They thronged to the venue wearing glowing faces. Women in Oshodi/Isolo were splendidly dressed as they marched to the secretariat of Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area to receive empowerment items from the Head, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Oshodi/Isolo Transition Committee, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas. It was an empowerment programme which many described as manifestation of love for humanity.
Some of the materials donated to the women were gas cylinders, deep freezers electricity generating sets, gas cookers; microwaves and standing fans, among others.
Alhaji Adedayo, who is also the Coordinator of the Lagos Vanguard for Buhari (LVD) said the project, was one of his personal efforts to empower women in the local government, even as he said he believes in rendering service to humanity.
“My stewardship is a personal project despite being a member of the transition committee. The project aimed at empowering our women. I am doing it for my love for the society.
“Since January, I’ve been saving my salary to determine what should be done to the society, and with support from my family and friends, I was able to gather together these materials.” he said.
He added that empowering women is key to national development, urging wealthy individuals in the country to be committed to the service of the people.
“If we could do this, we will do more when we are in better positions. I am determined to serve you all and I promise not to let you down. This is so because in 2008, I built a clinic outside my local government and handed it over to residents of the local government. I believe you will get more as you all support the APC.” Contributing, the chairman of the APC in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area, Alhaji Olamide Kasali said: “Whatever he is providing you today is on behalf of the APC, and we pray that God continues to strengthen him to do more for you.”
Another APC leader, Fidelis Osho also urged members of the party to be patient with the current administration and also appreciate Alhaji Adedayo for the empowerment.
In a chat with Southwest Report, one of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Kate Akambe who received a gas cooker said: “To God be the glory for this project and I pray the change we are talking about will continue to be real. I am grateful to the organiser.”
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Bose Ayantunde who got a gas cylinder said: “I am so happy because this is my first time and it really impresses me. For Alhaji Adedayo doing this, we believe he will do more for us.”
The new Pro-Chancellor and chairman of Council of the University of Ibadan (UI), Dr. Umar Musa Mustapha, has said he would ensure that the institution attains world-class status and one of the top 100 universities in the world.
He also pledged that the institution would become a university of first choice for Nigerians interested in earning quality degrees, especially at post-graduate levels, saying that serious attention would be focused on producing more renowned and accomplished scholars such as Professors Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Iya Abubakar, among others who will attract international recognition to the institution in particular and the country in general.
According to a statement by the Director of Public Communication of the institution, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, Mustapha expressed his belief in education as a life-long project, noting that he would seek more harmonious working relationships with the academic and non-academic staff of the institution towards improving the teaching and learning environment for teachers and students.
On the academic activities of the institution, he said efforts would be deliberately made to transform, within the next five years, the university’s newly established School of Business to be one of the best in Africa just as its Medicine, Forest Resources Management, Fisheries, Ecotourism, Mathematics, History and English language programmes, among others have attained recognition.
He said: “I desire more harmonious working relationships among members of academic and non-academic staff of the university and for the students of the institution to have an environment conducive to teaching and learning and enjoyable accommodation.”
He urged the university management to vigorously pursue implementation of policies that would improve the welfare of students, especially in terms of decent accommodation, feeding arrangements, transportation, Medicare and spacing of lectures, among other issues.
Mustapha, who is a Mathematician promised to assist the Vice-Chancellor in any way possible towards the actualisation of the Mathematics Centre Project. He emphasised the need for both lecturers and students to avoid plagiarism which could bring the reputation of university to public ridicule.
It has been a tale of woes for residents of Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) Estate in Agbara, who have been battling dust-polluted environment, WALE AJETUNMOBI report.
Matthew Akinkugbe and his wife, Sarah, relocated to Ogun State last year after their wedding in Lagos. Their new-found abode is a three-bedroom bungalow in an estate developed by Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) in Agbara, Ogun State suburb on the border of Lagos.
A few months after the couple moved to the estate, Daniel, their first baby, was born.
But four months after his birth, Sarah watched her baby sneeze and cough heavily, and showed sign of inability to breathe properly. She screamed for help and baby Daniel was rushed to the hospital.
At the hospital, doctors carried out diagnosis on him and discovered that the baby had developed acute respiratory problem. The medical result, according to Sarah, showed that Daniel’s lungs had layers of dirt, resulting from excessive inhalation of dust-polluted air from the environment. How did dust find its way to the lungs of a four-month-old baby?
•The dusty road
The Akinkugbes are one of the households inhabiting Area 8 of the Agbara OPIC Estate, where residents are battling to save their lives from dust-infested environment. The dust wafts from non-asphalted road 411, which is the main thoroughfare stretching to the Area 8 flank of the estate from a well-asphalted Area 4, where high-profile politicians and civil servants live.
