The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • ‘Let’s protect Island Club’

    The Royal Ambassador to the Alaafin of Oyo, Aare Ayandotun Ayanlakin, has urged members of the Island Club in Lagos to protect the image of the club by showing good example.

    Ayandokun, a member of the club, who spoke at Ibadan, said the club is renowned for its outstanding achievements and reputation.

    He said the club, whose membership includes President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and 15 governors, is noted for credibility.

    Ayandokun sought the support of members for the re-election bid of the current chairman of the club, Prince Ademola Dada, under whose tenure he said, the club had made remarkable progress.

    “For the past two years when he has been in the saddle, the club has been renovated to world standard. We now have a modern elevator, which transports members and visitors to the upper floor of the club. It never happened in the history of the club,” he said.

    He maintained that the chairman had constructed motor parks which could accommodate about 200 cars at once. This, according to him, is not a mean feat.

    “I am not saying all this because I also want any position in the club; all I want is for peace to reign and for unity among members,” he said.

  • Breast milk ends couple’s marriage

    For eight years, the couple were role models to many younger couples. They were head over heels in love. But their relationship crashed yesterday at the Agege Customary Court in Lagos.

    Ganiyu Akinpelu and his wife, Afusat, to the dismay of their neighbours at their Agege home, prayed the court to dissolve their marriage which produced three children.

    Addressing the court, Akinpelu accused his wife of not being submissive, adding that besides being troublesome and stubborn, the woman delighted in sneaking out to church. Her attitude, he said, ran counter to his belief as a Muslim, hence he sought the dissolution of the marriage.

    Afusat debunked Akinpelu’s claims, saying that since she gave birth to her first son, she had not “been herself.” “My husband is a practising Muslim but he still involves himself in scary acts and diabolical charms. He demanded my breast milk under the pretext of using it to seek protection for our family. I disagreed because it had been revealed in my church that it was the first step of using me for money ritual.”

    They agreed that their relationship had broken down completely.

    The court president, Mr Adekunle Williams, dissolved the marriage.

    Akinpelu, the petitioner, was ordered to pay N5,000 monthly on each of the three children through the court registrar for their upkeep. He is also to cater for their educational needs.

    Williams also ruled that the children’s medical expenses must be borne by both parties. He admonished them to be peaceful and law-abiding.

  • Femi Segun buried

    Femi Segun buried

    The remains of Femi Segun,  ex-husband to Yeni Kuti, daughter of afro-beat king  Fela Kuti was buried last  Friday at Vaults and Gardens in Ikoyi Lagos.

    He died in a Lagos Hospital on March 21 due to complications from multiple injuries he sustained in a road accident while driving his power motor bike in Millennium Estate Lekki Scheme One, Lagos on March 14. He was 56.

    He is survived by his aged mother Mabel, his ex-wife Yeni, his wife Bisi and two daughters Rolari and Fikemi.

    A funeral service was held for him in The Rock Cathedral, House on the Rock, Lekki Lagos.

    Revd Paul Adefarasin of the Church described the late Segun as a good friend and a lovely person who has the spirit of God.

    He urged Bisi, Yeni, Rolari and Fikemi to hold on to the power of God who will never leave his own.

    He said the deceased was a worshipper, devoted Christian and a great man that lived his life for God. ‘’He is a loving father who never stopped talking about his daughters,”  he said.

  • Church holds prayer

    The Christ Apostolic Church, a.k.a Babalola Centre, has concluded plans to stage its annual three-day marathon prayer warfare at the Covenant Ground, Oba’s Palace, Ido-Ile in Ekiti State between Thursday and Saturday.

    This year’s crusade titled, ‘Let my people Go,’ according to its organisers, will be unique because it will feature Oba Mathew Oyekale, the Oba of Masifasile in Osun State, who is popularly called the Royal Evangelist by his subjects. He is expected to minister.

    The programme’s coordinator, Prophet Theophilus Oye-Adurota, urged people to come with great expectations “as God is prepared to release captives and perform wonders in their lives.”

    He said: “People that have been in bondage of barrenness, poverty and all forms of diseases should come with great expectations. Also, those who find it difficult to have breakthroughs in their businesses and all other endeavours should try and attend this programme. It is for everybody and the Lord is ready to set people free and loose destinies from bondages. The only thing that is required of them is to have faith that God can do it”.

