The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mayhem

  • Kano Chief Whip: Kwankwasiyya group planning to cause mayhem

    •‘Allegations are false’

    Chief Whip of the Kano State House of Assembly Baffa Danagundi has accused the Kwankwasiyya group loyal to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of plotting to unleash mayhem during sallah.

    Danagundi, who represents Kano Municipal, urged the police to come to their aid.

    In a letter to the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, Danagundi accused former Secretary to the State Government Rabiu Bichi and former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Water Resources to ex-governor Kwankwaso, Haruna Dangwani, of hatching a new plan to destabilize Kano during sallah.

    The letter was copied to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje; National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II and Speaker of the House of Assembly Abdullahi Attah.

    The letter, titled: “Notification of illegal activities of Kwankwasiyya people in Kano under Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso’s leadership”, said: “I write to formally call the attention of the Inspector-General of Police to recall the incident during last sallah at the Emir’s Palace, where Senator Kwankwaso’s supporters from Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi and Kano States converged to disturb the peace.

    “A fight broke out because they could not pay the thugs hired to disrupt proceedings and it took the intervention of security men to restore peace.

    “Sulaiman Bichi and Haruna Dangwani (currently being investigated for alleged terrorism) and the former Commissioner for State Affairs, Aminu Abdulsalam, are believed to be hatching new plans to organise another illegal gathering capable of disturbing peace.”

    But the Kwankwasiyya Group has described the allegations as false.

    Former Commissioner for State Affairs under Kwankwaso’s tenure, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, said: “The Kwankwasiyya movement is a peaceful group. Our people are very organized and despite extreme provocations, we remained peaceful…

    “So we refute the allegations and dismiss claims raised in Danagundi’s letter as untrue and false.”

  • Police arrest 130 over Benue mayhem

    Police arrest 130 over Benue mayhem

    No fewer than 130 suspects are now in Police custody  over the recent threat to peace in Benue State.

    The detainees include those being held for killings in parts of the state   and attacks on residents of Makurdi, the state capital.

    “The number of those arrested is high. The number is not necessarily restricted to a certain category,” Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Habila Joshak said yesterday on the phone.

    Joshak is assisting Inspector General Ibrahim Idris to co-ordinate police operations to contain the recent mayhem in the state.

    He had been contacted to assess the security situation in the state, two weeks after the burial of 73 victims of Fulani herdsmen attacks.

    President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently directed Idris to move to the state to stop the security challenge.

    Joshak said: “There were attempts to cause security challenges in the city of Makurdi, around the Wadata area.

    “Some houses were attacked and cars vandalised, so, those involved were also rounded up. About 130 have been arrested altogether over the disturbances in the city.

    “In the areas earlier affected by the violent crisis, some arrests have been made.”

    He said relative peace has now returned to the state and more police personnel deployed to keep  trouble makers away.

    Continuing, the DIG said: “Assessing the performance of security officers or the situation on ground is based largely on the perception of the citizens themselves.

    “You may be thinking that you are succeeding or doing something significant in the security template and people may be thinking otherwise.

    “On the other hand, you may assume that you have not done so much because of limited time and number of activities while what you have done may be of extremely significant impact to the people.

    “However, we have been able to stop some of the nefarious activities that were going on in some local governments, particularly in Guma and Logo as well as Agatu area of Benue state.

    “Beyond that, our coming has assisted in coordinating activities by analyzing and assessing threats from one location to another. The IGP is coordinating and making a lot of inputs. He has convened several stakeholders meetings in both Benue and Nassarawa states.”

    Joshak said the massive deployment of more personnel has also assisted the police in bringing the situation under control.

    His words: “We have done massive deployment of personnel. Outside the normal presence on ground, the reinforcement at the Nassarawa state end is eight units; each unit comprises 63 policemen.

    “In Benue state, there are 10 additional units. Outside the ten units, we have a highly specialized unit that was trained in Belarus, with the military who formed the initial action plan and those who actually started the conduct of the action against Boko Haram in the Northeast.

    “They can be said to be a counter-terrorism unit but they are more than that, having done some highly specialized training with the military in Belarus. They can be airlifted and dropped to repel anywhere. Their duty is to go in, fight and come back.”

    He acknowledged  the contribution of the people of the state in making the job of the police easier.

    “We are succeeding in what we call confidence-building in all the local government areas that had (security) challenges,” he said.

