The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Passenger slumps, dies at airport

    Passenger slumps, dies at airport

    •Ebola test on him proved negative, says FAAN

    There was anxiety at the arrival floor of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos yesterday as a passenger on queue at the Port Health Unit of the terminal building slumped and died.

    It was while the passenger, Mr. Akunne Osei, was waiting to collect his vaccination and inoculation certificate otherwise known as “Yellow Card.”

    The passenger, who was identified as a Nigerian, was said to be on his way to Ghana for medical attention.

    The incident coincided with the maiden visit of the new Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, who inspected facilities at both the domestic and international terminals of the airport.

    Sources at the airport said that the passenger arrived Lagos last Friday for business transactions and took ill in the process.

    When his health worsened, the sources said, he called his Accra, Ghana-based doctor, who advised him to return for further medical treatment.

    Confirming the incident, spokesman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati, said: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a Nigerian passenger residing in Accra, who arrived Lagos for business transactions aboard an Arik Air flight on August 8, has died at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on his way back to Accra.

    “The passenger, Mr. Akunne Osei took ill on Saturday, August 9, and started stooling. When the situation got worse, he called his doctor in Accra who instructed him to return to Ghana immediately for further treatment. During boarding formalities for his return trip to Accra, at the international terminal of the MMIA, Mr. Osei, who had obviously become weak at this time, was subjected to Ebola Virus test by port health officials, the result of which was negative.”

    He added: “No further attention was paid to him after his Ebola Virus result read negative, but the passenger later slumped and died around the port health office. This release is necessary to forestall the possible dissemination of unfounded and misleading media reports on the unfortunate incident.”

    One of his relations that accompanied him to the airport was shouting his name after he collapsed.

    Worried over the incident, security officials at the airport restricted access towards the area where the man lay lifeless on the floor. It was learnt that aviation security and medical personnel to the body to a nearby morgue.

  • Judge remands 20 suspected vandals in prison

    Judge remands 20 suspected vandals in prison

    Justice Okon Abang of the Lagos Federal High Court has ordered that 20 suspected pipeline vandals be remanded in prison over the Arepo, Ogun State shootout last May.

    His order followed the arraignment of the accused by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism.

    The accused, comprising two women and 18 men, were arraigned on a 12-count charge of killing seven policemen in the encounter that led to an explosion at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline.

    They are: Felix Yayu, Ijoufaya Legbe, Yakubu Ebiwei, Augustine Ebiwei, Tamara Dembofa, Owei Atile, Agbara Tiewei, Rufus Godwin, Tierry Koiyetin, Ebis Sobijoh, and Ibori Lawrence.

    Others are: Eberebu Ibori, Atinuke Odewale, Fatai Bolaji Ishola, Ahmed Bashoru, Odewale Waheed, Susan Vianana, Tuesday Filatei, Yeiyah Yello and Ismail Abdullahi.

    On May 24, The Nation reported that there was a shootout between some suspected vandals and policemen attached to the Special Task Force, leading to an explosion and disappearance of nine policemen.

    The missing policemen are Inspectors: Kolawole Oguntihemen, Raymond Oriere, Usman Mohammed, Tijani Jimoh, and Corporals Elogbamen Timothy, Yakubu Aliyu, Usman Abdukarim and Dauda Mohammed.

    The charge reads:  ”That you, Felix Yayu, 20 others and some others at large on May 24, 2014 at about 9am, at Arepo area, near Ikorodu, Lagos State in Lagos Judicial Divisions, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit; tampering with oil pipeline and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Federation.”

    The sixth count reads: “That you, Felix Yayu, 20 others and others still at large on May 24, 2014 at about 9am at Arepo area near Lagos in the Lagos Judicial Division of this Honorable Court did unlawfully kill one Inspector Raymond Oriere by shooting him with a pump-action gun and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 319 of the Criminal Code Cap C38 Laws of the Federation 2004.”

    The prosecution led by Matthew Omosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the offence is punishable under the criminal code, noting that the accused pleaded not guilty.

    Justice Abang promised a speedy trial because of the nature of the case. The female accused were remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Prison; the men were taken to Ikoyi Prison. He adjourned the case till August 19 and 20 for trial.

    A team of investigators led by Xpress Omogui, DSP from the Force Headquarters, Abuja witnessed the proceedings.

  • Group seeks improved local government system

    Group seeks improved local government system

    A non-governmental organisation, Human Development Initiative (HDI), has expressed the need for all local government councils across the country to account for the financial resources allocated to them.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos, its Executive Director, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, wondered why the local government councils do not make their budgets public; why there is no conversation with the constituents on them and why their execution is not often reviewed.

