The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ibadan

  • Army vows to fish out killers of colonel in Ibadan

    Army vows to fish out killers of colonel in Ibadan

    The Nigerian Army has vowed to track down killers of the erstwhile Commandant, Command Secondary School, Apata, Ibadan, Col. Anthony Okeyim.

    In a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations, Col. Timothy Antigha, for 2 Division yesterday, the army said it would do everything possible to fish out Okeyim killers as it works in conjunction with the police and the Department of State Services.

    The division assured that the joint investigation “would not be concluded until the perpetrators of the crime are identified and brought to justice.”

    The division also revealed that the autopsy conducted on the deceased showed that the late senior officer died as a result of intracranial pressure arising from fracture of the skull.

    The division said: “Any other stories connected with this case that is being spread by certain faceless individuals are false, diversionary and   aimed at derailing the ongoing investigation.”

    Col. Okeyim was murdered in the premises of Command Secondary School Apata Ibadan on December 12, last year. The division in conjunction with the Oyo State Police Command and the Department of State Services in Oyo State commenced investigation into the incident.

    Col. Antigha said the investigation was still ongoing, adding that appreciable progress has been made.

  • Night clubs take supremacy battle to Ibadan

    A new breed of pioneer entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry are moving from Lagos to other parts of the country to bring entertainment and enjoyment to those places. One city that is benefitting from the new trend is the ancient city of Ibadan which is now home to several hot spots where people can have a good time.

    As Lagos, the entertainment capital of Nigeria, becomes saturated, night club owners are looking towards Ibadan as the next frontier to conquer. Time was when the city was quiet and sleepy. Now, it is one show or the other and nightclubs have moved to cash in on the phenomenon.

    Along the popular MKO Abiola Way, the likes of Clique 69 and Apollo’s Lounge are offering customers the best night life experience. Elsewhere, the likes of Platinum Nite Club, Option 24/7, GQ Lounge and 411 Night Club are in a tug of war to entice customers with their attractive offerings.

  • Ibadan Market inferno consumes property worth over N10m

    An early morning fire outbreak on Sunday razed some parts of Araromi Market at Agodi Gate, Ibadan, where used tyres and motor parts worth over N10 million were destroyed.

    Mr Abdul Azeez Ojo, Chairman of the market, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the inferno began at about 5.30 a.m.

    According to him, the Fire Service was alerted and they responded promptly.

    Ojo, however, said a sizeable number of shops equipped with tyres and other goods were razed before the arrival of the fire fighters at about 6 a.m.

    “The Fire Service were able to put out the fire to avert more destruction, nevertheless, shop owners still suffered losses worth over N10 million.

    “The most pathetic thing is that these burnt shops were owned by young traders who have just started business and we appealed to the state government to assist them,’’ he said.

    Two victims of the incident, Hassan Olanrewaju and Michael Ajayi, whose shops were razed lamented the ugly incident.

    They pleaded with the state government and other well-meaning Nigerians to assist them financially to enable them go back to business.

    Mr Adeleke Isiaka, the Fire Service team commander, said his team arrived at the scene promptly when they received the call, adding the response time was impressive.

    Isiaka said his team was able to put out the fire on time due to the cooperation received from the traders and sympathisers.

    “The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained, but it is possible that careless handling of cigarette butts may be responsible.

    “I am saying this because there was no electricity light, nor any sign of cooking in the market at the time of the incident,’’ Isiaka said.

    NAN further reports that men of the Nigeria Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were on ground to prevent looting of shops by people with such motive.

    Mr Moshhod Adeyemo, the team leader of the NSCDC told NAN that his men arrived at the scene at exactly 6 a.m. to secure the area.

    He said the operation was quite successful, saying no life was lost. (NAN)

  • One killed, as Okada riders clash with Police in Ibadan

    One killed, as Okada riders clash with Police in Ibadan

    There was pandemonium at Moniya area of Ibadan Monday when a police man alleged killed one Okada rider over N50 bribe.

