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Tag: lagos

  • Policemen allegedly kill man over N200 bribe in Lagos

    Policemen on Thursday morning allegedly killed a motorcyclist identified as Ademola Moshood in Surulere, Lagos Mainland for refusal to part with N200.

    The incident was said to have occurred few blocks away from the victims’ house at the wee hours of Thursday at Kilo.

    It was gathered that the policemen involved in the alleged murder were attached to Soloki Police Station, Surulere with two of their names given as AK, Patrick.

    According to a witness, the policemen were on patrol when they sighted and stopped the deceased by Kilo Bus Stop in a bid to extort him.

    A resident alleged that when Ademola refused to part with the usual N200 bribe on ground that he had closed business for the day and was homebound, one of the cops, an Inspector, went close to him, placed his gun on the man’s head and shot him.

    They were said to have fled the scene with the man’s motorcycle, abandoning his body on the ground after shooting him dead.

    It was gathered that residents who witnessed the incident stormed the police station in Aguda in protest and sighted the culprits who hid behind a van.

    They demanded justice, insisting that those involved be charged with murder.

    Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) said the Commissioner Zubairu Muazu had ordered that the culprits be detained and tried.

    “A petition was sent to the CP on the matter and he has ordered that those involved be detained and tried,” he said.

  • Amuneke

    Some Lagos ball fans could still remember, and recall with zest and fondness, the exploits of Juma Pondamali, the Tanzanian national team goalkeeper, and his heroics at the 1980 African Cup of Nations in Lagos.

    The then Green Eagles, the Nigerian national football team, had in the opening match, raced to a 3:0 lead.  But then, the Tanzanians began a comeback with two straight goals!  The stung Eagles responded with a blitz of attacks.  But they had the cheeky, heroic, and acrobatic Pondamali to to contend with.  Eventually, Nigeria nicked a final fourth goal to wrap up the match at 4:2.

    But the abiding hero of the evening was Pondamali.  Still, he could have ended up the villain, had Tanzania won, or even levelled up.  That was 1980 Lagos and its fickle fans!

    Which is why it is gratifying that 39 years later, it would be a Nigerian, Emmanuel Amuneke, that would restore to Tanzania Nations Cup action, since that 1980 exploits of Pondamali, who before the coming of the Nigerian, was drafted in as Taifa Stars goalkeeper trainer.

    On the face of it, Tanzania’s triumph was not spectacular.  Qualifying for AFCON with eight points from a maximum 18 available can’t be said to be brilliant by any standard.  But it was good enough to nick a second place after Uganda, ironically the same neighbouring country the hosts took to the slaughter slab, on that memorable day at the National Stadium, Dar-es-Salam.

    Still, it was the stuff with which epochal records are set.  To start with, Tanzania put three un-replied goals past Uganda — Uganda that, all through the qualifying series, had not conceded a single goal.  Then, on that memorable night too, Tanzania made AFCON qualification, 39 years after their last participation in that championship.

    But as much as qualification matters for that East African country, which not a few still consider football innocents, the attractive brand of football Amuneke’s Tanzania played was simply a breath of fresh air — short and crisp passes, fluid midfield and a sharp and potent attack, that somewhat hints at the “Barcelona” still left in Amuneke.  In his playing days as an imperious winger, Amuneke had stints at the Catalan Camp Nou.

    But also beyond national glory for Tanzania, it is also personal redemption for Amuneke.  Amuneke in 2015 went to FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, and his Golden Eaglets became world champions.  It was the cadet team of Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Nwakali and other young and twinkling stars.

    That team graduated into the national U-20, but couldn’t even qualify for the African championships proper.  That was because it got eliminated by Sudan in what could pass for a freak.  The Flying Eagles had won the first leg 1:0 away but lost the return leg in Lagos 2:3.  Thus, they got eliminated on superior away goals difference.

    So Amuneke, supposed the new rising star in the Nigerian football coaching galaxy, plummeted like a comet, after but a brief dazzle!  But then shortly after, came the Tanzania offer, which many didn’t think much would come out of.  With Tanzania’s AFCON qualification, therefore, it’s a new dawn of personal redemption, for Amuneke, in his coaching career.