    He said that the councils should be able to clarify how much they are spending on salary, development and capital expenditure from their budgets.

    “We want the local government to work with community development associations to know what the people need. This will enable the citizens to have a voice in the way local government budget is prepared and implemented.

    ”What is clear to us is that the local government is not regarded, yet they are the closest to the people and the shortest and most efficient route to development. If we are going to develop the system, then we must develop our local government councils because they are the ones that will bring the immediate development to the people in terms of health, education, water and good roads,” he said.

    The group, Owasanoye said, aims at creating a platform to justify and create more recognition for the local government system as very few people know what is happening there.

    “We do not follow the review of the budget allocated to them and yet, they get more money although it is not adequate. But then, they should use the little well and account for it.

    “We all follow the review on the allocation of resources to the states and the federal government, but here is none for the local government and they are given money annually. This is increasing the level of corruption and non-tolerance in the country. Citizens should come out and voice it that they want to know how their money is being spent. We need to remove secrecy from how the local government runs and bring up a structure that prescribes how it should be,” he added.

    He called on lawmakers to make laws accessible with penalty on any local government that fails to report their budgetary spending.

    A senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr Dayo Ayoade, added: “We must be able to find transparency and accountability in the local government system. This is not in prevalence because the people don’t ask questions, an attitude that is borne out of lack of information; hence, the democratic participation of the citizens is not there.

    “To ensure that the local government have reporting obligations, they should be compelled by the law to report their budget”, he said.

    Budget watch programme officer of HDI, Mr Samuel Ajayi noted that there is high level of corruption at the local government level and the attitude with which the funds are being used is of great concern. This is increasing the level of poverty in our society, he said.

  • Woman bites off rival’s ear

    A fight over a lover boy turned bloody yesterday when a woman bit off the ear of another for allegedly attempting to snatch her man at Badore, a suburb of Lagos.

    The woman, who is simply identified as Iyabo, was said to have caught the victim, Kemi, with her lover and demanded to know what she was doing with him.

    Kemi, who was also infuriated for discovering that her man was sharing her with someone else, told Iyabo off, threatening to deal with her if she saw her anywhere near her man again.

    An eyewitness said Kemi mocked Iyabo, calling her a fool who should be ashamed of herself for thinking that she could claim the sole ownership of a man she was not married to.

    The source said: “As Kemi uttered these derogatory words against Iyabo, she held her blouse and Kemi held hers too. They were both trying to strangle themselves but the man at the middle of the issue would not allow them. He made efforts to separate them, but they would not listen”.

    The man, who was simply identified as Adeyomi, told Iyabo to understand that they were only unmarried friends and so, should not create a scene over a simple matter that could be resolved amicably.

    It was gathered that when all efforts to stop Iyabo from fighting Kemi failed, Adeyomi warned her not to come closer to him again because he had found a new lover in Kemi since she would not listen to him.

    Enraged further by Adeyomi’s stance, Iyabo was said to have angrily pushed Kemi into drainage nearby.

    She was said to have jumped on Kemi inside the drainage and before passersby could intervene to separate them, she allegedly bit off her ear.

    The source also said that Iyabo’s relations who witnessed the incident, attempted to rush Kemi to a private hospital, but she refused. Adeyomi later took her to a clinic where she was treated.

    After her treatment, Kemi reported the matter to the police at Badore.

  • Panic over boy’s deteriorating health

    Panic over boy’s deteriorating health

    •Four-year old can’t sit, stand, walk

    At four, he is supposed to do what kids his age do – sit, stand and walk. But Oluwatomiwa Abraham Ogunleye cannot do any of these.

    For over three-and-a-half years, he has been nursing an ailment that has stunted his growth. The disease has left his head unusually big.

    With no father to cater for him, his mother, Mrs Titilope Ogunleye, is helpless because she cannot afford the cost of his treatment.

    “I do think a lot these days because there is nobody to lend me a helping hand as his health grows worse by the day. I can’t help crying most times because he too cries often. Just last week, I woke up to find myself at a clinic. Oluwatomiwa’s problem has become a huge burden on me. I just hope I will live to see him get over this; somebody may show him mercy,” the weeping woman told The Nation at her Isolo, Lagos home yesterday.

    She looked frustrated as she held the boy in both hands, amid soothing words from neighbours who advised her not to lose hope.

