The Lagos State Government on Sunday deposed the suspended Baale of Shangisha in Magodo, Chief Yusuf Ogundare for faking his abduction which allegedly took place on July 5 along Center for Management Development (CMD) Road in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the State.
Details coming soon.
Lagos State Government has said it will dethrone any traditional ruler who engaged in land grabbing and other illegal activities.
This was disclosed Thursday by the Coordinator, Lagos State Taskforce on Land Grabbing, Jide Bakare at a sensitization programme on the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016, organized by the Office of Civic Engagement.
Bakare, said the position was clearly stated in the law that any traditional ruler who engaged in illegal activities of land grabbing would be dethroned.
He said the state is not leaving any stone on turned adding that high profile land grabbers have been arrested and being currently prosecuted.
Also, Special Adviser, Office of Civic Engagement, Mr. Kehinde Joseph, said before now, property acquisition in the state was a nightmare, while acquiring land from land holding families, communities and individuals was fraught with fear and uncertainty.
People could not be sure of safety of their properties as forceful takeover and fraudulent conduct became the order of the day. The ‘Omo Onile’ syndrome was a wide spread.
“Many communities were ransacked and property wantonly destroyed while government acquired land, were not spared as such were trespassed with impunity. There is no gainsaying the fact that a lot of people lost their lives as a result of this brigandage. People were denied the enjoyment of their property which they acquired through their hard-earned money,” he said.
Joseph said the above scenarios informed the reason why the State Properties Protection Law was passed by the State House of Assembly and signed into law by the governor in 2016.
To ensure the effectiveness of the law, he said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode set up the taskforce on land grabbing to deal with actions of individuals or groups that might be on the wrong side of the law.
“As citizens, it is our civic responsibility to obey the law as ignorance of the law is no excuse. The State will not hesitate to wield the big stick against law breakers as such people are undesirable in our communities. Our people deserve to live peacefully and enjoy their property. Anything short of this is not acceptable to the Lagos State Government,” he added.
Joseph also appealed to land owners in the state to take advantage of the reforms on perfecting title documents of land in the state, as it is easier and faster now to obtain these documents.
Former Surveyor-General of the Federation Prof. Peter Nwilo has urged the Lagos State Government to stop construction and all sand filling works around Lagoon and waterfronts.
Nwilo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday.
He was reacting to the massive flooding in the state, especially around Lekki, Victoria Island, Ajah, Ikoyi and Lagos Island, following torrential rainfall on Saturday.
According to him, this is the first time the Lagos Lagoon water level is rising.
“’I do not think the water level of the Lagoon has risen like this before in the state.
“Look around you, Lagos Lagoon and all waterfronts in the state are being sand-filled for development of estates.
“This is being done without proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on consequences of such development on the environment.
“The natural canal is being blocked all round the state and when this happens, the water stays with us and that is the flooding we are experiencing.
“We will work on the other causes of the flooding later and that is when we can proffer sustainable solutions to what is happening now.
“But for now, sand filing of Lagos Lagoon and waterfronts should stop,’’ Nwilo, also a lecturer at the Department of Surveying and Informatics, University of Lagos said.
Also speaking, Prof. Sylvester Egwu, an environmentalist, also expressed concern about the happenings in Ajah, Lekki axis and its environs.
“These areas have become tourist sites for flooding. Ajah area is horrible. VGC, Ikate and Jakande are in a mess. Everywhere is water logged.
“We cannot even come out of our houses, that is those of us that water has not overtaken our entire houses.
“Besides being climate change situation, all drainage systems in the area are blocked, majority of them by illegal structures.
“The drainages are not flowing. All the refuse that are not evacuated and dumped anywhere and anyhow are now in the drainages.
“We are only praying to God not to allow the ocean to swallow us up and become foods to our aquatic friends out there,’’ he said.
Egwu called for the removal of all the illegal structures on drainage right-of-way and make the gutters flow by removing the refuse blocking the free flow of water.
Mr Victor Imvebore, the Chairman of Nigerian Environmental Society, Lagos Island Chapter, said that what was happening at Lekki, Ajah, Victoria Island did not come as a surprise to environmentalists.
“Environment lovers have raised alarm severally, warned government and private individuals, especially estate developers and contractors on the consequences of blocking and building on wetlands.
“Those areas are to serve as buffer zones for excess water from the Ocean, Lagoon, seas and rivers.
“Whenever non- governmental organisations on environment, foundations and activists demand for EIAs on major projects, they become enemies of government.