The condition of Road 411 is deplorable and it is becoming an eyesore to residents. This is because the road is now being used as alternative route by travellers’ vehicles and trailers to avoid craters and ditches on Agbara-Atan Expressway, which extends from Badagary Expressway to Agbara.
Southwest Report gathered that the terrible state of the Agbara-Atan Expressway, a federal road, is caused by trailers and trucks plying the route; the heavy-duty vehicles dug craters and gullies on the expressway. To avoid the crater-ridden highway, trucks and travellers’ vehicles used the non-asphalted Road 411 in the estate as alternative route to connect the smooth end of the Agbara-Atan Highway at the industrial layout of the estate.
As they pass through the estate, the vehicles, which are always on high speed, leave a thick pall of red dust in their trail. The dust pollutes the environment even after the vehicle has long gone. The dust-filled air is deposited on the walls and louvers of houses.
Blazing Glory Academy, a private primary school on the Road 411, has its wall and painting defaced by the thick dust.
When Southwest Report visited the school penultimate week, its louvers, doors, walls and classrooms were all covered in red dust. Some of the pupils coughed intermittently. Some had nose masks strapped to their faces; others used white handkerchiefs to cover their nostrils and mouths. The school staff moved round the classrooms to mop the walls and louvers.
The Headmaster of the school Mr Segun Bayode, said the situation was becoming worrisome, saying it has become a routine in the school for members of staff to mop the wall and classrooms every two hours. But the constant cleaning of the classrooms could not stop parents from withdrawing their children because of the health problem posed by the pollution.
Bayode said some pupils had left the school with life-threatening ailments, noting that he would not blame parents who withdrew their children/wards.
He said: “Dust covers everywhere you turn to. We mop the louvers and classrooms every two hours to ensure our pupils are not suffocated by the dust-filled atmosphere. I have never lived in this kind of polluted environment before. Even in villages where there are no asphalted roads, the situation is not as bad as what we experience in this estate.
“Already, we are losing pupils because parents are withdrawing their children from the school. I know how many pupils who have been hospitalised in the last two months for asthma and other breathing problems. We are not animals; Governor Ibikunle Amosun should not continue to watch us to die because we are not influential people.”
Endless complaints
As a result of the bad nature of the highway and activities of officials of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who allegedly cash in on the situation to exhort money from motorists, trailers and other heavy-duty vehicles shun the expressway and pass through the residential area of the estate.
This development is raising a concern among residents, who said their children are not safe, even to play on the streets again.
“Between 8:00 a.m. and noon, high-speeding buses and trailers exert pressure on Road 411, “Pastor Idowu Alebiosu, Chairman of Residents’ Association of OPIC Estate (RAOPIC) in Area 8 said.
Continuing, he said:: “At times, you can count up to 150 vehicles traversing Road 411 a day; all trying to dodge the craters and road safety officers on the highway. This usually leads to gridlock that could last six hours. The care-free drivers blow dust into our rooms as they pass through the estate. We cannot open our windows to get fresh air during the day. Our children cannot walk freely on the road because of the vehicles that are usually on speeding. Our lives are endangered because the estate road has been practically turned to another highway.”
Besides, residents said there has been a steady encroachment on the buffer zone. Filling stations and gas depots are being erected within the residential area, thereby endangering the lives of the people.
Residents further said they had made several representations at the OPIC office, adding that nothing has been done by the officials to alleviate their suffering. The hapless inhabitants accused the corporation of breaching the agreement it reached with them with regard to the use of the residential area.
Rising cases of asthma and respiratory illness
Deposits of red dust are common sight on houses in the area. Walls and gates have been defaced. Residents, who forgot to shut their doors and windows while the polluted air blow would have whiff of dust to inhale.
The exposure to dust-filled environment has resulted in growing cases of asthma and other respiratory illnesses among the residents.
Rock of Ages Hospital located on the Road 411 has become a Mecca of sorts for residents battling with asthma-related ailments. The Chief Medical Personnel of the hospital, Dr Adekunle Babaniyi, said no fewer than 10 people were admitted weekly for various illnesses resulting from the polluted environment. Common illness, he said, include severe sneezing, asthma, dyspnea, allergy, sore eyes and respiratory tract blockage.
Most of the patients admitted for asthma and dyspnea treatment, the doctor said, are mainly children between ages seven and 16 years. Babaniyi, whose hospital was also covered by dust, said scores had been given referral to specialist hospitals. He warned against dire health crisis in the neighbourhood if government does nothing to stop the pollution.