    “Members of the public in these areas are cooperating effectively with us. We are also engaging the youths who also assist us in understanding the terrain towards identifying where to patrol and where to do deployments.

    “They are also participating effectively in monitoring and gathering of intelligence as to possibility or sighting of insurgents or armed people who may be trying to advance into any community.

    “Since we came, things have largely been quiet but we have come in contact with armed militia men. They tried to make an incursion in one position that is motorized by our sister outfit.

    “They were warded off but not without exchange (of fire). Some of our people have been redeployed to that place. You can call those people militia. They entered a community (in Guma local government area) and set the community ablaze.

    “Our operation is ongoing and it is fully on course.

    “The good news is that a lot of communities have keyed in into our efforts for security and confidence-building and we are seeing results. Our area of concentration is the safety of lives and property, including dealing with the marauding gangs. We are putting an effective check on such illegality.”

    The DIG was optimistic that people who were displaced by the mayhem would soon return home.

    “People want to really feel safe before returning home but I can assure you that some of the internally-displaced persons are finding adequate confidence for going back to their villages.

    “We still have some work to do by ensuring that anybody found to be illegally armed is not spared. This is because it is illegitimate for anybody, except those licensed or authorized, to carry arms.

    “The Commissioner of Police here has drawn up standard operating procedures and points where people are searched for illegal arms before passing through. We are also checking to endure that nobody carries arms in the name of self-help because such will not help the community or the society at large. We engage the people and the state government and we discuss meaningfully on a steady, regular basis.

    “The state government has been cooperative and local governments have keyed in completely into our efforts.”

  • Mayhem at Ijebu-Igbo over killing of RTEAN member

    There was pandemonium yesterday at Ijebu-Igbo, the headquarters of Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, following the killing of a member of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) identified simply as Seyi.

    Angry residents and transporters thronged the popular Station Road junction as early as 7 a.m where the killing reportedly occurred.

    They shut down activities in the area as more people converged on the scene, spilling into adjoining roads.

    Early risers and traders who were already on the roads for their daily chores hurriedly retreated as the angry residents and RTEAN members chanted war songs and smashed kiosks and other property.

    They disrupted free human and vehicular movements for several hours in the morning.

    Many people scampered for safety while a detachment of policemen from Ijebu-Igbo Divisional police headquarters battled to contain the situation from degenerating into a major breakdown of law and order.

    A source at Ijebu-Igbo told The Nation that Seyi, who was confirmed dead at 4 a.m yesterday, was reportedly knocked down by a hit-and-run driver around 2 a.m while loading his vehicle for a trip to Lagos.

    The source added that as Seyi writhed in pains on the road, more vehicles ran over him many times until some parts of his body were kneaded to pulps, fuelling rage among members of RTEAN and some residents.

    But police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), told The Nation that RTEAN officials often went to a stand where traders sold animal skin delicacy (popularly called ponmo) to collect revenue.

    Abimbola added that it was while the RTEAN member was allegedly attempting to collect the revenue a vehicle conveying ponmo knocked him down, leading to his death.

    The spokesman said the disturbance in the town was the work of RTEAN members who were pained by the death of their colleague.

    He said the police took over the area and restored peace.

  • Apapa mayhem: Sergeant ‘on his own’, says CP

    Lagos Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni yesterday said the Sergeant who allegedly shot a tanker driver to death in Apapa on Wednesday “is on his own”.

    The Sergeant was said to have fired the fatal shot after the driver allegedly stabbed him. They were said to have had a disagreement when the sergeant insisted that the late driver should move his truck from the entrance of Diamond Bank.

    Irked by the driver’s death, his colleagues went on the rampage, setting Diamond and Sterling banks ablaze and vandalising properties.

    Owoseni, told reporters at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja that the sergeant had been taken into custody.

    The police chief noted that even if the policeman was stabbed, his gun was not meant to be used at will.

    Owoseni said: “It was an unfortunate incident. Like we said before, the policeman in question has been taken into custody and is currently being guarded in the hospital because he was stabbed. As of this morning, he was taken to the theatre for surgery.

    “That notwithstanding, the provisions of extant regulations of the police would be applied in dealing with the situation. Without justifying their actions, I think the reaction from the drivers was as a result of bottled up anger. Some of them left their families to load at the port with expectation to return within two days, only to spend one week there.