    Nigerians are very critical of their own, particularly in the fickle field of Nigerian football, with the penchant to win all of the time.  But it is clear that despite organization that painfully lags behind talent and competence, in Nigerian footballers and coaches, there would appear some innate qualities to be acknowledged and cheered.

    First, it was Stephen Keshi (God bless his soul!) that took tiny Togo to the World Cup for the very first time; and later became only the second in history to win AFCON as both player (Tunisia 1994) and coach (South Africa 2013).  Now, it is Amuneke breaking, for Tanzania, a 39-year AFCON voodoo.

    While we congratulate Amuneke for his historic feat, wishing he would twinkle with Taifa Stars to further develop that country’s football, we call on Nigerians to start celebrating the best from our country. That shows the great heights Nigeria can attain, if we all put in our minds and hearts.

  • ‘We’re committed to moulding pupils for development’

    The Director and Principal of Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Tokunbo Yakubu-Oyinloye, has said the school is committed to moulding pupils for development.

    She said it was relying on its vision of producing generation of women who would excel, compete globally and contribute to nation building.

    Mrs. Yakubu-Oyinloye stressed the commitment of the school to sustaining excellence in girls’ education.

    Speaking recently at the 57th Annual Inter House Athletics Competition of the school, she said: “Queens College will never rest on its oars in ensuring that our girls are moulded for all-round development.

    “The college, as I am sure you are aware, is the flagship of girls’ education in Nigeria. Established in 1927, the college has made giant strides in preparing and moulding young girls into queens, who are academically excellent, physically fit and morally upright.

    “Our queens are making their marks in areas of life within the country and outside. Truly the story of Nigeria and its education cannot be told without Queen’s College.”

    Yakubu-Oyinloye added: “The school believes in the maxim, a sound mind in a sound body. We believe in the all-round development of our girls and in developing their talents, potentials and creative abilities. This is what we are committed to and we shall never leave any stone unturned in ensuring that.”

    Also speaking at the event held at the college’s sports ground, the Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Lami Amodu, who represented Minister of State for Education Prof. Anthony Anwukah, expressed the government’s commitment to all-round development of every pupil.

    “The government has put in place a policy that will ensure that the pupils are developed in all areas of life. The school curriculum has provisions for activities that encourage development of skills and talents of the pupils. In this regard, sport development plays a crucial role,” she said.

    The chairman of the event, the Chief Executive, New Horizons Systems Solutions, Mr. Tim Akano, advocated right mentoring of every child.

    According to him, “the world is a global village where our children are competing with the rest of the world. Therefore, we must put them in the right mind to be compatible with today’s world of information technology.”

    The Head Girl, Gloria Akinsanya, thanked the school authority for giving them an enabling environment to develop their talents.

  • ‘How doctor’s shady practice cost me my 15-month-old baby’

    A distraught father, Adeola Adetunji, has cried out for justice after his 15-month-old twin daughter, Taye, died at a private clinic owned by a paediatrician with the General Hospital in Igando, Lagos, identified simply as Dr. Joy.

    The man said he was angry because he had asked his wife, Taiwo, to take the child to the General Hospital on Sunday evening after she informed him that she was running temperature.

    But rather than attend to the child, the paediatrician, Adetunji alleged, lured his wife to her private hospital in Egbeda (HJ Clairoowen Medical Centre and Maternity), where blood was administered on his daughter without screening, in an unkempt environment and with no supervision.

    Findings by our correspondent showed that it was a trend at most general hospitals for doctors to woo desperate patients or their families to their clinics under the guise of providing better care, only to exploit them.

    Health Commissioner Dr. Jide Idris has ordered investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of the child, as well as allegations of patients poaching by doctors from government hospitals to their private clinics.

    “I need to find out more about this from the managing director. The issue of doctors and nurses wooing patients is being continuously addressed as this is brought to our notice. We are using independent monitors to address this. I will investigate this. I have asked the PS, and the HSC to investigate it,” said Idris.