    Oluwatomiwa was barely four months old when he developed malaria and jaundice and his mother took him to hospital in Osun State.

    “He was given antibiotics and he got well again. But a month later, we had another problem to grapple with as his head began to swell,” Mrs Ogunleye said, adding: “Following series of tests and x-rays, it was discovered that his head is filled with water and puss.”

    “The whole problem started when I was still in Osun State. I took him to various orthodox and herbal hospitals in Osun, Edo and Ogun states to mention a few; yet, the problem persisted. At a point, I had to follow my uncle to Lagos in September last year in search of possible solution. I have since been on it,” Mrs Ogunleye said.

    The woman said she spent over N800,000 at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where a surgery was done on the head after various tests and  drugs.

    Rather than improve, the child’s condition worsened. This led her to cry out to Nigerians through The Nation on September 10, last year.

    The paper carried an account under the name, Titilope Oyewole, at Wema Bank Plc with number, 0226456809, with Mrs Ogunleye’s phone number: 08132714060.

    Earlier, Sponsor a Child, a non-governmental organisation, found a specialist hospital in the United Kingdom (UK), where the treatment would cost N5 million.

    “Following the publication, some Good Samaritans helped us with some money which I have been spending on procuring his drugs and food. The gesture sustained him this far but all is gone now. I’m tired of begging to buy his drugs because the assistance is no longer forthcoming.

    “My two other children are out of school since I can’t sponsor them while struggling to keep their brother alive. This burden is too crippling for me to bear. All good mothers and fathers across the world should rise to help me rescue my child from the brink of death,” Mrs Ogunleye pleaded.

  • Students explain award on Perm Sec’

    Students explain award on Perm Sec’

    When you give honour to the deserving, it is a vital incentive for others to work honestly for it and our society is better for it. And by so doing, we are part of the overall efforts to rebuild the society.”

    With these words, the President, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Comrade Ganiyu Salvador, explained why the union conferred “Ambassador” of the institution on the Permanent Secretary/Auditor-General for Local Governments in the state, Alhaji Mubashiru M. Hassan.

    Salvador and other executive members of the union presented the plaque to Hassan, who is a former student and lecturer at the institution, at his Ikeja office last week.

    The students’ leader, who said some of them were not born in 1986 when Hassan left the school, explained that the Auditor-General made his mark in the institution.

    “M.M Hassan has remained a household name in the institution till date. When we did our home work as to why it is so, we came to an inspiring conclusion that the man is an epitome of service and a dependable ex-student of the prestigious institution.

    “It, therefore, dawned on us that it would be an unforgivable disservice to the spirit of our dear school and the future of our fatherland should we fail to recognise the exemplary contributions of the few like our own M.M Hassan. If such people are honestly honoured, others like them will naturally be propelled to do more in the interest of the school and the society at large,” he said.

  • ‘I’m tired of my wife’s troubles’

    A 35-year-old man, Tony Okafor, has sought  to divorce his wife, Ijeoma, at a Customary Court in Agege, a Lagos suburb. He is accusing her of embarrassing him at his office and being disrespectful of his siblings.

    Okafor said he left their Abule-Egba, Lagos home when his wife’s troubles became unbearable, adding that his boss threatened to sack him if Ijeoma didn’t stop coming to his office.

    Okafor, who said the 12-year-old union has produced two children, added:”I am always scared of going home. The landlord of the new house we rented has threatened to eject me at the expiration of my rent because of my wife.

    Mrs Okafor, however, told the court: “I love my husband and he loves me too. Each time my husband visits his brother and returns home, his attitude changes towards me. My brother-in-law is my husband’s mouth piece. We still live in the same room and do everything expected of a couple.

    “I prepared his meal this morning and we ate together. Our three-year-old son is dimwitted; we have never gone separately to visit him at the hospital. I married Tony because he has a very good character. With him, my mind is at peace. He is too shy to kill a fly let alone hurt me. The problem starts when his brother intervenes. If he wants a divorce, he should pay me off with N10million.”

    It was learnt during mediation that Okafor’s brother’s grouse is that they have children out of wedlock.

    The court president, Mr Adekunle Wiiliams, advised Okafor to handle his marriage and not allow his brother to control him. The case was adjourned till September 4 for judgment.

  • Why I killed my mistress, by suspect

    Why I killed my mistress, by suspect

    Why`did 31-year-old Kenechukwu Williams kill his mistress, Njideka Lizzy Nzewi, the Managing Director of Edmark International, a networking company?