“We have always known and warn that projects built indiscriminately in those areas prone to flooding are disasters waiting to happen.
“Wetlands are pooling areas for water. We build on flood plain areas and complain when our houses are flooded,’’ he said.
Imvebore said that Lagos state needed strategic environment plans on how to protect its wetlands and should not joke with EIA.
“This is just tip of the iceberg,’’ he said.
For allegedly punching off a friend’s four teeth at a go, an 18-year-old secondary school student, Emmanuel Edu, was on Friday hauled up before an Apapa Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
The accused, who resides at Festac Town, Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of assault and causing grievous harm.
He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N100,000.
The Magistrate, Mr M.A. Etti, who gave the ruling, also granted the accused one surety in like sum as part of the bail conditions.
Etti said the surety must be gainfully employed and should also show evidence of a two-year tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The prosecution had alleged that the accused had given Innocent Obinna several blows in the mouth and removed four of his
teeth on the spot.
According to Sgt. Olusegun Kokoye, the accused committed the offences on June 23 at 512 Road, Festac Town, Lagos.
Kokoye said the complainant and the accused, who are friends were playing football when an argument arose.
“Efforts by other students at the scene to settle the dispute were unsuccessful.
“Obinna reported the case to the police and Edu was arrested.”
The offences contravened Sections 173 and 244 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 173 prescribes a three-year jail term for assault occasioning harm.
The case was adjourned until July 7 for mention.
…Remanded In Badagry Prison
The Lagos State Government Friday arraigned a suspected land grabber, Kamorudeen Lamina (aka Sir K) before a Special Offences Court sitting at Oshodi,Lagos, for alleged forceful dispossession of residents of their land.
Charged with him on a six-count charge by the Special Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force set up by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration were six other men described as his foot soldiers.
They are: Omotola Ogunsanmi, Samson Shobule (aka Samson Salau), Biliaminu Orega (aka Biliaminu Salau), Jimoh Aromasodu, Wasiu Orenuga and Nurudeen Kasali.
Lamina,according to counts 1 and 2,is said to have sometime in February 2017 at Mowo Kekere area of Ikorodu Local Government, taken over one plot of land from the rightful owner Mrs Ebere Okafor contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016.
The land is said to have been sold to Mrs. Okafor by Ifegbuwa family
Lamina is also accused of forcefully taking over and remaining in possession of 200 plots of land in Mowo Kekere belonging to Planet Properties Ltd contrary to Section 2 (2) of the same law, while in count five, the defendants fraudulently sold 60 hectares of land which had been previously sold by the rightful owner contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) of the law.
The fraudulent sale, which was allegedly carried out in January 2017, was perfected by the defendants fraudulently claiming to belong to Ifegbuwa family.
In count six, the defendants are accused of fraudulent selling 25 hectares of land to third parties without any lawful right to do so, an offence punishable under the law.
They all pleaded not guilty, while their lawyers, Messers E. Obatayo and B.O Abdusalam applied to the court to grant them bail in most liberal terms.
The lawyers argued that the offences for which their clients were charged are bailable, and that they were ready to defend the case.
The prosecutor, Ms Mosunmola Balogun from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice did not oppose the bail application but urged the court to impose conditions which would make the defendants available for trial
In his ruling, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N1million and two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties must be a land owner in Lagos, while the other must be a civil servant not below grade level 15. The sureties must have three years tax clearance and registration with Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).
The Magistrate also ordered the defendants to deposit N150, 000 each with the court, while they are to be remanded in Badagry Prison pending when they are able to meet the bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned to July 13.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the proceedings, Chairman of the Lagos State Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force, Mr. Jide Bakare said the administration of Governor Ambode, through the arraignment, was sending a strong message to others still involved in the act of forceful dispossession of property it would no longer be business as usual.
…Vows to make state unbearable for perpetrators
Efforts by the Lagos State Government to curb the activities of land grabbers popularly known as Omo onile received a massive boost on Thursday as the Special Task Force on Land Grabbing set by the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode arrested one Kamorudeen Lamina alias Sir K Oluwo, a notorious Omo onile kingpin, who has been terrorising the people of the State especially residents of Ikorodu.
The Omo Onile Kingpin who was arrested on Thursday by men of the Special Taskforce on Land Grabbing, who had been on his trail for a very long time, fell into the waiting hands of the Taskforce when he was tricked out of his hiding in a well-orchestrated operation carried out in the Alausa area of the State.