    Speaking to our correspondent yesterday at the private clinic located at 10, Busari Street, Egbeda, Adetunji said he was only interested in justice and to save other families from falling victims of such unprofessional conduct by medical practitioners.

    He said: “I have twin daughters who are one-year-and three-month-old. The one who died is Taye. I work in Ogun State, so, I was not around when it happened. But my wife had called me after they returned from church on Sunday that she observed Taye was running temperature.

    “I told her not to administer any drug but to take her to the General Hospital, Igando because my house is at Igando. Not up to three minutes when they got to the hospital, she called again that the doctor who saw my daughter (Dr. Joy) had referred them to a private hospital

    “I asked if they were attending to them, she said yes.  Later around past 11pm, as I was about sleeping, I was informed that my child had dead. I rushed down to Lagos on Monday morning, met the doctors at the clinic and my family.

    “When my daughter was brought to this place, Dr. Joy wrote a referral on a discarded duplicate slip she picked on the floor and on it, she wrote Dr. Dayo that he was the one my wife would meet that he had spoken to him.

    “But when I got here, I saw the doctor’s (Dr. Joy’s) husband trying to intimidate my family. He was even threatening my grandma who came to the hospital with my wife. I flared up and he came to fight me that we wanted to spoil their name, but when they saw that we stood our ground, they started begging us.

    “On Monday night, Dr. Joy and her husband came and were apologising that they knew they made a mistake.

    It was not just a mistake, it was a costly mistake which arose from their selfishness and greed.

    “My wife paid N29,000 that night. N20,000 was for blood, N2,000 for file and then other fees they charged them. They put blood on my daughter without checking her blood group. They didn’t check my wife and from what my wife told me, Dr. Dayo Badmus just put the blood and left the child. No supervision.

    “She said she noticed the child was reacting and called the doctor’s attention, but they told her it was normal that the blood was circulating in her body and that’s how my daughter died.

    “My daughter cannot come back to life, but I cannot keep quiet on this because it will happen to other innocent people if nothing is done. I will fight it. Already, we have reported at the Human Rights at Igando Police Station. We have met with the Medical Director of General Hospital, Igando, (Dr. Madewa Adebajo) and in our presence, he told Dr. Joy she acted unprofessionally. He said we should give them 24 hours to investigate.”

    Narrating what transpired, the child’s mother, Taiwo, told our correspondent that she arrived Igando General Hospital around 6pm on Sunday and Dr. Joy touched the baby’s eye and told her she needed blood and oxygen.

    “She said the baby needed blood and oxygen, that there was no bed space and that she would refer the baby to another hospital. She called someone there and said the blood would be ready before we got there. She collected blood from the baby and she said there was no need to collect blood again to make it fast.

    “She did not tell me initially that it was her clinic. It was the first time I would be at Igando General Hospital. We got there around past 8pm and immediately, they put the blood on my baby, she reacted and bit me.

    “I tried to remove the thing from her hand, but the doctor (Badmus) said I should not take it off that I should hold my baby’s hand very well. When I noticed she was reacting, I called the doctor’s attention, but they said it was normal that the blood was circulating in her system.

    “Suddenly, I noticed she was breathing slowly and she gave up the ghost in the process. They killed my daughter, that is all I know. It was only temperature my baby was running, but my husband insisted I should take her to the General Hospital, Igando because they have specialists there.

    Read also: Zamfara Police confirm abduction of expatriate doctor

    “I was not charged any fee at the General Hospital, but she said the blood is N20,000. They collected N29,000 at her hospital and card fee N2,000. We got there around 8pm. It is a lie that my baby was shaking when we got to her hospital. It was the blood she reacted to and started shaking and then died,” said the woman.

    Our correspondent made efforts to see Dr. Joy both at Igando General Hospital and her private clinic without success. She was contacted on the phone for her side of the story, but she insisted on physical meeting, saying “it was not a telephone discussion.”

    Asked why she referred an emergency case from the General Hospital with all facilities to handle it to her clinic with no standard equipment, Dr. Joy admitted she erred.

    Dr. Joy pleaded with the bereaved family through calls and text messages sent to them for settlement that her employment at the General Hospital had been terminated.