    Other ministers expected at the programme are: Pastor Sam Olaniyan, Evangelist Ojo Ade, Dr Bola Are and Evangelist J.A Adelakun of the Ayewa fame, among others.

  • Woman caught trying to abduct girl, 10

    Woman caught trying to abduct girl, 10

    A woman who allegedly attempted to abduct a 10-year old yesterday stripped herself naked at the Ajegunle Police Station in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area in Lagos.

    It was gathered that the woman stripped as a ploy to evade arrest for the alleged offence.

    The woman, who identified herself as Comfort, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), abducted a primary school pupil at Barra School. The little girl cried for help, but the woman claimed she was her child, whom she was taking to her “office” at Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa

    Eyewitnesses said some passers-by made fruitless effort to rescue the girl from Comfort’s grip. But the woman was said to have threatened to attack whoever tried it.

    An eyewitness said: “Out of curiosity, we decided to find out what the problem was and the girl said she did not know the woman. When asked, the woman said she was taking “her child” to Area B Command. A man asked the girl to give us her mother’s telephone number which she did. We put a call across to her mother and she rushed to the scene.”

    When the girl’s mother arrived and identified her daughter, a mob attempted to lynch Comfort, but a patrol team from Ajegunle Police Station rescued her and drove her away.

    At the station, the woman was said to be incoherent during interrogation. Suddenly, she stripped herself naked, threatening to deal with whoever tried to detain her.

    Sources said the woman, who is suspected to have mental challenges, had earlier hit another woman with a bucket because the latter demanded the N350 she owed her for the kerosene she bought from her.

    A resident of Olubukola Street, where the suspect allegedly resides, was said to have told the police that Comfort was mentally deranged, adding that she had stabbed an expectant mother during a fight in the neighborhood.

    Comfort was said to have been taken to the Psychiatrist Hospital, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, where she is currently receiving treatment.

     

  • Strange pot threatens couple’s marriage

    A middle-aged woman, Tosin Elegbede, has prayed the Customary Court sitting at Agege in Lagos to dissolve her three-year marriage after uncovering a strange black pot wrapped in white cloth under her bed.

    “I was at my shop last December when my children came to inform me that their father brought a 25-litre keg filled with kerosene home. I was happy because I felt it would reduce our cost of living for a while. Surprisingly, on getting home, I realised that the keg was filled with herbal potion. I wanted to ask him questions, but he had left for the bathroom with a local soap and sponge. Afterwards, he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me,” Mrs Elegbede told the court.

    The following day, the woman said she was getting ready for a vigil when her children told her that their father had instructed that no one should check under the bed.

    She said: “The said order shocked me; then, I did. And to my surprise, I saw a black pot wrapped with white cloth. It was under the same bed where we had sexual intercourse. When in January, I felt I was no longer safe, I packed out.”

    Mrs Elegbede, whose marriage is blessed with three children, said her husband urged her not to involve the police or go to court. She, however, said it would be in their best interest to be separated.

    She said after questioning of her husband relentlessly over the strange developments, the latter told her that all he was doing was to curry her favour.

    However, her husband described her allegations as untrue, adding that he harboured no evil thought against his wife. Though he said his wife had posed a stumbling block to his success in his various endeavours, he insisted that he would not want to divorce her.

    The lawyer who appeared for the woman told the court: “We have been trying our best to sort out their differences; I pray this is settled amicably because their children need their parental love, care and support.”

    Mr Adekunle Philips Williams, who presided over the court, adjourned the case till March 31 for possible mediation. He asked the couple to come with two members of their families.

     

  • Boy loses manhood to suspected ritualist

    Boy loses manhood to suspected ritualist

    Medical experts are battling to save the soul of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy, Bashiru Akintoye, whose manhood was severed by a suspected ritualist on Sunday at 16, Lamidi Ariyo Street, Ago Palace Way, Okota, a Lagos suburb.

    The boy’s father, Mr Ibrahim Akintoye, who described the incident as shocking, said he was at work at a nearby Alhaji Kola Hotel, where he was “enjoying the El Classico between Real Madrid and Barcelona – both Spanish football teams – when he was informed about the incident.

    Sobbing, he said: “When I dashed home, I saw my son bleeding. It was such a gory sight. And I asked myself: ‘Who did I offend that refused to forgive me?”

    Akintoye, 38, said that night, he and his friend, Fatai, drove the boy in a tricycle to the Isolo General Hospital, where he was referred the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) because of the sensitivity of his case.