    “But that does not mean they should take laws into their hands. What they did was brazen lawlessness. We appeal to the public that when things happen like that, the rule of law should be allowed to take its course. The police are at the forefront of cleansing institutional rot and we would continue to do that. No policeman is given a gun to shoot at will. That officer is not one of us. He acted in his capacity as an individual not for the police. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has been very clear on this. He abhors lawlessness and has zero tolerance for cops who do not keep to the tenets of standard policing.

    “I apologise to the public for the act of misconduct exhibited by that policeman. We would continue to ensure training and retraining of our personnel so that they discharge their responsibilities within the ambit of the law.”

    Owoseni said he could state the extent of damage suffered by the tanks, adding that they were in a better position to do that.

    But from my assessment when I visited the place (on Wednesday) no staff of the banks was hurt. They quickly evacuated. I can tell you that three vehicles were vandalised, and the banks were partially burnt,” he said.

    The police chief said those arrested were being screened so that the innocent are not punished.

    He said: “There were some people with legitimate businesses there. Some of them are truck or motor boys that sleep in the park. But there are those who had no business there and only came to take advantage of the situation.

    “They are hoodlums who came to infiltrate the area and get engaged in violence or looting. Those ones would be dealt with. We are still taking stock and so, we cannot tell you right now, those who have been screened.

    “In mob actions like that, there is every possibility that innocent people would be arrested. We do not want a situation were innocent people would be punished unjustifiably.”

  • Police confirm one dead in Apapa mayhem

    Police confirm one dead in Apapa mayhem

    •Officer, 17 others arrested

    The police yesterday confirmed the death of one person in Apapa during a protest by tanker drivers.

    Unofficial reports however said three persons died in the mayhem.

    The drivers’ protest started when one of them was shot dead in front of Diamond Bank by a mobile police officer.

    The policeman allegedly fled to Sterling Bank on Burma Road to stay with his colleagues there.

    To avert an attack, the policemen attached to the bank started shooting into the air.

    Two drivers were allegedly killed and one was injured in the shooting.

    An eyewitness, Sunday Abiodun, said enraged by the action, the protesting drivers and their motor boys, torched both banks.

    Abiodun said: “This morning, a police officer attached to Diamond Bank, asked one of the truck drivers operating here at Apapa port, to give him N1,000 and the man said he was not the owner of the vehicle parked in front of the bank, that he just came to pick his phone inside the truck. While asking the man to give him the money or move his vehicle, the next thing we had was a gun shot and the man died instantly in front of the bank.”

    Attempts by men of the Lagos State Fire Service, Iponri, to put out the fire, was rebuffed by the drivers.

    It was gathered that the firemen left for fear of being assaulted by the drivers and their trucks vandalised.

    The Nation gathered that it took the combined efforts of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives, Area B police command, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECEROFT and Nigerian Army Signal Corps to contain the situation.

    The security operatives also stopped the rioters from setting a tank farm ablaze.

    The RRS operatives led by their Commander, Tunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), also prevented hoodlums from looting the affected tanks.

    A senior officer, who was ground, said: “Those tanker drivers are very irrational. When the policemen attached to one of the banks shot at the tanker driver, they regrouped and stormed the bank in anger.

    “They first demanded that the policeman who shot their colleague be released to them. When their demands proved abortive, they took the law into their hands.

    “They contributed fuel from their tanks and set the bank ablaze. The entire situation caused a stampede as both workers and bankers scrambled to escape from the back of the bank to safety.

    “The drivers were still on the rampage in the first bank when they heard that the policeman had taken refuge in the next bank.

    “Armed with that information, they simply went over to the said bank and carried out same carnage, irrespective of the presence of innocent bystanders.

    “They also attacked innocent policemen going about their own businesses. They stabbed no fewer than three policemen who didn’t know what was happening.

    “Seventeen of them were arrested. The mobile man was also handed over to the DPO Apapa. Calm has returned to the place now.”

    The Police said they had arrested the officer, who fired the fatal shot and 17 others over the disturbance.

    Lagos State Command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the police went to the scene following a distress call from the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of a new generation bank.

    “The caller said hoodlums were trying to take laws into their hands by setting the bank ablaze following the shooting of a tanker driver by a policeman, attached to the bank after a altercation,” he said.

    Famous-Cole said operatives of the command including the Area Commander Apapa, RRS and other security agents rushed to the scene.