    “Please change your mind, let’s act like a family. Please let’s sit down and talk about it. Please, wherever you are I will come and meet you. At least I came out last night. I just want to see you and talk. That is what I am after. Right now I do not have a job.

    “I really understand you and what you stand for. From my heart, my aim in all this was to save the child, though the process was wrong,” she reportedly said.

    At the hospital, Badmus denied he ever claimed to be a doctor, insisting he was a nurse and did not know why Dr. Joy addressed him as Dr. Dayo in the referral.

    “I am the registered head nurse here. I never claimed to be a doctor. The man came in yesterday and we tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen.

    “The baby was rushed here on Sunday. It was an emergency. Before they got here, Dr. Joy gave the mother my number from the General Hospital. She also called me that they were coming.

    “Dr. Joy is the owner of the hospital. I was not the one that did the blood infusion, it was Dr. Joy herself. The blood was brought by the lab man and it was screened. A test was done by the lab man and it showed the baby’s blood group was O+. I do not know the details of the referral, Dr. Joy is in a better position to answer those ones. I do not know about the clinic’s registration details, I am new here” he said.

    Checks with the police confirmed that the family had lodged a complaint and the doctor invited for questioning by the Igando Division.

     

  • Two hospitalised as fire ravages Lagos community

    A woman and a young boy were injured yesterday when fire swept through the Hausa community in Orile-Agege, Lagos.

    They are at the Agege General Hospital.

    The fire, said to have been caused by power surge, raged for several hours, destroying shops, houses and goods.

    It was gathered that the fire worsened when a high tension cable fell on a house where a cooking gas was on.

    Some residents alleged that fire fighters told them that they had no water when they were called.

    A woman, Iya Mariam, told The Nation that some properties would have been salvaged if the firefighters had responded in time.

    She said: “My mum grinds pepper at that compound where fire broke out. I came to visit my mum there. I woke up in the morning to get my child ready for school and the next thing, I heard people screaming that a room was on fire.

    “It later spread to other rooms. People called the firefighters, who said they did not have water.”

    Mrs. Sherifat Aderibigbe, a pepper grinder, blamed the firefighters for not doing their job well.

    Read also: Fire razes building in Kano

    A trader, Bolanle Babatunde, said he quickly evacuated his children.

    Imam Abdullahi said he was praying when the fire started, adding that he lost most of his goods.

    The President of Arewa United (Consultative Forum), Alhaji Shuaibu Ado, said the fire spread from room to room when the cable fell.

    “Although nobody died, we are pained now because we have lost belongings and money running into millions of naira.

    “We appeal to the government to assist the victims and provide alternative accommodation for them.”

    Seriki Hausa Alhaji Aminu said nobody died, adding: “I received a distress call early this morning that when electricity was restored, it sparked and affected a shop, resulting in fire.”

  • Our legacies in tourism, by Lagos

    Transactions in tourism exceeded N50 billion last Decmber, says Commissioner for Tourism Arts and Culture Steve Ayorinde, who speaks on the strategic policies, enabling infrastructure, tourism master plan and tourism promotion bill, among others, that make the state a preferred destination. Assistant Editor Arts Ozolua Uhakheme reports.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture Mr Steve Ayorinde  is upbeat about the Tourism Master-plan Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration will bequeathe to the in-coming government.

    He said the master-plan covers six sectors: Culture and Heritage; Films, Arts and Entertainment; Business Tourism; Nature and Adventure; Medical and wellness and Beach and Leisure.

    He noted that another legacy that the outgoing government would bequeathe to its successor is the Tourism Promotions Agency Law, adding that with the law, tourism promotions subsector would grow.

    Ayorinde, who spoke at the Third Nigerian Travel Awards, organised by Jumia Travels in Lagos, said it was the resolution of the Ambode-led administration to leave the legacy of a solid tourism-driven economy by conceiving a master plan as a blueprint document that would drive development and investment for the next 15 to 20 years.

    He said at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, that the last four years were committed to the governor’s growth agenda on the creative economy through Project T.H.E.S.E (Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sports for Excellence).

