me to join these kidnappers and robbers.

  • Police under attack for detaining three nine-year old girls

    Police under attack for detaining three nine-year old girls

    The police have come under attack for detaining three nine-year-old girls.

    The girls were kept in custody at the Ajegunle Police Station in Lagos on Tuesday and released yesterday.

    Their parents are demanding that they be compensated for what they described as unlawful detention. They are also asking for public apology by the police.

    The girls were detained following complaints by a woman that her seven-year-old son was defiled by them.

    It was gathered that the incident occurred at Bale Aiyetoro street, Ajegunle.

    The boy’s mother was said to have told the police that her son was raped by the trio.

    Following her report, the police moved to the girls houses and arrested them.

    But the girl’s families are claiming that the boy’s mother is framing up their daughters to extort them.

    Police sources said all the girls were arrested at home.

    One of the girls’ father said his daughter was a victim of circumstance.

    He said the complainant’s mother is demanding N60,000 each from the three families for medical expenses, adding that his daughter was  framed up for the purpose of  extortion.

    One of their neighbours said the police arrested the girls because they wanted money from their parents.

    He said if the boy was older, his mother’s story would be believable, adding that the girls may be innocent.

    The man said the girls were too young to gang rape a little boy, adding that the police would not have detained them if they truly want to investigate the case.

    He asked: “How can a boy not up to seven years old make love to three girls above his age? Nobody will believe that story. I think the whole saga is a frame up, aimed at extorting money from the girls parents.

    “That the police detained the three girls is even wrong because they are underage and are not supposed to be in such cell. Even if they did what they were accused of, the police are only hardening them. They should have found a way to counsel them. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) would come out tomorrow to say he was not aware they were detained but its all lies, because they are still there”.

    Another parent of one of the girls asked: “How can the three girls be making love to the small boy at the back yard of their residence when people are usually within the compound? Can the police who detained our daughters produce scientific proof that the girls had carnal knowledge of the minor? We should not lose our senses in this country because of filthy lucre.”

  • ‘My wife denies me sex on pretext of attending vigil’

    A 39-year-old businessman, Oluwasegun Oyedeji, has prayed the Customary Court in Alakuko, a Lagos suburb, to dissolve his 10-year old marriage.

    He is seeking the dissolution of his marriage to Basirat for allegedly harassing him at his work place, denying him sex and being stubborn.

    He said: “My wife is not caring at all. She doesn’t treat my relations with respect. We were ejected from three different houses because of my wife’s bad character.

    “Our first child was 41 days old when we began to experience a crack in our marriage. My parents and my in-law knew everything that happened in our home. This was because we were living with my parents while a fence separated us from my in-law. My wife was complaining that she was not comfortable living in my parents’ house, so I thought she needed her privacy and we moved into my uncompleted house, two weeks after, my wife complained she could not stand the sight of rodents in the house, especially when she was in the kitchen. Whenever I wanted to make love to her, she always hid under the cover of attending a vigil. I was frustrated and had to rent another apartment because we already had three children. Actually, that was the last time we lived as a couple.

    “She once created a scene of sorts in my place of work when she insisted on having the custody of our children. She claimed to be protective of her children, but our five- year- old child was raped under her care, a situation that later resulted in an infection in her private part. Now, it has started festering. I want my children to live with me because my wife can hardly take care of herself.”

    His wife denied the allegations, saying: “He doesn’t care about our children’s welfare. He was responsible for our being ejected from our first apartment. This is the third year since we did anything together as a couple. He only caters for the children’s needs.  Contrary to his claims, I did not disrespect any of his siblings and my daughter is hale and hearty.”

    The couple has three children: Fuad (11), Aliyah (8) and Muinat (5).

    The court’s President, Chief Godwin Awosola, ordered Mrs. Oyedeji to pay N5, 000 for rough-handling the court’s staff who served her the summons.

    The case was adjourned till September 15, for dissolution.

  • Court adjourns trial of suspected police killers, pipeline vandals

    The Federal High Court in Lagos adjourned yesterday till October 9 the trial of 20 persons accused of killing nine policemen and vandalising pipelines at Arepo, Ogun State on May 24.

    Their trial was billed to begin yesterday after they were denied bail on Monday. Justice Okon Abang, on resumption of the matter yesterday, further adjourned it because his court was full.

    He denied the defendants bail on Monday because of the severity of the offence.

    The suspects, who were in court, were taken back to prison custody.

    Denying them bail on Monday, Justice Abang said: “On account of the severity of punishment if found guilty, it is my view that it is not safe to admit the accused persons to bail.