    The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, was also there.

    Famous-Cole said if not for the police’s quick intervention, the hoodlums would have wreaked more havoc on Apapa.

    He explained that a mob had gathered in front of the bank demanding the release of the policeman to it.

    The bank, he said, refused, leading to the arson and attack on another bank branch on Wharf Road.

    The fire at the banks, the ASP said, was put out by the police and other security agencies. He said the driver whose name he simply gave as Azeez was confirmed dead on arrival on hospital.

    “Contrary to reports making rounds in the news, only one tanker driver was shot. The policeman has been arrested and would be charged to court immediately. The Lagos State Police Command would like to address the members of the public about the rate of impunity and jungle justice in the state. We are no longer going to tolerate the act of lawlessness and impunity by members of the public.”

    Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), chairman Chief Remi Ogungbemi told The Nation that the situation had been brought under control.

    “The situation is calm and the police are on top of the situation. I have told my members to calm down because they cannot use wrong to correct wrong,” he said

    Sterling Bank said the policeman ran into its premises to avoid being mobbed, urging its customers to patronage nearby branches.

    The bank said: “An armed mobile policeman fleeing from an irate mob after shooting a tanker driver disrupted banking operations at the Sterling Bank branch on Creek Road this morning. He ran into the premises of the bank to escape being lynched.

    “Security operatives attached to the bank disarmed and arrested the fleeing mobile policeman but did not hand him over to the irate mob.

    “The mob got upset and attacked the bank with the intention of unleashing mayhem on staff and customers. The branch’s reception area was vandalised and set ablaze.

    “The security operatives attached to the branch prevented the mob from entering the branch while evacuating staff and customers before the arrival of police reinforcement. The branch has been temporarily shut down.

    “We wish to inform all our customers that normal services will continue at nearby branches and through all our electronic channels. Sterling Bank is working with security agencies to resolve the issue.”

    Petroleum Tankers Driver (PTD) said none of its members was shot dead.

    It said reports that some of its members were killed by the police, after loading fuel in Apapa, Lagos, was a figment of the imagination of those who wish out to cause crisis between the two groups.

    PTD’s South-West spokesman Tayo Aboyeji, in a statement, said tanker drivers, the police and other security operatives were like members of the same family.

    Aboyeji said: ‘’The police, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and its various arms are established by law, to discharge their duties, without interference. They mutually benefit each other and have not engaged themselves in fracas. Members of PTD have not involved in any act of criminality or lawlessness’’ he said.

  • Money-multiplication mayhem

    Money-multiplication mayhem

    • A Ponzi scheme heads for the rocks

    As Nigeria’s economic crisis deepens, it appears that many citizens have resorted to increasingly desperate methods of making quick cash. The best-known of such schemes is the local affiliate of Mavrodi Mundial Moneybox (MMM) whose dubious reputation became even more pronounced in the wake of its December 13 announcement that it was freezing all scheduled payments until January next year.
    Founded in Russia in 1989, MMM calls itself a social financial network offering huge returns on investment for those who put funds into it. Within Africa, it has spread to South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Based on an elaborate system of “guiders,” trustees, trustors, special currencies and bonuses, powered by effusive testimonials and the ubiquity of social media, it has accumulated an estimated three million Nigerians on its network since it was launched in November 2015. Many of them have put in substantial sums.
    Invested funds are called “mavros” which are supposedly given to other investors whose promised payments are due. Payouts comprise the original sum invested, in addition to a 30 per cent monthly profit. The longer an investor stays, the greater the profit. Those who bring in additional investors are entitled to referral bonuses and can create multi-level structures of their own within the scheme.
    MMM’s popularity has attracted the attention of regulatory bodies, with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cautioning Nigerians against participation in the scheme. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the House of Representatives have also issued warnings.
    Their admonitions are well-intentioned and are based on rational economic behaviour. Regardless of the testimonies of MMM participants who claim to have benefitted from the scheme, there is still the unanswered question of how any institution can sustainably guarantee 30 per cent profits on a monthly basis merely by overseeing the transfer of funds from one participant to another, without legitimate investment or production of any kind.
    Nigerian history is littered with the activities of a succession of so-called “wonder-banks” which promised up to 60 per cent monthly profits, only to collapse under the weight of their own financial contradictions. They include Umanah Bank, Pennywise and Wealth Solutions, Treasure Line, Turning Point and Let’s Partner With You Ltd. Like MMM, they all promised enormous profits which they were unable to sustain after initial successes.
    MMM was declared bankrupt in Russia in 1997. It was banned in China in January. Freezes on transactions were imposed on the South African affiliate of the scheme in May this year, and it has allegedly crashed in Zimbabwe. MMM co-founder, Sergey Mavrodi, is said to be on the run following the collapse of one of his other businesses.
    It has been argued that MMM’s suspension of payments in Nigeria was brought about by unfriendly media scrutiny, and does not amount to a crash, but these contentions cannot explain the scheme’s troubles in other parts of the world. Its inherent unsustainability, lack of safeguards, opaque administration and absence of regulatory oversight make MMM a financial disaster waiting to happen.
    It is significant that the scheme’s many punters have no choice but to believe that its nameless administrators will keep their word and resume payments in January. Even if that were to happen, however, there is no guarantee that participants would not rush to withdraw their investments, thereby short-circuiting the payout process and destroying the entire arrangement.
    The country’s financial authorities must do more to ensure that dubious schemes like MMM do not take root in the country. A comprehensive enlightenment campaign, alert regulatory authorities, wide-ranging surveillance and prompt prosecution will help to ensure that Nigerians do not lose their hard-earn money to such schemes in future.