    According to him,this informs the investment in human capital and infrastructure with impact on the creative industry, which has lived up to its promise in the last three and half years.

    “It should be noted that this strategic intervention did not happen by accident, it has been a deliberate plan derived from a visionary study of the state, its demography and analysis of the creative sector, which has the capacity to absorb the teeming youth population, reduce poverty and crime as well as create jobs with multiplier effects on other sector,’’ he added.

    Continuing, Ayorinde said: “The last three and half years in the state have been eventful in terms of tourism infrastructure development as well as arts and cultural promotion, which we believe, will lay the long-term foundation to make Lagos State a sustainable tourism-driven economy and a leading haven for business and leisure in Africa.

    “In Lagos as you know, we relish in saying Eko For Show, but at the ministry, we see Travel and Tourism beyond the show part. We equally focus on the business and entrepreneurial component of it. We see, and we do our best to create enormous opportunities for stakeholders to further harness the tremendous economic and socio-cultural benefits of marketing a 21-million city-state and one of Africa’s Top 10 economies to domestic, regional and international visitors.

    “Between June 2015 and now, our goal of making Lagos State the preferred destination for tourism, leisure and business travel in Africa as well as promoting sustainable tourism development through enabling environment for both domestic and international tourists has been largely achieved. We have forged a new alliance with critical stakeholders. We constituted a Board for the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture to advise and assist in repositioning the culture and artistic image of the state and we executed in phases the most defining attempt in our country to beautify a state’s landscape with public art installations through indigenous artists,” he said.

    According to him, a new Lagos experience that is arty and chic has been created and is being enhanced daily as government continues to facilitate an enduring infrastructural and security architecture for the business of tourism and cultural arts to thrive.

    He identified the ongoing expansion and reconstruction of the Oshodi-Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, the entry point into the state, as a major infrastructure with strong impact on tourism.  He said by May, a stunning 10-lane world-class road and a multi-purpose bus-terminal that is, arguably, the biggest of its type in Africa will be completed.

    Ayorinde stressed that to put the state ahead in terms of ideas, long-term investments, top-notch infrastructure and human capacity development that are necessary for the expected competition among tourism destinations in Africa requires a long term strategic plan.

    According to him, other facilities, such as the Freedom Park on Broad Street, has been a shining example of a public-private sector arrangement that works.

    “So also is the Amusement Park, which with the plan to create access through waterways will definitely rise in value and patronage.

    “With Badagry as arguabley the leading attraction for slave-trade tourism, among others, the Badagry Heritage Museum and Vlekete Slave Market museum are just about to be re-equipped and furnished after their massive renovation. The completed ‘Point of No Return’ monument, too, is simply waiting for a major development into a theme park that can stun the world as captured in the Tourism Masterplan.”

    He added that as part of efforts to encourage tourism-driven initiatives and promote Lagos as a top destination that offers variety of contents to visitors, the state provided sponsorship and/or institutional support to organisers of major international entertainment and art events, such as the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), AKWABAA Travel Market as well as other indigenous festivals.

    Ayorinde noted that the colourful lifestyle, rich culture and the energy of Lagosians as always showcased at these events are a selling point to drive tourism traffic for economic growth.

    REad also: FTAN calls for stand-alone tourism ministry

    To him, these events provide a platform for airlines, hotels and restaurants, tour operators, travel agents, tourism boards, foreign trade missions, tourism sector travel professionals, the media and general public to interact and exchange experiences.

    On the preservation of peoples’ heritage, he said the state has continued to erect new and maintain all existing heritage and historical monuments in the state. Some of the monuments that depict these and received attentions are  the renovation of Tinubu Square Fountain, Statue of King Ado, the First Crown King of Lagos, Statue of Prince Olofin Atekoye. He added that the state also erected 23 new statues and monuments in parks and major public spaces across the city.

    “The state government’s effort at preserving cultural heritage of the people of Lagos State and its enormous historical values also received a boost with a grant of $600,000.00 (Six Hundred Thousand Dollars) from Ford Foundation towards the architectural design of the proposed Lagos Museum to be sited at the Onikan-Marina arts district, just like the ongoing redevelopment of the J.K Randle Centre for Yoruba History and Culture within the same zone.