    “I have my doubt that if granted bail, the accused persons would appear in court and attend trial nothwithstanding their innocence until proven guilty.

    “I am not inclined to exercise my discretion in their favour by admitting them to bail,” the judge held.

    The 20 accused persons were arraigned on August 7 on 14-count charges bordering on conspiracy, pipeline vandalism, oil theft and unlawful killings.

    They pleaded not guilty to the offences.

    They are Felix Yayu, Ijoufaya, Yakubu Ebiwei, Augustine Ebiwei, Tamara Dembofa, Owei Atile, Agbara Tiewei, Rufus Godwin, Tiery Koiyetin and Ebis Sobijoh.

    Others are Ibori Lawrence, Eberebu Ibori, Atinuke Odewale, Fatai Ishola, Ahmed Bashorun, Odewale Waheed, Susan Viana,  Tuesday Filatei, Yeiyah Yellow and Ismail Abdullahi.

    The police alleged that they were behind the May 24 illegal oil bunkering operation at Arepo that led to the killing of the nine police officers.

    The diseased police officers are an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abdullahi Bature; Inspectors Raymond Oriere, Usman Mohammed, Tijani Jimoh, Oguntihemen Kolawole; Corporals Elogbamen Timothy, Yakubu Aliyu, Usman Abdukarim and Dauda Mohammed.

    The alleged offences contravene sections 3(6), 4(a), 7 (a) (b), 17 (a) of the Miscellanous Offences Act Cap M17 and Section 319 of the Criminal Code, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

    In their applications, the accused persons through their lawyers had urged the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms.

    Some of them said they had been in the prison custody for between 60 and 90 days, adding that they were innocent of the allegations levelled against them.

    Others argued that they were randomly arrested at various locations different from the crime scene and that when the police searchedof their houses, nothing incriminating or linking them to the alleged crimes was found.

    But in its counter affidavit, the police urged the court not to grant the bail applications, saying it was not in the interest of justice.

    According to the prosecution, the accused persons were found in possession of items such as pump action guns, locally made rifles, military uniform, military camouflage and some petroleum products.

    The prosecution also argued that there was adequate medical facilities in the prisons custody enough to cater to the health needs of the accused who are currently remanded at the Ikoyi prisons.

  • Lagos warns against stigmatising Ebola survivors

    Lagos warns against stigmatising Ebola survivors

    •Govt takes up case of two discharged patients

    THE Lagos State Government warned yesterday against stigmatising Ebola survivors, saying it has taken up two of such cases.

    The duo, he said, had complained of stigmatisation at their workplaces and homes despite being given a clean bill of health

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris said the government directed the Ministry of Justice to take up their case because stigmatisation constitutes a violation of their fundamental human rights.

    He said the social problem being faced by discharged patients ranged from eviction from their accommodation and termination of employment.

    He said: “We’ve had cases of employers just terminating the employment of their staff who were just mere contacts, not even suspected cases. We believe this is unfair and we feel this impedes on their fundamental human rights. I wish to implore all Lagosians not to stigmatise all cases and contacts that have been given a clean bill of health and passionately urge all of us and all employers inclusive to facilitate their reintegration to the society.

    “Stigmatisation will further make contacts and suspects to go underground and continue to reverse the gains so far made in the containment and management of this outbreak. That’s why it is essential that people should stop the stigmatisation.”

    The commissioner urged anybody, whether a discharged patient or a contact followed up, who is stigmatised to petition the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney-General of Lagos State that will take that matter up on their behalf.

    He denied that a new case of Ebola has been recorded, saying the only case currently being treated was a contact brought in from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    Idris reiterated the government’s commitment to contain the spread of Ebola, saying out of the 356 contacts traced, 345 cases were discharged and cleared while 19 persons are yet to conclude their follow up.

    “Those on surveillance are enjoined not to travel out of the state and should alert the rapid response on manifestation of symptoms or signs.

    “We’ve also had serious meeting with mortuary operators because this is another area that might facilitate the spread of the disease.

    “We have given them protocols they need to follow when they are dealing with suspected cases.  We also want to urge operators to adhere to the professional best practices when handling such corpses”.

    On the First Consultants Hospital, where the first case was recorded, he said the facility has been decontaminated and also certified to reopen for business.

  • My husband is a womaniser, says wife

    He demarcated our room, claiming to be tired of me. He also complains bitterly each time I return from work at odd hours. What else does he want? Why is he jealous?”