He said: “The state government seems to have neglected the estate and shows no concern to the well-being of the people living here. We are having a growing health hazard in this part of the estate because the air people breathe in is saturated with dust. Many people are now showing symptoms of various illnesses, which include asthma and trachea blockage.
“Just two days ago, two young siblings were discharged after days of admission for asthma-related sickness. Their mother had recently passed on. This is the extent to which residents have been made to suffer because of the terrible state of roads in the estate and the polluted air. I want you to go round the Area 8 to see how ill-health is taking toll on the people. This situation must be urgently addressed to prevent outbreak of uncontrollable health crisis.”
Mrs Isi Okwuadi, a resident battling with asthma, said she has become drug-dependent because of the long hours she is exposed to dust-polluted air. She could barely utter words clearly when this reporter met her. She had sore throat. With her croaky voice, Mrs Okwuadi said she moves about with sachets of piriton and prednisolone tablets to control her allergies to the condition.
“I am permanently on piriton and prednisolone in order to control my body reaction to the contaminated environment. If you open my bag, you would see the drugs. Any day I fail to use the drugs, I would experience crisis. The situation has made me to be drug-dependent; it was not like this when I moved into the estate with my husband in 2010,” she said.
Counting losses
Residents whose means of livelihood is being destroyed by the dense dust are counting losses. Traders and business centres in the residential area have closed down because of the thick dust. Landlords also complained about their vacant houses which could not be given out for let because of the situation.
Madam Atinuke Atoyebi had a flourishing cement business in front of her three-bedroom bungalow located on the Road 411. When the dust problem started in November last year, she sought the daily service of a menial job worker to help mop her shop and clean the products of dust. After a period of exposure to the dust, the menial worker stopped coming. Madam Atoyebi also took ill, leaving her cement shop closed down for more than five months.
After she recovered from a breathe-related illness, Madam Atoyebi said she left the dusty environment to stay with her son in Lagos, vowing not return until the road is asphalted and dust cleared. “I was hospitalised three times in January. Why have we been left to suffer this much in an estate whose land was sold by the government?” she asked.
Bayode said there has been mass withdrawal of pupils from the Blazing Glory Academy since the dust problem started. In April, the principal said parents came en masse to withdraw their pupils because of health concern. Despite the efforts of the school management to prevent dust from taking a toll on the premises and the classrooms, Bayode said many parents are unwilling to enrol their children to the school except the dust is cleared.
“Some parents have withdrawn their children and many are considering doing the same because of the dust. This is the challenge we have been coping with in the last four months. Since we have not had assurance from the OPIC officials or government on when they will tar the dusty road, there is a possibility that no pupil will resume after the third term holiday,” a female teacher, who pleaded anonymity because she didn’t want to be identified told our reporter.
A livestock trader, Mrs Titilayo Onabolu, has not stopped counting losses since the problem started. “I had to sell off my chickens at give-away prices after three of them died in one swoop. I cannot return to my shop to do business because of the dust which has made life difficult for me and my family,” she said.
Rain to the rescue
Many of the residents were happy that the rainy season has come. They thought that the coming of rainy period would bring relief to their woes, since it will dampen the dust. But, that only reduced the pall of dust in the air; the rain engendered another problem for the residents–their homes are flooded whenever it rains.
•A flooded road around the estate
The Area 8 is flood-prone because of lack of drainage system. All inner roads in the area become impassable after downpour. Besides, some residents whose houses are not raised beyond the road level would be preoccupied with scooping out of flood water from their living rooms whenever it rains.
An early-morning downpour penultimate Wednesday prevented Mr Obawaeki Ehizoje, a lecturer at the Ogun State Institute of Technology, from going to work. His compound was heavily flooded after the rain. He had to stay at home.
Lamenting the situation, Ehizoje, who has lived in the estate for three years, said it was the second time his house would be flooded in two weeks.
He said: “Imagine what would happen to my family when the rain reaches its peak in August. The whole house is cracking up and the fence can pull down any moment. I have been living in this estate for three years now and there has been no effort whatsoever to construct drainage system despite that flooding is another challenge we face here. The situation is worrisome because our lives are being threatened each day. If it is not dust, then it would be flood. The state government must come to our rescue before the situation gets out of control.”
Increasing accident and crime rate
Residents said they have been at the mercy of petty robbers and burglars since the estate roads became alternative routes for commercial vehicles and trailers. They also said accidents have become frequent.
Some 10 months ago, Dr Babaniyi said there was no record of accident in the estate. The accident rate, he said, has increased because of the over-speeding by commercial motorcycle operators (okada) and petrol-tanker drivers.
He said: “We recently had fatal accident involving a trailer and four okada riders. Such incident was not common in the estate before our roads were opened for all comers. The menace of over-speeding vehicles is becoming worrisome, because some residents have been knocked down in the process.”