    Two others were also shot by police officers attached to Moniya police station, Akinyele Local Government Ibadan in the confusion that ensued.

    According to an eyewitness account, trouble started when an Okada rider who was flagged down by a police officer for carrying two passengers refused to stop but was hit with a baton on the head.

    The Okada man was reported to have fell off the bike and died on the spot.

    In annoyance, the sources further informed that the dead Okada rider’s colleagues headed towards the police station, threatening to burn down the division, but in an attempt to scare them off, the Police were alleged to have released tear gas unto the rampaging crowd and shot into the air to scare them.

    Unfortunately, two members of the association were hit by the stray bullet, and are currently under intense treatment.

    The development further increased the already tensed situation as people had to scamper for safety while the road was deserted as the effect of the tear gas forced people off the area .

    When contacted, Oyo State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed the death of the Okada rider, but denied being hit by the police.

    According to Ajisebutu, “due to a stop and search embarked upon by the Police, an Okada rider who was carrying three passengers refused to stop as ordered by the security officers. While trying to escape, he ran into a big pot hole, he fell sustained injury and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later died.

    “As a result of this, other colleagues of the dead rider attacked an upcoming police patrol vehicle, and seized an AK-rifle which was later recovered. Not done with that, they headed straight to Moniya division police station, threatening to burn down the station.

    “The DPO of the station briefed that five suspects were arrested. There was no incident of shooting at any of them or case of them sustaining any injury. Later, the DPO held a peaceful meeting with their association and NURTW around the area.

    “Normalcy had since returned to the area as the Commissioner of Police enjoined the citizens to go about their normal duty without taken law into their hands.”

  • Oyo Govt condemns Ibadan violence

    •Holds town hall meeting in Saki tomorrow

    The Oyo State government has condemned the invasion Kudeti and Isale Asaka areas of Ibadan by hoodlums. It vowed to use the full apparatus of government to deal with any individual who engages in violence that is inimical to the peace in the state.

    A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun said the government had directed relevant security agencies to deal with the hooligans, adding that such acts of thuggery and hooliganism would no longer be condoned.

    The government appealed to residents of the affected areas to remain calm and called on security agencies to increase their presence in the areas and other areas too, so as to foretsall a recurrence.

    “We assure our people that we value their well-being, lives and property, and we will, at all times, live up to expectations to provide security for them,” the statement said.

    Arulogun added that the government would beef up security during the yuletide.

    Also, in furtherance of its drive to engage the citizens on government programmes and activities, the government will hold another series of its town hall meeting tomorrow in Saki.

    According to Arulogun, the Saki town hall meeting is one in a series of such to be held. This, he said, is to allow a direct interaction and feedback from the citizens.

    “The meeting will serve as a platform for communication and engagement between the government, the governed and other key stakeholders,” he said.

    The meeting, to be conducted in Yoruba and English languages, will hold at the Harmony Gardens, Gedu Estate, Saki.

  • Fuel tanker fire sparks tears in Ibadan

    Fuel tanker fire sparks tears in Ibadan

    Traders, motorists and passengers had no inkling of what will befall them that early morning. Those who had retired to their homes after the previous day’s hustling were yet to get to their various trading posts. Some received phone calls to the effect that their shops had been burnt. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports that the fire, which claimed no life, was as a result of the carelessness of a Jigawa-bound truck.

    If this had happened at 8:00 a.m., we would have been packing burnt human bodies by now.” This was the response of Mr. Adisa Adeagbo, a commercial cab driver, after a fuel-laden tanker burst into flames in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Sunday.

    One unidentified person was burnt beyond recognition, while several commuters were injured as vehicles conveying them to various destinations caught fire. The incident happened at Oremeji-Agugu axis of Lagos-Ibadan Highway. No fewer than 30 road-side shops, four trailers and 12 passengers’ vehicles were razed.