    These were the words of 31-year-old Funmilayo Alabi, as she sought the dissolution of her 14-year-old marriage to Babatunde Alabi. She claimed that her husband is irresponsible.

    The marriage has produced three children: Moses (12), Damilare (5) and Derin (1).

    Mrs Alabi said:”I was barely 19 years old when we started living as a couple. He was the first man in my life. I did almost everything he wanted because I tried to avoid trouble at all times. My husband derives pleasure in beating me and womanising under my nose. A neighbour and friend once told me that our first child had a striking resemblance with her lover. But I told her we were created in twos. I never knew my husband was her lover, until I caught them red-handed.

    “ Our family members had tried unsuccessfully to resolve our marital problems at different times but to no avail. I nurse different infections because of my husband’s unbridled lifestyle. He plays his role as a father to his children, but I am tired of being his punching bag”.

    Her husband said he was also tired of the marriage. Alabi said: “My wife is fond of going through my phone each time I drop it. I have advised her to stop listening to rumours because I detest it. Yes, I beat her whenever she rains curses on me and accuses me wrongly but she once attacked me with a cutlass and inflicted a deep cut in my body. She is too temperamental. It has been four months since I slept with her. I don’t love her anymore and I also want the marriage dissolved.”

    The court’s President, Chief Godwin Awosola, ordered Mr. Alabi to bring N55, 000 for his wife to rent another apartment and N7, 000 for his children’s upkeep at the next hearing. The case was adjourned till September 15.

  • Monarch seeks assistance to complete palace

    The Osolo of Isolo in Lagos State, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, has praised Governor Babatunde Fashola for his projects in the area.

    Agbabiaka spoke during the commemoration of his 10th anniversary in his palace.

    He called on the governor and members of the community to assist in completing his palace, adding that about N30million is needed for its completion.

    The monarch lauded his subjects for their cooperation since his coronation.

  • Policemen in desperate search for snatched rifle

    Police operatives in the Lagos state command are making desperate efforts to recover the AK47 snatched from one of their men by some aggrieved motorcyclists in Mushin on Sunday.

    Sources at the command headquarters in Ikeja from where the policemen pulled out for the operation said the rifle was yet to be recovered.

    It was also gathered that there was a clash between motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders on Monday at Oshodi following an attempt by policemen to impound more motorcycles in an effort to trace those who snatched their rifle.

    Eyewitnesses said it was a free for all fight as motorcyclists in their numbers attacked the policemen, wounding some.

    The riders who were joined by social miscreants, smashed vehicle windscreens and caused traffic gridlock, forcing commuters to ran for safety.

    Some anti-riot policemen from the command headquarters were deployed to the scene to restore sanity.

    It was also learnt that some motorcyclist were arrested around Ladipo area and their motorcycles impounded.

    On Sunday evening, policemen who were patrolling in a vehicle marked ‘OPS Attack’, arrested one of the motorcyclists at Oshodi for plying illegal route.

    The motorcyclist was said to have mobilised four other motorcyclists who followed the policemen to Ojekunle junction, Ladipo and dragged the motorcycle from the two policemen behind patrol van, snatching their rifle in the process.

    An eyewitness said: “As the policeman hit the okada man on the head, another forcefully snatched the gun and pointed it at the policemen in the patrol vehicle. The Inspector who led the police team ordered the driver to stop and they all disembarked from the vehicle and fled. The okada rider also mounted one of the motorcycles and fled with the rifle.”

    A senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the policemen would be disciplined by the force.

    The source said: “Those policemen were just after money. That is why they will stand and watch hoodlums snatch their rifle. We are still looking for those miscreants who snatch the rifle and am sure we will get them”.

     

  • Boko Haram to use female bombers in southwest

    Rev. Prophet Dr. C. O. Irapada Obisanya of the Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria (Agbala Iwosan) at Oko-Oba, Abule-Egba, Lagos, has urged the Yoruba ethnic group to together and pray against the evil plans of the Boko Haram against the land.

    She revealed that the sect is planning to use female Islamic youths been as suicide bombers in the southwest. Their target would be politicians.

    Obisanya called for prayers against this impending attack which she said would lead to political crisis in the country.

    She said God told her to plead with Nigerians, home and abroad to embark on a nine days dry fast and prayer to avert the evil plans and for God to restore peace and revoke every form of war in the country.

    Obisanya called on former president Olusegun Obasanjo to use wisdom to resolve the ongoing bloodshed in the north, adding that God has chosen him and would work through him.