  • ‘Mimiko causing mayhem in Ondo’

    ‘Mimiko causing mayhem in Ondo’

    The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State has accused Governor Olusegun Mimiko of creating tension across the three senatorial districts.

    The Publicity Secretary, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya,  said the governor has decided to sponsor violence out of frustration because his party was about to lose a critical election.

    Adesanya alleged in a statement that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains were mobilising militants to invade the state to cause mayhem.

    He said: “We have been reliably informed of the intense mobilisation of thugs and militants, running into thousands, by Governor Olusegun Mimiko to protest and unleash terror on the people of Ondo, Akoko and Owo, Ore and Okitipupa, which are located in the three senatorial districts of the state.

    “The governor has started disbursing millions of Naira, through his surrogates, to mobilise militants and hoodlums from neighboring Delta and Edo States, as well as a faction of Ooda People’s Congress (OPC) from Ekiti and Lagos States”.

    Adesanya added:  “As a matter of urgency, President Muhamandu Buhari needs to quickly instruct the Inspector-General of Police, the Director General of Security Service, and the military authorities to beef-up security in and around Ondo State, now and till after the governorship election.

    “We want to state that, the good people of Ondo State are desirous of peace and they deserve such. Their peace should not be disrupted and compromised by a few self-seeking individuals for their political interests and personal gains.”

  • Mayhem in Lagos as truck kills hawker

    Mayhem in Lagos as truck kills hawker

    ALL hell was let loose in Maryland, Lagos, yesterday when a hawker was crushed by a truck.

    His colleagues went wild, destroying about 47 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses belonging to Primero Transport Service Ltd and several others owned by LAGBUS Asset Management.

    The debris of the buses filled the road from Maryland to Obanikoro.

    Eyewitnesses said the eyeglasses hawker was trying to evade arrest by Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials when he ran into the truck’s path.

    The accident, which happened around 1.15pm, caused a traffic gridlock, which stretched from the Maryland Independence Tunnel to Fadeyi.

    An eyewitness said: “KAI officials pursued the guy who tried to run away with his wares, but he was hit by a truck which was on high speed.

    But another witness said the hawker ran into a Honda vehicle and was crushed.

    He said: “What I saw was a Honda vehicle which was on high speed. It hit the guy when he was running towards the other side of the road and he died immediately while his intestine came out. Immediately the vehicle owner realised he had killed someone, he parked and stepped out to  sympathise with the guy’s fellow hawkers but he was later asked to leave as many people reasoned it was not his fault but KAI’s who pursued him to death.”

    A mob barricaded both sides of the road, hindering motorists’ movement.

    The mob, The Nation learnt, chased away the first and second batches of policemen that arrived on the scene.

    To escape from the mob, some drivers were said to have abandoned their buses and fled. Others manoeuvred their way out of the mayhem.