    This project, which is due for completion soon, is the reason Lagos State has formally written the British Museum for the release of the historic Lander Stool, a sculptural work that is believed to have been taken out of Nigeria in 1863 and is presently in storage at the British Museum in London,” he said.

    According to the commissioner, the state is also very mindful of culture infrastructure investments, which informed the ongoing construction of Six Eko Theatres across the state. This, he said, is a project conceived by this administration to encourage creativity and create more spaces for theatrical and musical productions and offer platforms for upcoming artistes across arts and culture sector.

    Four of the six theatres located at Opebi, Badagry, Igando and Epe are almost completed and will be delivered by the contractors in May.

    Interestingly, the age-old Glover Memorial Hall in the heart of Lagos is ready to wear a new look by May as restoration work is currently ongoing there. This is where the first film screening was done in Lagos State in 1903 and that iconic structure will roar back to life like a new bride courtesy of the art-loving Governor Ambode.

  • Two injured in Agege inferno

    A woman and a young boy on Tuesday sustained injuries after electricity surge sparked inferno at Orile-Agege in Lagos.

    The fire, which started at about 6am, was said to have raged for several hours destroying shops, houses and wares.

    It was gathered a high tension cable fell on a residential building where cooking gas was on and it escalated the fire.

    Lamenting their losses, victims said fire service officials told them they did not have water when they called them to contain the inferno.

    A woman, Iya Mariam, who said she visited her mother, told The Nation said a lot would have been salvaged if the agency responded in good time.

    She said: “My mum grinds pepper in that compound where fire broke out. I came to visit my mum there.

    “I woke up in the morning to get my child set for school and the next thing I heard people screaming that a room was on fire.

    “In no time, it escalated to other rooms. They went to call fire service but those ones said they do not have water, how can that happen?

    “Majority of our things are gone. Few people sustained injuries. We do not want the compound to be taken from us, the government should help us by building a better one.”

    Mrs. Sherifat Aderigbigbe, a pepper grinder, blamed fire service for not doing their job well, saying they have been made to suffer and rendered homeless.

    A trader, Bolanle Babatunde, said he ensured he evacuated his children while they kept calling and waiting on the fire service.

    Mallam Abdullahi, an Imam, said he was praying when the fire started, adding that he lost most of his goods.

    According to the President, President Arewa United (Consultative Forum), Alhaji Shuaibu Ado, said the fire spread from room to room as soon as the cable fell, adding that people fled abandoning their valuables.

    Read Also: Fire razes building in Kano

    “People started shouting fire, fire and they ran leaving their goods and properties inside. No life was lost but we are pained now because we have lost millions of properties and money to the fire outbreak.

    “We are appealing to the government to come to our aid and give the Hausa boys shelter. They are now stranded. Everything they worked for has gone down the drain.

    “Now that there is no alternative for them tonight, they would all sleep on the road.

    “Those who live here are those who are financially not upright, so they cannot even go out to rent an apartment.”

    Seriki Hausa Alhaji Aminu confirmed no life was lost in the incident, blaming the outbreak on electrical surge.

    “I received a distress call early this morning that when light came on, it sparked and affected a shop. In the process of putting out the fire, the whole thing escalated and affected other areas.

    “Two persons sustained injury, a woman and a young boy and have been rushed to the General Hospital Agege. No life was lost.

    “Due to the damage caused already, we are considering giving the place to a developer to develop. We allowed the Hausa boys to sleep here, we built rooms for the Hausa boys so the ‘omo onile’ people will not tamper with the land.

    “Most of the Hausa boys are workers here. A lot of agencies came to our rescue, the police, fire service, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) and Civil Defence. They all collaborated to ensure the situation was brought down to a minimal level,” he said.

     

  • Grandfather, daughter arrested over grandson’s death in Lagos

    The police in Lagos have arrested a grandfather and his daughter over the death of a 10-year-old grandson in Ikorodu area of the state.

    A source at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the grandfather and his daughter, mother of the deceased, were arrested for allegedly disposing the child’s corpse without the knowledge of the father.