Mrs Bola Jones, a resident, said her neighbour was robbed at gun point in the estate by two men on motorcycle. The incident, she said, occurred when the victim was returning from work at 8:30 p.m.
While several complaints have been made to the OPIC Estate Police Station in Area 4 about the growing wave of crimes, residents accused the police of not taking drastic action to fish out the criminals. The Nation gathered that police usually complain of not having adequate vans to patrol the area. Residents also alleged that some of the criminals caught for burglary are released by police after collecting money from them.
The residents’ effort
Residents said attention of OPIC officials has been drawn to their plight through their association but nothing has been done so far to ameliorate the situation.
The General Manager at OPIC office in the estate, Mr Taiwo Aridegbe, allegedly told the troubled residents that nothing could be done to prevent the heavy-duty trucks and commercial vehicles to pass through the estate.
Given the lackadaisical attitude of the officials to their predicament, some of the residents are threatening to resort to self-help. But, RAOPIC President, Pastor Afolabi Ibinayo, urged for calm, promising to meet Amosun on the matter.
Aridegbe said the corporation won’t stop commercial vehicles from passing through the estate. “Why should people have an estate and they don’t want commercial vehicles to ply its roads?” Aridegbe said when Southwest Report spoke to him penultimate Friday.
Asked why the corporation has not fixed roads in the Area 8 despite payment of development levy by residents, Aridegbe said: “I want to confirm to you that there are ongoing construction projects in the estate but I cannot give you more information on the project. I oblige you to talk to our Director of Public Relations for details.”
The general elections have come and come, but pockets of violence and disagreements over results of the polls have continued to trail the outcome of the election in some states. To prevent ýthis trend, especially in Oyo State, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has organised a stakeholders’ meeting to address the development. SIKIRU AKINOLA reports.
Whenever elections are conducted in the country, there are disagreements and pockets of violence over the outcome of the polls. Most times, this propensity, according to political pundits, is well conspicuous in the Southwest part of the country, with Oyo State as one of the most bothersome areas. It is never without casualties.
As a precautionary measure in subsequent elections, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) ýhas urged all stakeholders to join hands in ensuring sustainable violence mitigation.
While welcoming participants to the meeting, the Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi said the summit became imperative judged by the historical antecedents of the state, adding that “reactions from opposition still trail the 2015 general elections, leading to court cases by the opposition which are challenging the results of the elections.”
Noting that the governorship election in Oyo State was tough not only because the candidates had pedigrees, but because “three of them had been at the Agodi Government House as governors. So, there were lots of expectations as we were not sure of who was ýgoing to win. It was very glaring that it was not going to be an easy win.
While thanking the contestants for cautioning their supporters in order to avert violence, she advised government at all levels to address the problem of poverty and unemployment in order to reduce the spate of violence before and after elections.
Dr. Olusola Ishola of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan who delivered a lecture on “Issues and Challenges of Peaceful Co-existence in Oyo State” said the state has always been turbulent as politicians who carry over bitter politics and unhealthy rivalries of First and Second Republics are still present in the state.
According to him, the involvement of the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in politics often make Oyo politics highly volatile and violent, adding that there was the need for reconciliation among the various communities.
He noted that history of political compromises among the security agents is worrisome, citing the examples of political killings at Oke-Ado, Odinjo and other areas during the electioneering process.
“There were unguarded utterancesý among politicians while many media houses also compromised ethics. They were divided along political lines. Mudslinging, name-calling, hate speech were common during political campaigns. There was a deep political disunity among the people,” he said.
He revealed that there was deep-seated political antagonism among the dominant political parties, calling for reconciliation among the various communities in the state.
“No government can succeed without people’s support. Government needs to make itself available to the people. Our leaders must address the cases of unemployment, poor infrastructure, inadequate workers’ salary and epileptic power supply. Our education and judicial systems must be strengthened to address injustice and inequalities,” he said.
He urged people to expose criminals within their communities, saying that “apart from that, they should be counselled against evil doing. You recall that former Governor Rashidi Ladoja was impeached by a motor-park tout.”
Contributing, the Baale of Ikolaba, Chief Safiu Amoo commended the people for shunning violence during the last election.
“People shouldn’t take laws into their own hands. Anybody that is not satisfied with the outcomes of the election should approach the law court and they should wait till judgment is delivered. With the emergence of a new government, I pray God to let us witness the needed change,” he said.
Mrs. Brenda Bepeh of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) said her organisation was committed to peaceful polls, saying that “after the elections, we did an analysis of the states that needed intervention and we discovered that Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states are still not peaceful. We should all join our voices in our community and pass on the message in our different network so that we can move violence out of the South West and Oyo State, especially.