    Some hawkers told The Nation: “Those KAI officials are wicked people. Can you imagine how cruel they are? The innocent man had already obeyed them by running away to avoid being punished but they kept chasing him till he was killed by a car. Immediately they saw that the car had knocked him down, they drove off speedily. We are all human beings and we are not happy with the situation. We need to let the government know that we can’t take the injustice. Therefore, venting our anger on the buses is the best way to let them know what they have done is bad. The poor man is gone but we will make sure all the buses that would ply this road today must pay for his death.”

    A driver with Primero Transport Service Ltd, Mr Adedeji Adeosun, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “I was in traffic for about 20 minutes at Maryland. Then I saw some people running from Maryland and I opened the door to see what was happening. I heard shouts from people that we should come down, so, I immediately removed my uniform. I saw about 100 of the hoodlums otherwise called ‘area boys’ coming with stones and so I ran away.

    “All the passengers on board my bus also came down and ran for dear life. I was hit by a big stone”.

    Another driver, Mr Michael Onabolu, said: “I saw people running and shouting that I should come down from the bus. And all of a sudden, I saw some guys surrounding the buses and asking my passengers and I to come down. Before I knew it, one of them hit the bus with a big stone and I could not move because of the traffic. I was wounded on my hands and my thighs with stones’’.

    He said the passenger beside him was also hit by a stone, adding that all the passengers were moved to other buses to continue their journey.

    A commuter, Mr Elijah Omotayo, said the mob attacked their driver for not opening the doors.

    Omotayo, a student, told NAN: “They started throwing stones and one of the stones hit my head”.

    Primero Ltd Managing Director Mr Fola Tinubu, expressed displeasure over the incident, saying: “We don’t know what happened, whatever it is; it is something that has to do with the government or the police. But does that give aggrieved people the right to destroy private property”.

    He added: “People are saying that there are no jobs in Nigeria; we have created over 2,000 jobs in the last six months. Is this the reward we will get for it? We need to start asking ourselves serious questions in this country. They have destroyed over 14 of our buses now. I don’t even know how many they have destroyed now. For what, what did we do? I am angry. I don’t even know where to begin because there is no justification for destroying private property; our service is for the masses. Do you know how many people will be stranded today if we don’t go out to pick them up? How are they going to get home? We do this for the masses. Is this the reward that we will get? This is madness.”

    Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Communications Director Mr Kola Ojelabi told The Nation last night that about 47 BRT buses were destroyed.

    This, he said, was more than 10 per cent of the numbers of buses on that route.

    A combined team of soldiers and policemen restored law and order before traffic started moving again.

    They used tyres and big stones to shield the body to ensure free flow of traffic.

  • Mayhem in Lagos as truck kills hawker

    Mayhem in Lagos as truck kills hawker

    ALL hell was let loose in Maryland, Lagos, yesterday when a hawker was crushed by a truck.

    His colleagues went wild, destroying about 47 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses belonging to Primero Transport Service Ltd and several others owned by LAGBUS Asset Management.

    The debris of the buses filled the road from Maryland to Obanikoro.

    Eyewitnesses said the eyeglasses hawker was trying to evade arrest by Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials when he ran into the truck’s path.

    The accident, which happened around 1.15pm, caused a traffic gridlock, which stretched from the Maryland Independence Tunnel to Fadeyi.

    An eyewitness said: “KAI officials pursued the guy who tried to run away with his wares, but he was hit by a truck which was on high speed.

    But another witness said the hawker ran into a Honda vehicle and was crushed.

    He said: “What I saw was a Honda vehicle which was on high speed. It hit the guy when he was running towards the other side of the road and he died immediately while his intestine came out. Immediately the vehicle owner realised he had killed someone, he parked and stepped out to  sympathise with the guy’s fellow hawkers but he was later asked to leave as many people reasoned it was not his fault but KAI’s who pursued him to death.”

    A mob barricaded both sides of the road, hindering motorists’ movement.

    The mob, The Nation learnt, chased away the first and second batches of policemen that arrived on the scene.

    To escape from the mob, some drivers were said to have abandoned their buses and fled. Others manoeuvred their way out of the mayhem.

    Some hawkers told The Nation: “Those KAI officials are wicked people. Can you imagine how cruel they are? The innocent man had already obeyed them by running away to avoid being punished but they kept chasing him till he was killed by a car. Immediately they saw that the car had knocked him down, they drove off speedily. We are all human beings and we are not happy with the situation. We need to let the government know that we can’t take the injustice. Therefore, venting our anger on the buses is the best way to let them know what they have done is bad. The poor man is gone but we will make sure all the buses that would ply this road today must pay for his death.”