    Traders, who owned the shops, broke down in tears when they arrived at the scene. None of the traders could pick anything, as all materials and goods kept in their shops were completely burnt.

    The incident, which happened at 6:30 a.m., was said to have been caused by Jigawa-bound truck, registered as KZR 418 XA, loaded with wheat.

    Southwest Report gathered that the truck lost control while on high speed as it attempted to overtake another truck laden with cartons of pasta, biscuits and noodles. The front section of the Jigawa-bound truck, eyewitnesses said, came off, ramming into a NIPCO fuel tanker parked on the road side.

    The fuel tanker burst into flames as its content spilled on the road. Commuters ran helter-skelter as diesel flowed from the tanker’s silo before it went up in flames. Petrol attendants at Fakinlayo Filling Station close to the scene shut the station and fled.

    Eyewitnesses said though some passengers tried to escape as there was pandemonium; some sustained some degrees of burnt in the ensuing uproar when the vehicles conveying them caught fire at the scene.

    Most of the road-side traders had not opened for business when the incident happened. Unquantifiable amount of goods kept in the shops were completely burnt.

    Nurudeen Alimi, who drove one of the razed trailers, with registration number JJJ 363 XB owned by a logistics company, relived how he escaped.

    He said: “I parked my truck on the road side to check a fault I noticed in the engine of my vehicle. Then, I sighted a wheat-laden trailer driving on top speed and attempted to overtake another trailer, which was moving at a normal speed. The wheat-laden trailer lost control and broke into two. The head rammed into a NIPCO tanker parked at a distant behind my truck and there was a loud bang.

    “Before I knew what was going on, the content of the tanker had started spilling on the road. I fled the scene, because I knew what would happen next. Just before I ran a few metres, the tanker went up in flames. From where I stood, I could see passengers of on-coming vehicles rushing down and scampering in different directions. Nobody died; but some of them were injured as they made attempt to flee the scene.”

     

    Traders’ lament

    Most of the traders were yet to come to terms with the tragedy that befell them. They arrived at the scene one after the other to count their losses. They were left with charred materials of their wares.

    A trader identified as Mrs Amope could not be consoled as she wept uncontrollably at the spot where her wooden shop was razed. “Where will I start again?” Mrs Amope said, adding: “I just bought goods to stock up my shop with money I borrowed. I have not even started selling the goods to enable me to repay the money given to me by my lenders. Everything has been burnt this morning.”

    Mrs Amope was led away almost naked from the scene by sympathisers.

    A lotto operator, Wale Olalere whose kiosk was razed, said he was still in bed when he got calls, informing him of the incident.

    “When I got the calls, I quickly got up and came here. As you can see, I cannot recognise the spot where I had my kiosk. Everything I left in the kiosk, including my lotto machine, has been burnt. I don’t know what to do now, because this is where I get my daily bread,” he said.

    Mrs Mosunmola Adesina, who sells alcoholic drinks, wept as she counted her losses.

    She said: “I have three shops here and I have lost everything to the fire. All my deep freezers, power generating set and the drinks have all gone. How do I start all over again?”

    The leader of Oremeji Market, Mrs Omotunde Grace, said the traders had complained to the government about the activities of trailers and fuel tankers in the area. She said the inferno would have extended to buildings close to the market if the tanker had been loaded with petrol. She urged the government to stop trucks and fuel tankers from parking close to the market.

     

    Looting by hoodlums

    While the inferno raged, some dare-devil miscreants swarmed on the shops and burning trailers to loot. The hoodlums attacked fire fighters from Oyo State Fire Service, who moved to the scene at 7:00 a.m. to put out the fire. The hoodlums looted cartons of pasta and noodles from one of the burnt trailers. The fire fighters got to work after a combined team of soldiers, riot policemen and Civil Defence Corps deployed to the scene dispersed the hoodlums.

    Adeleke Isiaka, who led the fire team said: “We responded to the distress call immediately and we got here in time. But 20 minutes after we arrived, we were prevented by hoodlums looting at the scene. We were able to put out the inferno within a few hours. I can confirm to you there was no life lost.