Chairman of the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbing, Mr. Jide Bakare said his office had received tons of petitions written by innocent residents who have been deprived of their legitimate investment in landed property by the unscrupulous gang of Lamina who had been a torn in the flesh of his victims.
Bakare, in a statement, said that the arrest of Sir K Oluwo by his team was a clear indication of the commitment of the Ambode-led administration to ensure that the lives and property of residents across the State was secured and protected under the law.
He said the State Government had made its zero tolerance stance against land grabbing offences very clear, just as he assured that every legimate investment made in the State would be protected by the Government.
The Chairman, further assured residents that information given by them against the nefarious activities of land grabbers will be treated with utmost confidence.
According to him, the State Government would immediately begin the prosecution of the arrested Omo Onile Kingpin, to serve as a deterrent to others that no one is above the law in Lagos State.
While warning those in the act to steer clear of Lagos, Bakare also said that the Task Force would intensify efforts to make the State unbearable for their nefarious activities.
It would be recalled that earlier this year, at the commissioning of the new office of the Special Taskforce on Land Grabbing, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem promised to go after any godfather aiding and abetting the criminal activities of the Omo Oniles in the State, saying “no matter who you are and your Status, we will come after you and prosecute you”.
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday refuted reports that it was planning to replace the statues of late Chief MKO Abiola and late Chief Gani Fawehinmi at the Ojota parks with another monument.
Acting Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Adebimpe Akinshola, while reacting to a media report that the State was planning to replace the statues, said the ongoing remodeling of both parks was to accommodate bigger sculptures of the two prominent Nigerians.
According to her, “Rather than replace the two conspicuous monuments, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture with the approval of His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, commissioned group of artistes to remodel the entire park and erect a new but bigger, better and more aesthetic sculpture of the two prominent Nigerians for better appreciation of their contribution to the development of Nigeria”.
She said the Government was already set to complete the remodeling of Late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola Garden at Ojota with a new statue and water fountain to enhance the aesthetic value of the park for better appreciation by visitors and enhancement of the June 12 presidential election narrative.
The Acting Commissioner said the remodeling work on Chief MKO Abiola statue commenced late January 2017 and was presently about 70 percent completed.
She said the project also includes additional facilities such as a water fountain and a designated mini park, adding that the Chief Gani Fawehinmi sculpture also at Ojota was about 60 percent completed, while the park was being enhanced with another work of art called “The Possibility”.
Akinsola reiterated the resolve of Governor Ambode’s administration to change the face of Lagos with the ongoing erection of 29 artistic sculptures and monuments at strategic locations across the State.
She said while many of the new world class creative monuments are at advance stages of completion, six of them completed and officially unveiled including the statues of the first settler in Lagos, Prince Olofin (erected at Ijora); the first King of Lagos, Prince Ado (erected at Moloney Junction, Lagos); Ojuloge (erected opposite the National Theatre), which celebrates and conveys the sense of beauty, grace, style and passion for fashion of Lagos Women.
She listed other completed monuments including The Drummer (erected at Ipakodo, Ikorodu), which depicts the Yoruba music culture, Youth Empowerment (erected at Sabo Yaba), which depicts situations and resources the youths deploy to improve quality of life as well as The Fisherman (erected at Badagry junction) which depicts one of the occupations and heritage of the people of Badagry.
…Says State Remains Committed To Ideals Of The Annulled Elections
The Lagos State Government on Sunday declared Monday public holiday to mark June 12 celebration in the State, saying that the State remains committed to the ideals of the annulled 1993 Presidential election.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello on behalf of the State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the government said the holiday was in honour of the ideals which June 12, 1993 Presidential election represents being a day that the country experienced an election that was adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
The Governor said 24 years after, the ideals of June 12 commemoration were worth celebrating, describing the day as one of the most defining moments of the country’s political history which has positively shaped its democratic rule.
Governor Ambode said the time has come for Nigerians to go beyond the commemoration and entrench a viable democracy as a way to immortalise the late presumed winner of June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Chief M.K.O Abiola through the practice of true federalism and conduct of credible and fair elections.
He said: “June 12, 1993 is a day we must not forget in the annals of our democratic history. Our present democratic experience may still be far from the ideal but we must all make concerted efforts to entrench fiscal federalism which is the only way to achieve true nationhood.”
Continuing, Governor Ambode said part of the enduring lessons of June 12 election is that it imbued the patriotic and nationalistic zeal in all Nigerians to speak with one voice to make a political choice devoid of ethnic, racial or social sentiments.