    A driver with Primero Transport Service Ltd, Mr Adedeji Adeosun, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “I was in traffic for about 20 minutes at Maryland. Then I saw some people running from Maryland and I opened the door to see what was happening. I heard shouts from people that we should come down, so, I immediately removed my uniform. I saw about 100 of the hoodlums otherwise called ‘area boys’ coming with stones and so I ran away.

    “All the passengers on board my bus also came down and ran for dear life. I was hit by a big stone”.

    Another driver, Mr Michael Onabolu, said: “I saw people running and shouting that I should come down from the bus. And all of a sudden, I saw some guys surrounding the buses and asking my passengers and I to come down. Before I knew it, one of them hit the bus with a big stone and I could not move because of the traffic. I was wounded on my hands and my thighs with stones’’.

    He said the passenger beside him was also hit by a stone, adding that all the passengers were moved to other buses to continue their journey.

    A commuter, Mr Elijah Omotayo, said the mob attacked their driver for not opening the doors.

    Omotayo, a student, told NAN: “They started throwing stones and one of the stones hit my head”.

    Primero Ltd Managing Director Mr Fola Tinubu, expressed displeasure over the incident, saying: “We don’t know what happened, whatever it is; it is something that has to do with the government or the police. But does that give aggrieved people the right to destroy private property”.

    He added: “People are saying that there are no jobs in Nigeria; we have created over 2,000 jobs in the last six months. Is this the reward we will get for it? We need to start asking ourselves serious questions in this country. They have destroyed over 14 of our buses now. I don’t even know how many they have destroyed now. For what, what did we do? I am angry. I don’t even know where to begin because there is no justification for destroying private property; our service is for the masses. Do you know how many people will be stranded today if we don’t go out to pick them up? How are they going to get home? We do this for the masses. Is this the reward that we will get? This is madness.”

    Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Communications Director Mr Kola Ojelabi told The Nation last night that about 47 BRT buses were destroyed.

    This, he said, was more than 10 per cent of the numbers of buses on that route.

    A combined team of soldiers and policemen restored law and order before traffic started moving again.

    They used tyres and big stones to shield the body to ensure free flow of traffic.

  • 20 injured as youths cause mayhem in Anambra

    20 injured as youths cause mayhem in Anambra

    No fewer than 20 persons were injured while 13 buildings and five vehicles were destroyed when rival youth groups engaged in supremacy battle in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    One of the rival groups protested the introduction of another youth movement, called Obiano Youth Vanguard by the state government.

    The angry youths were quoted as saying that they did not want another youth movement in the community.

    The youths said it was not possible that two movements should exist in Obosi at the same time and called on the Anambra state Governor Chief Willie Obiano to disband the newly introduced Chief Willie Obiano Youth Vanguard.

    Obiano’s youth vanguard was allegedly headed by Chimezie Chukwurah with immediate effect, in the interest of peace in Obosi.

    The Nation gathered Tuesday that members of Obosi Youths Movement swooped on their rival group when they were having a celebration meeting over the appointment of Chimezie Chukwurah as the Chairman of Obiano Youth Vanguard in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state.

    The attackers were said to have arrived at the scene with dangerous weapons, including guns, matchets and axes.

    Not satisfied with the situation, they thereafter moved to the houses of their arrival group members for further assault.

    Affected in the damages was the house of the President- General, PG, of the community, Chief Igbokwubili Dan Chimezie.

    In his reaction, the President General of the Town Union Chief Igbokwubili Dan Chimezie said, “You can see how they used machetes on my gate, my wife’s shop, the security lights and part of my residential building.

    “The youths said they don’t want parallel youth movement, that only the one which is under the control of the monarch will function.”

    Another community leader and retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, Chief Godfrey Emeka Okeke said, “I thank God that the rival group did not revenge, it would have been worse”

    Speaking from their hospital beds, Nonso Nwangwu, Chijioke Ejindu, Chukwuebuka Osadebe and Anene Maduka who had machete cuts on their heads, legs, hands, waist and chest stated that the Obosi land management committee council, otherwise called Obosi Youths took them by surprise.

    Ngozi Afoagu and Mrs. Ngozi Okeke narrated their ordeal and how their houses were touched adding that the only solution to the crisis was peace.