Participants also spoke about their perception of the summit.
Mrs. Omidiji commended her colleagues for the successful monitoring of the elections, noting that everybody must embrace peace from their respective homes till it gets to every part of the country.
Mrs. Balijis Apanpa urged the broadcast media to help in sensitising the people about the consequence of post-election violence, adding that she doesn’t have anything against those who are not satisfied with election results and have gone to court for redress.
For Abdulhamid Olawale of the Centre for Disaster and Crisis Reduction, first-class traditional rulers such as the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadanland and others should call the two major gladiators in the state to order.
“They should tell them the importance of peace. Also, market leaders should desist from joining partisan politics in order not to cause rifts among members of the market association,” he said.
For maintaining peace before and after the election, Ishola Ibrahim thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, even as he disagreed that no amount of peace talk by traditional rulers can settle the rift between the two major gladiators except God.
“Traditional rulers should be banned from politics. If there were to be three Orubebes during elections, the rest would have been history.
At the event were the representatives of the police, traders, community and religious leaders.
The youth in the Ado Odo Ado/Odo Ota Local Government, have expressed their willingness to host the headquarters of the proposed Ado-Igbesa Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) if plans by the Ogun State government falls through. To this end, the large compound that once housed the secretariat of the defunct Ado/Igbesa Local Government, is currently being cleared and given a facelift.
The youths’ action followed the decision by the Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, to conduct establish more LCDAs with the splitting of Ado Odo/Ota local government into three one of which would be Ado Igbesa LCDA.
“We youths are happy with the decision of the government,” said a statement by the Ado Odo Development Foundation (ADF). “This is why we all come out to clear the council secretariat voluntarily, paint the façade and the fence as a sign of our readiness to host the LCDA headquarters again.”
A statement signed by ADF pioneer member Comrade Saeed Alagbe and secretary Wale Hassan, stated that youths are merely saying that the status quo should remain since Ado Odo Igbesa Local Government which once existed before it was proscribed by the military in 1984, had its headquarters at Ado-Odo.
According to the duo, Ado Odo/Igbesa/Ipokia federal constituency also used to have its headquarters at Ado-odo from pre-colonial period till 1988.
In 2003, the government of Olusegun Osoba created the Ado Odo Local Government which was rejected by federal government and later returned to the present Ado Odo/Ota Local Government when former governor Gbenga Daniel came on board.
In fulfilment of the annual Zakat, an obligatory charity performed by wealthy Muslims to ameliorate the sufferings of the poor, the Oyo State chapter of the Elders’ Consultative Forum of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria has empowered over 111 less-privileged Muslims with materials and cash worth over N2, 270, 000. The amount accrued from the annual Zakat it collected from wealthy Muslims.
Beneficiaries included brilliant but indigent students, physically-challenged persons, widowsý, orphans and others.
The 111 beneficiaries received between N10, 000 and N50, 000, depending on their needs.
Distributing of the gifts to the beneficiaries, the chairman of the forum, Alhaji Lasun Sanusi (SAN) explained that the only way to be a true and adherent of Islam is by observing all the requirements of the five pillars of Islam, urging that Muslims need to be sensitised on these as they don’t take payment of Zakat seriously as they take the other four pillars of Islam.
According to him, the response of the concerned Muslims is low, but assured that the awareness will continue.
“This sitting of today is evidence of gradual response to the issue as we have always been having something to share to the needy since the programme took off about four years ago,” he said.
Quoting copiously from the Quran, he implored wealthy Muslimsý to pay Zakat for the well-being of Muslims and the society at large.
He informed the gathering that the Jaiz Bank (Islamic Bank) which began with a regional licence is now becoming national.
Speaking on how Zakat can help tackle poverty, Ustaz AbdulRasheed Ashiru revealed that 54.7 per cent of Nigerians are living in penury. He added that most Nigerians live below a dollar daily as par capital income, disclosing that the Muslims are the worst hit as poverty has ravaged the Muslim-dominated Northern parts of Nigeria.
He said he almost broke down in tears during one of their village dawwah (lecture) under the auspices of Muslim Corpers’ Association of Nigeria (MCAN) while serving in Yobe State. According to him, the villagers urinate inside the same river they fetch water from for domestic use.
Advising Muslims to invest in health care, education and other significant projects in the societies as they available ones belong to non-Muslims, he said “not only that we are poor, the rich among us forget to empower the needy.”
While presenting the items to one of the beneficiaries, the Asiwaju Musulumi of Oyo State, Alhaji Lateef Oyelade urged wealthy Muslims to take the payment of Zakat very seriously.
