The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ogun

  • Court remands four ritual suspects

    Court remands four ritual suspects

    An Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun, on Tuesday ordered the remand of four men accused of ritual killing, in prison.

    The accused, Jeremiah Ademola, 32; Samuel Babatunde,77; Obaniyi Michael, 32 and Haruna Afolabi, 44, whose addresses are unknown are facing a three-count charge of unlawful possession of human parts, conspiracy and murder.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.B. Adebowale, ordered that the accused should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter.

    Adebowale adjourned the case until Oct. 25.

    Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Abdulkareem Mustapha, had told the court that the accused, with others still at large, conspired among themselves to kill two children for ritual.

    He said that the accused, after killing the children, buried parts of their bodies in a church in Ota.

    Mustapha told the court that the offences were committed on Aug. 13, 2017 at about 9.30 p.m. at Egan Road, Iyana-Iyesi, Ota.

    He said that the offences contravened Sections 210(f), 324 and 516(1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

    NAN

  • Police sanction 20 personnel for corruption

    Police sanction 20 personnel for corruption

    The Nigeria Police Force, says it has sanctioned 20 personnel involved in corruption between Jan. 2016 and Jun. 2017 in four states.

    A report obtained from the Public Complaints Rapid Response Unit indicated that those sanctioned served in Enugu, Abuja, Ogun and Lagos commands.

    It indicated that 10 policemen were dismissed during the period, one given severe reprimand, one demoted, and eight given other forms of punishment.

    The report showed that 4, 342 complaints were received by the unit during the period under review, out of which 3,602 were amicably resolved and 318 pending.

    It added that 422 complaints received by the unit were discovered to be false.

    Read also: Police to conduct autopsy on Kogi’s Soje

    According to the report, the 106 distress calls received by the unit during the period under review were not part of the complaints captured in the report.

    The unit was established in November 2015 to receive and resolve cases of professional misconduct brought against police personnel.

    NAN

     

     

  • Ogun Traffic agency decries reckless driving by tanker drivers

    Ogun Traffic agency decries reckless driving by tanker drivers

    Mr Seni Ogunyemi, the Corps Commander, Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps ( TRACE ), on Monday decried the rising rate of fatal accidents caused by  tanker drivers’ reckless driving.

    Ogunyemi spoke in a telephone interview in Ota while commenting on the death of four people allegedly caused by tanker drivers between Oct. 19 and Oct. 21.

    The corps commander said that the increasing road crashes involving tanker drivers was due to reckless driving and poor maintenance of their vehicles.

    Ogunyemi said that the tanker drivers were not heeding to the corps’ campaign on road safety and the need to update their training.

    According to him, this attitude is not helping the corps in its efforts to curb carnage on the roads.

    “Ogun Government can no longer tolerate and allow the tanker drivers to continue to kill innocent souls in the state.

    “The state government will not hesitate to prosecute and subject erring drivers to psychiatric tests and sometimes jail if found guilty in the court of law,” he said.

    Ogunyemi, however, urged the drivers to exercise caution while driving on the highways so that lives and property would no longer be wasted through needless and avoidable accidents in the state.

    NAN

  • Fiscal Index: Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Kano lead ranking

    Fiscal Index: Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Kano lead ranking

    •Says only Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos can pay salaries without borrowing

    Many of the 36 states will have to rev up their internally generated income and cut expenditure and debt to survive over the next few years, according to a newly published Fiscal Sustainability Index.

    The index is the brainchild of BudgIT Nigeria,   a budget transparency advocacy group.

    ‘State of the States’ as the report is branded lists Rivers, Lagos, Ogun and Kano as leaders in revenue generation.

    Ekiti, Osun, Gombe and Plateau are ranked the worst in terms of revenue generation.

    Rivers is ahead of Lagos because of its healthier financial profile: lower debt, increase in IGR and ability to pay its bills.