“On June 12, 1993, majority of Nigerians across all divides demonstrated through the ballot box that irrespective of class or ethnic sympathies, the Nigerian people are united and would always join hands to promote our unifying values,” he said.
Governor Ambode said though the peoples’ hope was dashed with the annulment of the elections by the military junta, the lessons of the elections cannot be wished away despite subterranean efforts by many to do, describing June 12 as the real Democracy Day in Nigeria.
“We owe it a duty to genuinely immortalize the fallen heroes of the June 12 struggle nationally and deepen our democratic values to ensure that never again will such anti-people action be allowed to take place”.
He also assured that his administration remains committed to the ideals of June 12 by carrying out people-oriented programmes across the State and making life more comfortable for the people.
Meanwhile, the State Government, through the office of Civic Engagement, has perfected arrangement for the annual public symposium which will hold at the De Roof, LTV 8 in Ikeja, to celebrate June 12.
A 25-year-old generator repairer, Emeka Okoli, who allegedly entered into a bank and stole a generator brain box valued at N1.2million, was on Monday in Lagos released on a N200,000 bail.
Okoli, of no fixed address, entered a `not-guilty’ plea to the two-count charge of intent to commit felony and stealing.
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court which gave the ruling, also asked the accused to produce two sureties as part of the bail conditions.
The Magistrate, Mrs O.J Awope, said the sureties must be gainfully employed and should show evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
According to the prosecutor, Insp. Ezekiel Ayorinde, the accused committed the offences on May 29 at Ilupeju, Lagos.
He said that the accused unlawfully entered the First Bank premises at night and stole a giant generator’s brain box valued at N1.2million, property of First Bank Plc.
“The accused jumped into the bank and went to the generator post, he came with sophisticated instruments to disconnect the brain box.
“The two security guards on duty heard sound from the generator stand and they decided to check what was happening.
“Immediately the accused sighted them coming towards him, he dropped the brain box and jumped the fence to escape.
“The guards gave him a hot chase and he was apprehended and handed over to the police.
“The brain box was recovered,” he said.
The offences contravened Sections 308(2) and 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015(Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 308(2) prescribes a seven-year jail term for convicted offenders.
The case was adjourned until June 19, for mention.
Impressed by the massive investment of the Lagos State Government in urban renewal and infrastructure, the World Bank said on Saturday that it would facilitate and mobilise the private sector to partner with the state government on the projects.
Mr Joaquim Levy, the Managing Director/Group Chief Financial Officer, gave the assurance in Lagos when he led the World Bank Group on a courtesy visit to the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule.
Levy said Lagos State had shown commitment in mobilising the private sector and civil society organisations to drive development and improve the standard of living of the people.
According to him, developed countries have been able to grow and sustain their economies through the adoption of public-private partnership.
“Though, we have been working with Lagos State for many years, but we came to Nigeria to see how the private sector is performing so we can fashion out new ways to accelerate development in the country.
“In Nigeria, Lagos State has been leading in many aspects like transportation, agriculture, environmental management, education, infrastructure and other developmental projects.
“We are very happy that the government is striving to directly impact on the lives of its citizens and the World Bank has come to further assist the government in some other challenging sectors such as the energy sector.
“We are willing to assist the government and mobilise the private sector to help the government accelerate its urban renewal and infrastructural development to improve the living condition of the people,” Levy said.
Levy lauded for providing and mobilising resources to drive government activities in terms of development, saying “the people are seeing the results”.
In her remarks, he deputy governor, who received the group on behalf of the state governor, said positive partnership was key to the development of any nation.
She said the state government was ready to partner with the World Bank and the private sector to further boost and develop all the sectors of the economy.
Adebule urged the group to also consider healthcare, environmental management, tourism, education, agriculture, energy and transportation as possible areas of collaboration.
She said:“Your partnership with us in the past years has been very tremendous and we look forward to more of such collaborations, especially in some challenging sectors.
“The government is judiciously expending the internally generated revenue to drive development, but more still needs to be done like in the area of potable water.
‘“Only 30 per cent of the people in the state have access to potable water and we need to really increase access to water.
“The energy sector, education and water transportation are our areas of challenge and we need your assistance to surmount them,.”
Adebule also appealed to the World Bank to intervene in the country’s exchange rate crises as a world financial body to get the country out of its economic challenges and put it back on the path of growth.