The chairman of Oyo State Muslims’ Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni revealed that there are rich Muslims just as there are poor ones. He said there should be concerted efforts towards empowering the less-privileged people in the society.
One of the beneficiaries, Sulaiman Akogun, who uses crutches, thanked the foundation for the gesture. He said he never knew he would be considered by the society.
A student in one of the nation’s higher institutions who didn’t want her name in print also received the sum of N50, 000. With the token, she said, the hope of continuing her education up to the Higher National Diploma (HND) level has been rekindled.
Present at the event which took place at Ansar-Deen Mosque, Oke-Ado, were Dr. Abdulbashar Elesinmeta, Hon. Shakirullah Fajinmi, representatives of the Federation of Muslims Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), National Council of Muslim Youth Organisation (NACOMYO) and other Muslim groups.
Kidnapping, one of the contemporary nauseating problems in Nigeria, is believed to be rooted and restricted to some parts of the country. However, BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON write that the uncovering of two kidnappers’ hideouts in Ibadan within three months raises the concern that many more dens may exist.
Ridding Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, of dens of kidnappers is fast manifesting as strength of the current leadership of the state’s police command. The command is ripping through the heart of the many operational hideouts of these men of the underworld and weakening their grip on targeted victims across the state.
Penultimate Tuesday, there was yet fresh discovery of another hideout of men of the underworld, sending signals that more kidnappers may exist in the city than contemplated.
The present hideout was discovered three months after the first one was uncovered at Eleegun village near Ajia village.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, at the first den, police men engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel before they were overpowered. Eight suspects were arrested. Their captive, Chief Adebowale Omotoso, who was kidnapped in Awe, a community near Oyo, was also rescued. Huge sums of money and weapons were recovered from them. The suspects have since been charged to court.
They are Shittu Olaide, Bisi Adetutu, Ajayi Olaniyi, Ayobami Babatunde, Abayomi Oladipupo, Isiaka Kazeem, Femi Alabi and Hazzan Aliyu (who was arrested much later).
The second den is located at a sleepy village of Isase of Ojoku community in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State. But unlike the first one, only one suspect was arrested.
Adulterated currencies including Euros, pound sterling and United States (US) dollar as well as charms, statues and cowries were recovered from the hideout. Two Toyota Camry and a Nissan Almera cars were also recovered from the site.
The police boss said the den was discovered through intelligence gathering by his men.
Katsina said: “This place is another basket of criminality and multi-criminal den that accommodates all manner of crimes-kidnapping, arm-robbery, money doubling and other crimes. Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting members of the public. Their victims cut across the length and breadth of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states.
“This result was arrived at by my men after a painstaking investigation. You are aware that an innocent man was kidnapped in Kishi area, although the man was later released, but we never relented and this was the place the man was kept for days.
According to Katsina, the principal suspect was arrested but the Headmaster is on the run.
“I want him to know that the world is a circle. If he runs around, the arm of the law will surely catch up with him. I want to appeal to members of the public to be watchful of where they go and people they relate with, whether you are a Muslim or a Christian only God can sustain.
“Our war against crime and criminality in this state is yielding positive results and we will surely find more criminals no matter where they are. I have launched Operation Water Icing which is aimed at assisting us to spread our tentacles to accommodate, dominate and smoke out all criminals no matter where they are hiding,” he said.
The suspect, Ismail Adesina, 43, claimed that he was not a kidnapper but a herbalist and a fraudster.
He said he and his other members of the gang who are currently at large, are involved in producing fake currencies. Adesina said he and members of his gang deceived their victims and extorted money from them.
“I am from Beyeruka in Ibadan. I am a herbalist. I treat people suffering from diabetes, blindness, stomach ache and other diseases. I use herbs to cure them, but when there were no patients, I ventured into defrauding unsuspecting people through diabolical methods. We are three that operate here and we have customers all over Nigeria. The names of my accomplices are Tajudeen Orji and Saheed,” he said.
He confessed to have been involved in the criminal activities for four years, disclosing: “We have duped five people and we charged them between N150, 000 and N300, 000, depending on what they wanted us to do for them.
“Some people do come and say they need a child. Some want promotion in their office. Some may be looking for favour and protection, among others.”
Adegboyega Babatunde, the land vendor from whom the fraudsters bought the land claimed that the suspects bought two acres of land from him about five years ago for N50, 000.
“They claimed that they wanted to buy the land to build a house for traditional medicine until recently that we started seeing some suspicious activities. I will take the land back and refund their money if they want because we do not want evil people in this community,” he said.
Similarly, the Baale of Ojoku community, Chief Moses Adetunji claimed that he suspected the nefarious ýactivities being carried out at the area but was scared of reporting to the security operatives.