    Although Lagos State leads the rest in IGR, accounting for 37 per cent of all the money collected by the states, it is also bogged down by huge debt, over N734 billion as at December 2016, the report said. The debt burden is more than 25 per cent of the entire debt owed by the 35 states, which now stands at N3.89trillion as at December last year.

    A sign of the debt pressure on Lagos State manifested in the first six months of this year, where the state only got N491million on the average from the Federal Government, as it has signed off the bulk of its dues to creditors and bond holders.

    “State governments are confronted by rapidly rising budget deficits as they struggle to pay salaries and meet contractual obligations and overheads due to a dip in oil price from its peak price of about $140 per barrel to about $56 per barrel”, the report said..

    “Over the last few months, state governments have been devising policy changes with strong focus on improving internally generated revenue and reining in expenditure.

    Some highlights of the report: Internally Generated Revenue:

    In 2016, Lagos State accounted for approximately 37% of total internally generated revenue collected by states. Lagos, Ogun and Rivers states lead in terms of Internally Generated Revenue uptake per capita.

    Collection efficiency in Kano is abysmal; despite its huge market size, it could only collect N2,367 per head, which is approximately 9.8% of Lagos collection per head. On average, IGR uptake at state is N3,395 per head across the states; it is only in 10 states that collection efficiency is higher than the state wide average.

    The least performing states include Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi and Katsina. It is important for state governments to design innovative policies around tax collection, especially around collection efficiency.

    Value Added Tax

    Due to its market size, Lagos State tops in terms of VAT revenue in the first six months of 2017. Lagos VAT revenue receipts between January and July 2017 averaged N6.38bn monthly, significantly higher than Kano’s.

    Ekiti, Ebonyi, Bayelsa and Nasarawa trail the pack. Oyo’s monthly VAT averaged N1.3bn monthly between January and July 2017 but IGR continued to trail, reflecting huge problems with tax collection efficiency at state level when compared with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    It is evident in our analysis that many states lack the formal structures that pay VAT.

    Thirty out of 36 states get an average of 700-900m monthly, despite huge differential in population.

    Bonds issued by the states are usually assisted by Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (ISPOs), which legally empower the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to withdraw sums due to debt holders from state governments’ revenue accounts with the federal government, including interest and capital repayments.

    As about 83% of states’ revenues are collected by the Federal Government, what accrues to states’ coffers is the balance left after obligations to debt-holders are deducted from each state’s share of revenue. The effect of huge debt supported by ISPOs is already eating deep into the account of Lagos, Cross River and Osun states.

    Osun’s net allocation is even in the negative terrain, which invariably puts more pressure on future revenue. The monthly net allocation of oil-producing states Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta average N10.69bn, N7.64bn. N7.21bn and N6.22bn respectively.

     

     

    Debt Stock

    State governments are indebted to Nigeria’s banks and investors, shackled by huge repayment debts borrowed against higher oil prices. Presently, the intersecting consequences of lending between banks and governments remain a pressing concern. The first indicators came when at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 governors demanded a federal government relief package, due to the inability of many states to pay salaries and pension benefits of civil servants for months – even more than a year in some cases.

     

     

     

    Total debt stock of Nigerian states has increased significantly from the 2012 level of N1.79tn to N2.12tn in 2014. With increased inability to meet recurrent expenditure obligations and increased pressure, most states resort to more debt uptake.

    Total debt profile of the states in 2015 and 2016 was N3.03tn and N3.89tn respectively.

    Lagos State’s total debt stock rose from the 2014 level of N500.8bn to N734.7bn in 2016 – accounting for 24.2% of the total debt stock of state governments.

    Delta, Kebbi, Gombe and Ebonyi states’ total debt fell by 22.56%, 52.18%, 2.29% and 2.78% respectively, while that of Oyo and Yobe rose by 127.56% and 126.03% respectively. Overall, the total debt profile of states increased by 28.45%. Average growth rate of states’ debt between 2012 and 2016 remains elevated at 22.16%, while average growth rate of internally generated revenue is 9.04%.