    The suspect said in Lagos yesterday that he killed the woman for cheating on him.

    Williams spoke at the Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, where he was paraded by Commissioner Umar Manko. He, however, described the act as “the devil’s work”.

    The suspect, who is wanted in South Africa for another murder case, allegedly strangled Nzewi (39), on July 19 at her Green Estate in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos home.

    Williams, who deals in second-hand clothes in Accra, Ghana, said he met the late Nzewi in 2011 during her business trip to the country.

    “We met again last year in Nnewi, Anambra State, at a function. I re-introduced myself to her and we got talking. We agreed after some few months to date and that was how we started”, he said.

    Manko said on July 19, Williams strangled Nzewi and fled to Ghana with her  Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and other valuables.

    “When the matter was reported, the Commander, Area ‘E’ Command, FESTAC, Mr Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner (ACP), contacted Interpol which trailed the suspect to Ghana where he was arrested. But he had obtained a new international passport with the surname of the woman. He was already leaving Ghana when he was arrested at the border,” the police chief said.

    Reliving how he strangled his mistress, Williams said: “She came home late that evening and while we were together in her room, her phone started ringing. I asked her to pick the call but she refused. The name of the caller was Ifeanyi and I knew he was not her brother. When she refused, I picked the call and put it on speaker. Immediately, the caller said ‘hello dear’, apparently thinking she was the one. She angrily took the phone from me and switched it off. I collected the phone and smashed it on the floor.

    “She angrily slapped me and I retaliated. She held my manhood tightly; I was in severe pains. To free myself, I held a wrapper hanging on her neck and tried to strangle her. As we were struggling, we both fell on her bed and later on the floor. I discovered she was no longer breathing and out of fear I decided to escape”.

    The suspect said he left her body on the floor, took her ATM card and the keys to her car, adding: “Together with the security guard, we drove to a bank at FESTAC Town around 3am the next day. I withdrew N140,000. Realising that it would be risky to go back home as her elder brother would come into the house around 7am, I dismissed the security man and headed for Seme border and finally, Ghana.”

    The late Nzewi’s security guard, John Tungwin, said: “When Williams woke me up, I did not know he had finished packing his things into the car. He gave me my madam’s ATM card and asked me to go and withdraw N100,000, adding that he was going to club. After giving him the money when I returned from the bank, he asked me to open the gate that he was going to pick one of his friends that would go with them, adding that madam was complained of weakness.

    “At that point, I suspected something was wrong. Around 10am, madam’s daughter, Chineye went into her room but nobody opened the door for her. I went to the next compound, carried a ladder and climbed to madam’s room. Fortunately the window was open. I looked in and saw madam’s lifeless body on the floor. I came down, called the house maid and told her what I saw. I could not tell her children. I then called her elder brother who also came, saw and then called the police”.

    The brother, Christian Mekwulu, claimed the suspect killed his sister because of money.

    Manko advised single women to be carefull when entering into any relationship with strange men, particularly younger ones.

  • Chadian remanded for ‘defiling’ minors

    A 25-year-old Chadian was yesterday remanded in Ikoyi Prisons by on Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly assaulting two minors.

    Jubril Asli, who works as a guard in Lekki, Lagos, was alleged to have indecently inserted his fingers into the private parts of his victims.

    He was brought before Magistrate I.O. Omotosho for committing an offence punishable under Section 135(1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    According to the prosecutor, Babaji Ishaku, one of the minors reported the act to her mother after she felt pains in her private parts while urinating.

    The prosecutor claimed that the offence was committed on August 2 at 1pm at Marwa, Lekki Phase One.

    Although the defendant pleaded not guilty, he was remanded in prison custody because he did not apply for bail. The matter was fixed for August 12.

  • ‘Fund forestry sector’

    The Federal Government has been advised to ensure proper funding of the forestry sector.

    Prof Labode Popoola of Forest Economics, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan (UI), made the call while delivering an inaugural lecture, titled: “Imagine a planet without forest”.

    He said there was the need to urgently undertake forests and biodiversity resources assessment of the country to establish the status of the resources.

    Popoola described forests as sources of employment and income, food security and nutrition, wood products, livestock fodders, quality recreational, aesthetics and environmental benefits; economic and socio-cultural services; scenic and landscape services, among others

    “Forest, as a basic life support process without which human beings cannot live, remains an intricate system made up of plants and trees that protect bio-diversity; provide home for 80 per cent of terrestrial bio-diversity and improve the quality of life forms on earth,” he said.