As it turned out in the two incidents, the kidnappers are ordinary people that we may meet on the road or may be our next door neighbours. They form a network of fraudsters, herbalists and informants with accomplices in different towns and communities.
shrine
While some specialise in giving insightful information about their preys’ measure of financial ability and their daily itinerary, the real gun-carrying criminals trail the preys until they track them down and kidnap them. Then, another set receive the victims into their hideouts where they are kept for days in an environment specially designed to instil fear in them. As shown in the two hideouts, the den was surrounded by shrines as well as items that convey signs of evil spirits to completely terrify the victims.
They keep threatening and terrifying the victims to enable them prevail on their relations to surrender to the demand for huge sums of money.
The first den was located near Eleegun village, a community of about 10 houses in the remote part of Ajia village. The entire wide expanse of land around the village has been bought by different people who are building residential houses on it. But while some houses are springing up, some new land owners use their parcel of land for farming of arable crops such as maize and cassava. Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has opened in the village.
The den is tucked about 500 meters away in a parcel of land. With only two houses surrounded by five shrines, kidnap victims are completely cut off from the people.
“They must have been operating at nights. If victims shout, outsiders can’t hear them,” said a resident in the village who did not want her name in print for fear of intmidation.
She added: “Eleegun is a very old community. We have never had any issue of security. We were so happy to see police do the job. We just saw them pass. It was a huge surprise for us. Police never disturbed us just as the criminals never disturbed us. We have been enjoying our peace since then. Maybe, they do come at night, we don’t know.”
Some source revealed that the community had since decided to hold regular meetings to protect it.
“We shall soon begin to hold meetings in order to protect our community,” she said.
According to her, they were surprised to hear gunshots on that fateful day that the criminals were arrested. But she said they believed those shooting were hunters
“We started shouting, screaming and panicking, but we believed the gunshots were those of hunters. It was about 10:00 a.m.
The police didn’t come to ask us anything. They only came later to interrogate us,” she said.
On a close examination, the terrifying items were mere man-made from wood, sand blocks, cement and other raw materials. They are usually designed for the purpose. But victims can’t even fathom their genuineness under the circumstance in which they are held.
With traces of genuine charms and divination which may include a display of magic before the captives, the latter will surely be held spell-bound and in gripping fear about the supposed paranormal ability of their captors.
From the external appearance, none of the houses convey any suspicion of the internal content. Passers-by are most unlikely to suspect that such evil is being perpetrated in such houses. This makes it possible for the kidnappers to easily operate in areas that are scantily populated or even in purely elitist communities where population is very scanty and everyone minds his or her own business, never seeing one’s neighbour or caring about what is going on in the nearby house.
Bothered by an alleged imbalance in the appointment of key officials into the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) among the nine- member states, one of the concerned groups in the riverside communities of Ondo State has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to correct the alleged injustice with regard to appointments.
In a communiqué issued after its meeting in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area and signed by its Coordinator, Nelson Mafo, it lamented that since the inception of NDDC in 2001, all its executive positions have been produced by the five states which include Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Delta.
The group said: “The NDDC Act stipulates that Executive positions in the NDDC shall rotate among the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta; beginning from the state with the largest quantum of oil production to the least.
“We appeal to President Buhari to extend the appointment of the Managing Director (MD) or any of the Executive positions in the NDDC to the oil-producing area of Ondo State for the sake of equity, justice and fair play.
“We plead with the present administration to end the provocative discrimination by previous administrations in the appointment of Executive positions in the NDDC.
“It is unfair and runs contrary to the NDDC Act which clearly projected the principle of Federal Character in the distribution of full-time positions in the commission.
The communiqué frowned that the NDDC has performed abysmally below average
in the 14 years of its existence in spite of huge amount of money at the commission’s disposal.
This, the group attributed to dearth of people with immense administrative experience, integrity and strong character which were unavoidably excluded from
appointment to manage NDDC plans and resources for the benefit of the inhabitants of Niger Delta who are daily experiencing agonising environmental
Water projects in Nigeria have recorded low achievement going by the current pilot study of water infrastructure in the country, which is due to non-professional heading the water ministry in the country, therefore there is a need for President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a professional as the Minister of Water Resources.
Those were the words of the National President of Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, (AWDROP), Mr Michael Ale while having a chat with journalist in Ibadan, Oyo State capital entitled” The Nigeria We want”
According to him, in the history of the Ministry of Water Resources, no president has ever appointed a professional to head the ministry and this has brought retroggression ?to the ministry.
In order to address the varing challenges confronting the water sector, Ale urged President Buhari to appoint a water expert or geologist as a minister of water resources.