    NAN gathered that the deceased, Abdullah Adisa, 10, the only child in the marriage, fell ill and later died while in the custody of the mother.

    The deceased mother, who was estranged with her husband over alleged infidelity, was living in her father’s house in Ikorodu when the incident happened.

    READ ALSO: Man stabs cousin to death over N500

    “While the child was sick, they did not inform the father of the child. When the child died, they did not inform him, rather, the grandfather told a scavenger to help dispose the corpse of the child.

    “When the father of the child demanded to see his son, he was told that the child had died. He requested for the corpse, they told him his corpse had been buried in cemetery already.

    “The father of the child reported the case to the police. When the police asked the grandfather to take the operatives to the spot of burial at the cemetery, he could not do so.

    “The grandfather and his daughter have case to answer. They will be charged to court for conspiracy and indecent behaviour to corpse,” the police source told NAN.

    When contacted, the Spokesman for the police in Lagos, DSP Bala Elkana, said he was yet to be briefed about the matter from the SCID.

  • Federal Govt closes ‘illegal arms importation’ case

    The Federal Government yesterday closed its case against five men who allegedly imported 661 pump action rifles without license.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) arraigned the defendants at the Federal High Court in Lagos on June 14, 2017 for illegally importing double barrel shortguns, pump action rifles and single barrel shotguns (firearms) without authorisation.

    Count one of the charge said the defendants “on or about January 21, 2017, at Apapa, Lagos conspired to illegally import into Nigeria 661 pump actions rifles.”

    The prosecution said they brought the arms from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

    Prosecuting counsel Mr. Julius Ajakaiye, a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Justice, said the defendants attempted to bribe Customs officials.

    Read also: APC urges Police, DSS to invesitgate Atiku’s claim to access to INEC server

    Hassan Mahmud, Salisu Danjuma, Oscar Orkafor, Donatus Achinulo and Matthew Okoye, said to be at large, and a company, Mahmud Hassan Trading Company Limited, are the defendants.

    They were charged with illegal importation of firearms, conspiracy, forgery and “uttering” of documents, offering of graft to government officials and importation of prohibited goods.

    The alleged offence contravene sections 3(6),1(14)(a)(I) 1(2) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act of 2004 and Section 98(1) (b) of the Criminal Code Act.

    The court heard from a ballistic expert that forensic analysis was conducted on the guns on June 1, 2017.

    The Officer-In-Charge of Ballistic Section, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (Force CIID) Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, Tanimu Jeremiah, said he identified the guns.

    He said the analysis followed a request via a May 25, 2017, letter from the Lagos office of the Department of State Seervices (DSS)

    He said the firearms include a Gorgev Magnum Black 502, Gorgev Magnum Silver 137, Alpha Silver 10, Strong Silver 10 and tornado pump action two, numbering 661.

    The witness said the pump action guns, which had serial numbers, were prohibited.

    Hassan, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, had earlier claimed that he was chained and threatened him with a gun in bid to force him to confess to the crime.

    In a trial-within-trial, he denied confessing to conspiring with others to use his company, Hassan Trading Limited, to import the arms.

    Justice Ayokunle Faji adjourned until April 4 and 5 for defence.

     

  • Air Peace gets third B 777

    Air Peace has taken delivery of its third Boeing 777 aircraft.

    The airline’s latest bird touched down at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, about 3:20pm last Wednesday.

    It was honoured with a spectacular water salute staged by men of the Fire Service Department of the Federal Airports of Authority of Nigeria, with a crowd of the carrier’s management and staff as well as aviation authorities and airline workers cheering ecstatically.

    Air Peace said the latest aircraft in its fleet was a big boost for its plans to soon start long-haul flight operations to Sharjah, Dubai, London, Houston, Guangzhou-China, Mumbai and Johannesburg.

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    Addressing reporters shortly after the aircraft marked with registration number 5N-BWI and named “Anuli Peggy Onyema” landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Air Peace Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Mr. Allen Onyema said the airline had proved beyond doubt that it was the face of the bright future of the country in the global aviation industry.