    Saying that the police were on top of the situation, he added: “I was at a police station around Pako Roundabout to file a report, following which investigations commenced.

    Akintoye said his wife had questions to answer because her excuse that she took food to his friend when the dastardly act was committed was not genuine.

    The land lady, an old woman, who is in her 80s, said the attitude of the boy’s mother was condemnable, adding that she was fond of abandoning her children.

    A neighbour, Master Abiodun Adelaja, said: “We usually don’t lock the gate until everybody comes in. On the day the incident happened, the father and I were watching a football match. It was during that match that they came to inform us. It is so sad.”

    A security official who pleaded anonymity said Mrs Akintoye gave conflicting accounts of her whereabouts when the incident happened. But he also blamed the father for coming in late at night.

    His body is lying helplessly at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the LUTH, where doctors said he would undergo a major surgery. Now the question on people’s lips is: Who did the havoc?

     

  • Ex-servicemen get new exco in Lagos

    Ex-servicemen get new exco in Lagos

    The Lagos State Government yesterday inaugurated a new executive committee for the state chapter of the Nigerian Legion for improved welfare of members.

    The exco, led by Col. Samuel Fola Akande, was inaugurated by the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr Oyinlomo Danmole at the ministry’s conference room, Alausa, Ikeja.

    Danmole, who enjoined them to work together and promote love and unity among members, said the winner of the election emerged through a transparent process witnessed by duly-elected representatives of Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

    He appealed to the new leaders to provide a leadership devoid of crisis and carry all strata of the Legion along in all their dealings and actions.

    In his inaugural speech, Akande pledged his commitment to the welfare of the ex-service men in the state. He also assured his members of an exemplary leadership style during his tenure.

    He also expressed gratitude to the state governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola for the vital contribution of the state to improving the lot of the Nigerian Legion.

  • Church holds prayer

    Church holds prayer

    Olanike Olaiya, the woman allegedly raped by Fuji musician Abass Akande, a.k.a Obesere, has said that she has stopped bleeding – about two weeks after crying out for help.

    Olaiya said though she had not fully recovered, she would not speak on the issue any more.

    In an interview with a weekly magazine, Olaiya, who said she cooked for the artiste on the fateful night, was quoted to have said that “In the middle of the night, he came to me and demanded sex. Despite being clever, I fell that night. He raped me. Not only that, he also inserted a ring in my private part. That was why I started bleeding.  Even as I speak to you now, I just stopped bleeding.  I am not okay yet.  But I thank God that their plan to sacrifice me for wealth had failed.”

    When asked why she had gone into hiding and refused to appear for further investigations at the Adekunle Police Station, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, she said, “They knew what they did to me. They begged me to forget everything, but I refused.  I also refused to go to Panti again because I suspected that the man handling the case is Obesere’s friend.  All I know is that the truth shall prevail. But I thank God I am alive.  God will judge the three of us.”

    Meanwhile, Obesere has concluded plans to shoot a movie on the rape saga.

    According to findings, the artiste has written a script about the alleged rape incident and is currently contacting artistes who will fit into the different characters. It is not yet certain if the famous musician will be playing the lead, but prominent artistes will feature in the movie.

    Unconfirmed reports say that about N20 million has been budgeted for the movie.

    The popular musician was recently arrested by the Police in Lagos State for allegedly raping the 29-year-old businesswoman at his Okota, Lagos residence, an allegation which the artiste denied.

    The victim said she was in Obesere’s house to discuss a business matter on the night she was allegedly raped.

     

  • Ex-servicemen get new exco in Lagos

    Ex-servicemen get new exco in Lagos

    The Lagos State Government yesterday inaugurated a new executive committee for the state chapter of the Nigerian Legion for improved welfare of members.

    The exco, led by Col. Samuel Fola Akande, was inaugurated by the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Mr Oyinlomo Danmole at the ministry’s conference room, Alausa, Ikeja.

    Danmole, who enjoined them to work together and promote love and unity among members, said the winner of the election emerged through a transparent process witnessed by duly-elected representatives of Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

    He appealed to the new leaders to provide a leadership devoid of crisis and carry all strata of the Legion along in all their dealings and actions.

    In his inaugural speech, Akande pledged his commitment to the welfare of the ex-service men in the state. He also assured his members of an exemplary leadership style during his tenure.

    He also expressed gratitude to the state governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola for the vital contribution of the state to improving the lot of the Nigerian Legion.