The AWDROP national president further warned the president against merging the Ministry of Water Resources with any other ministry, as he has been planning to reduce the ministries to 19.
“We heard that President Buhari is intending to downsize the Ministries to 19, we are not against downsizing but Ministry of Water Resources should be independent and shout not be attached with any ministry. If attached to any other ministry it will bring about degeneration in the water sector.
“Water has been giving little or no priority by past administration but that must stop now for the sector to be productive.” he said
On the challenges confronting their profession, Ale stated that? about two years ago, precisely 2013, the uncontrolled, unabated invasion of many of the Asian drillers numbering up to 300 Indian rigs into the country has not only sent it’s members out of job, but has caused environmental hazard for the public.
“Illegal drilling by Asian invaders is really killing our business and they have also commonised our profession. They are not professionals but are merely a welder when they came into this country. As a result of their presence, many of our members are out of job.
“But people are patronising them because they are cheaper without knowing the danger associated with the borehole they are drilling for them. We are looking at an integrated approach to solve water challenges in the country but we cannot do it alone without the support of the government” Ale noted
He said that government needs to formulate a law to regulate the management of water issues, adding that there has been a bill to that effect but the lawmakers has been putting it under the carpet without passing it into law.
“Each States can have its own water drilling regulation laws without waiting for the federal government. Its the responsibility of the state assembly lawmakers and the governor to ensure this. If this is done, economic activities will improve in such state, there will be improved internal generated revenue, jobs will be created and it will santify the environment for healthy living” Ale said
The AWDROP boss further appealed to the government to assist it’s members financially by subsidising drilling equipment for them, noting that this will in turn reduce the cost of borehole drilling for the public.
Ale said: “We are also government stakeholders because if we stop borehole drilling, it will put government at a great task to provide water for its citizens, but all we are appealing for is the regulation of this sector.”
The Bursar of the Osun State College of Education (OSSCE) Ila-Orangun, Mr. Akin Latiwo, may be dismissed from office following the recommendation of the Governing Council of the institution.
The Chairman of the Governing Council of the college, Chief Niyi Akande disclosed this to reporters during a facility tour of the 35-year-old-institution.
Chief Akande said the council recommended that the bursar be dismissed on account of several misdemeanours, including alleged incompetency; inefficiency; dishonesty and theft.
“We didn’t send him (Bursar) on suspension. He was recommended for dismissal because only the governor can dismiss an officer at that level.
“So, all these put together made it necessary for the council to make recommendation to government to get rid of the man in the interest of the college, the state and even in his own interest.
“I am sure the matter is receiving adequate attention of the government because I am sure Governor Aregbesola is not the type of governor that will sweep corrupt cases under the carpet. Not this governor that I know,” he said.
Akande, however, clarified that the recommendation of the governing council has nothing to do with the uncompleted Amphitheatre contract over which several millions of Naira had been expended without anything to show for it.
The chairman lamented the high level of impunity that pervaded the institution prior to his assumption of office, revealing several stories of financial mismanagement allegedly involving the bursar. He pointedly mentioned the spurious insurance welfare scheme allegedly put in place between 2010 and 2011 for the students who were made to pay N300 each as premium.
He said the purported insurance company, AIICO, wrote the college to deny the existence of any such scheme for the students.
To change the culture of impunity in the college, Chief Akande said he insisted on the dismissal of the daughter of a traditional ruler in the state. It was alleged that the monarch was caught stealing the funds of the college. Chief Akande added that he stopped financial exploitation of the students by lecturers.
Akande, who also expressed discontent over the retarded growth of the college when compared with others that were founded in 1979, attributed it to years of unchecked impunity, indiscipline and corruption.
Akande revealed that the college was now set to partner with private investors, saying the college has the wherewithal to be self-sufficient
The Provost of the college, Dr. Gbadamosi Basiru, however, told reporters that the 300-seater e-library of the college was ready for use.
The Provost further disclosed the receipt of 450 laptops, out of which 150 were distributed to members of staff of the school while the remaining 300 were installed in the library for students’ use.
“We are ready for any computer-based examination; be it the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) or any other examination for that matter. Not only that, the college has a 500KVA power generating set aside the one installed for the library’s use.
Gbadamosi also said he plans to introduce entrepreneurship vocational courses for the students so that when they graduate “the students would not only be armed with their certificates, they would also have acquired skills in one vocation or the other that would make them be self-reliant”.
He said all the students would be encouraged to develop interest in at least one vocation, in addition to the course they offered to pursue, adding that a committee was already working to identify various vocation studies that could be undertaken in the school.
He said the vocation courses would be introduced once they are approved by the governing council and the government.