    For more than 10 hours, travellers were left stranded on the highway. Vehicles coming from Lagos diverted to the opposite lane, causing gridlock. Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had hectic time controlling the traffic.

    FRSC’s Oluyole Unit Commander, Mrs Titilayo Olayiwola, said investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of the incident.

    Police spokesman Adekunle Ajisebutu said: “Immediately we got the news, we contacted the Fire Service. But for the quick intervention of the firemen, the havoc would have been worst. We drafted policemen to the scene and the report we got is that 10 vehicles and several shops were burnt.

    Drivers of the Jigawa-bound trailer was said to have fled the scene.

     

  • Accident: Normalcy in Ibadan

    Accident: Normalcy in Ibadan

    Normalcy returned yesterday to the scene of the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
    Thirty shops, four trailers and 12 commercial vehicles were burnt at Oremeji-Agugu on Sunday when a lorry rammed into a fully loaded trailer, causing multiple accidents.
    No one died according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) spokesman in Oyo State, Seun Onijala.
    But it was learnt that some commuters were injured.
    The incident, which occurred at 6:30 am, was said to have been caused by a Jigawa-bound truck loaded with wheat.
    The Nation gathered that the driver lost control while trying to overtake another truck carrying pasta and noodles.
    The front section of the Jigawa-bound truck, eyewitnesses said, came off, ramming into a NIPCO fuel tanker parked by the roadside.
    The fuel tanker burst into flames.
    Refuse around the scene has been cleared.
    Shop owners have also started to clear the ruins and return for trading activities.
    Onijala said yesterday that 21 people were involved in the accident.
    He added that the corps would conduct an impact assessment today to prevent a recurrence.

  • One dead in Ibadan as fuel tanker bursts into flames

    One dead in Ibadan as fuel tanker bursts into flames

    •30 shops, 16 vehicles razed

    One person died yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, when a fuel-laden tanker burst into flames on the Lagos-Ibadan highway.

    Thirty shops, four trailers and 12 commercial vehicles were burnt at Oremeji-Agugu in Ona-Ara Local Government Area.

    Some commuters were injured.

    The incident, which occurred at 6:30 am, was said to have been caused by a Jigawa-bound truck, registered as KZR 418 XA, loaded with wheat.

    The Nation gathered that the truck’s driver lost control while trying to overtake another truck carrying pasta and noodles.

    The front section of the Jigawa-bound truck, eyewitnesses said, came off, ramming into a NIPCO fuel tanker parked on the roadside.

    The fuel tanker burst into flames when its content spilled on the road.

    Petrol attendants at Fakinlayo Filling Station close to the scene shut the station.

    Owners of the razed shops broke down in tears.

    Nurudeen Alimi, driver of a trailer registered JJJ 363 XB, owned by a logistics company, relived his escape.

    He said: “I parked my truck by the roadside to check a faulty engine. Then I saw a wheat-laden trailer trying to overtake another trailer.

    “The wheat-laden trailer lost control and broke into two. The head rammed into a NIPCO tanker parked at a distance behind my truck and there was a bang.

    “Before I knew what was going on, the content of the fuel tanker started spilling on the road. I fled the scene, because I knew what would happen next.

    “Just before I ran a few metres, the tanker went up in flames. From where I stood, I could see passengers rushing down and scampering in various directions.

    “Nobody died; but some of them were injured as they attempted to flee.”

    A roadside trader, who simply identified herself as Mrs Amope, wept uncontrollable where her wooden shop stood before the inferno.

    “Where will I start? I just bought goods to stock up my shop with some money I borrowed.”

    She was led away from the scene by sympathisers.

    A lotto operator, Wale Olalere, whose kiosk was razed, said he was in bed when he got calls, informing him of the incident.

    “When I got calls, I got up and came here. As you can see, I cannot recognise the spot where I had my kiosk. Everything I left in the kiosk, including my lotto machine, has been burnt. I don’t know what to do, because this is where I get my daily bread.”

    A resident of Oremeji, Alhaji Kehinde Abass, said: “We were in the house when we heard shouts of fire from  our houses and we came out and saw a huge fire. “But we were helpless and ran for our safety too. If the truck had carried petrol, the situation would have been worse.”

    Fire fighters from Oyo State Fire Service, who moved to the scene at 7am, were prevented from working by hoodlums looting pasta and noodles. The fire fighters got to work after intervention by a team of soldiers, riot policemen and Civil Defence Corps.

    Adeleke Isiaka, who led the fire team, said: “We responded to the distress call and we got here on time. But 20 minutes after, we were prevented by hoodlums looting on the scene. We were able to put out the inferno within a few hours. I can confirm there was no life lost.

    For 10 hours, travellers were stranded on the highway. Vehicles coming from Lagos diverted to the opposite lane, causing a gridlock. Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had a hectic time controlling traffic.

    FRSC’s Oluyole Unit Commander Mrs. Titilayo Olayiwola said investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the incident.

    Police spokesman Adekunle Ajisebutu said: “Immediately we got the news, we contacted the Fire Service. But for the quick intervention of the firemen, the havoc would have be worse. We drafted policemen to the scene and the report we got is that 10 vehicles and several shops were burnt.”

    The driver of the Jigawa-bound trailer was said to have fled the scene.

  • One dead, 18 vehicles burnt in Ibadan diesel tanker accident

    One dead, 18 vehicles burnt in Ibadan diesel tanker accident

    No fewer than 18 vehicles, 15 shops were burnt, and one person confirmed dead when a truck loaded with biscuit and wheat collided with another truck ferrying diesel product from Lagos to Ibadan at Oremeji junction, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ibadan on Sunday.

    It was gathered that the  content of the tanker was spilled on the road as people ran for safety.

    Among the vehicles burnt were five articulated vehicles, two Nissan Micra used for taxi, two commercial buses and other vehicles.

    An eyewitnesses told The Nation that he driver of the wheat truck with number plate JGW 418 XA lost control of the vehicle around 7am and ran into the petrol tanker which skidded off the road and caught fire as it fell.

    The accident, however, caused a serious gridlock on the highway and a combined team of police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) controlled the traffic.

    An on spot assessment at the scene of incident, the situation led to a standstill for more than five hours on the both side of the highway.

    Many commuters either sought alternative routes to their destinations or disembarked from their journeys as they were stranded at the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway for hours.

  • Ibadan traders reject council’s eviction order

    Traders at the popular Alesinloye market in Ibadan South West Local Government of Oyo State have kicked against the council’s decision to evict shop owners to pave the way for Ajimobi Shopping complex.

    The local government, in a letter titled: “Notice to quit”, dated November 18, and signed by Ayelagbe O.A. on behalf of the caretaker chairman, directed shop owners within Alesinloye market clinic to vacate in seven days.

    Efforts made by market executives and traders to stop the eviction failed.

    A market leader said a meeting with the caretaker Chairman, Rauf Folarin, did not resolve the matter.

    An affected trader, Saka Salami, who was at the meeting, said the council was bent on demolishing the shops.

    Salami said: “The chairman gave us seven days’ ultimatum. We told him that we were not illegal occupants. All appeals fell on deaf ears. Instead, the chairman said when completed, a shop shall be allocated to two people.

    Another trader, who gave her name as Mama Ayo, said: “We were given permanent allocation by the council and we also pay tenement rate annually. It is wrong to revoke our permit. We were not given any long notice. Why would the council that legalised our stay turn round against us?”

    The council’s Information Officer, Segun Adeyemo, said the Director of Estate and Valuation, Ibadan South West, Gabriel Oyeniyi, told him that “the notice was served on the traders adjacent to the fence of the zonal revenue office, which is sharing the same premises with the market clinic”.