    Clearly, the sustainable part for states is to rein in debt uptake and focus more on improving internally generated revenue. Fiscal Sustainability Index Rivers State tops the fiscal sustainability index due to its strong revenue profile, powered by crude oil, its relatively improving internally generated revenue profile and a manageable recurrent expenditure profile. Rivers’ Debt profile stood at N157.2bn at the end of 2016.

    Lagos’ massive debt and expansive recurrent expenditure profile weighed down on its internally generated revenue performance.

    Ogun state, despite running a recurrent budget deficit, is up on the fiscal sustainability index due to the rapid growth in its internally generated revenue. However, Ogun’s debt profile is equally increasing, which could weigh in on its performance in future. The index looks at the ability of states to meet their recurrent expenditure obligations with their VAT revenue, internally generated revenue and advantage income, including the 13% derivation. Equally important is states’ ability to meet their recurrent expenditure obligation with all revenue source – a test of prudent fiscal management.

    Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos top that portion of the index. In effect, only four states could meet their recurrent expenditure obligation without resorting to borrowing or tapping donor funds and other extra-budgetary revenue sources.

    Also, the index looks at the ability of states to sustainably manage their debt profiles. The Index tries to see the extent to which today’s revenue can service outstanding debts. Anambra and Yobe top the index, reflecting the low debt-to-revenue ratio of the state.

    Osun trails the overall index. The state’s inability to meet its recurrent expenditure obligations, its heavy debt profile and inefficiency in the collection of internally generated revenue weighed seriously on the state.

    Kwara’s rapid improvement in its internally generated revenue helps the state’s performance on the index. Also noticeable is the 22.56%, 52.18%, 2.29% and 2.78% fall in the debt profile of Delta, Kebbi, Gombe and Ebonyi states, respectively.

    State governments, therefore, need to tremendously embrace a high level of transparency and accountability, develop workable economic plans, take haircuts – especially on overheads – expand their internally generated revenue (IGR) base, and cut down on debt accumulation without a concrete repayment plan.

    Opportunities

    The state needs to look beyond rhetoric and commit to a reduction in its operating costs, including significantly slashing its unreasonable overheads bill while freeing up more spending for social infrastructure.

    States will need to link future borrowing to sustainable projects, which can pay back the capital cost of its current loans and improve the overall income profile of the state.

    Economic planners will need to lift states from a perpetual cycle of borrowing, work to improve tax collection efficiencies and realign budgeting with state wide plans.

    Significant investment is needed to improve the overall economic performance at state level, which invariably could create jobs that feed into states’ internally generated revenue. Improve spending is also critical for value-added tax revenue. Opportunities in aquaculture, agriculture, manufacturing, trade, logistics and tourism abound across states but it seems states lack the rigour and foresight to explore them.

    The report also says only Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos can pay salaries without resorting to lending.

    “Important is states’ ability to meet their recurrent expenditure obligation with all revenue source – a test of prudent fiscal management. Kano, Katsina, Rivers and Lagos top that portion of the index.

    “In effect, only four states could meet their recurrent expenditure obligation without resorting to borrowing or tapping donor funds and other extra-budgetary revenue sources.”

     

     

  • Abandoned project in Ogun

    Abandoned project in Ogun

    When the idea of establishing model schools in Ogun State was mooted by Governor Ibikunle Amosun during the early stage of his first term in office, it was greeted with great enthusiasms by parents and pupils across the state.

    According to Amosun, the concept of the multi-million naira model schools was to redefine secondary school education in the state, make it a reference point in teaching and learning, revolutionise the education sector and set the pace in access to quality education as well as help decongest some of the over populated long established public secondary  schools that routinely admit students far beyond their carrying capacities to the detriment of the optimal performance of both the students and teachers.

    And the enthusiasms knew no bound with the commencement of construction works in earnest at the designated locations of those model schools spread across the state’s 20 local government areas.

    Today, there are 28 of such model schools with 95 percent of the construction jobs completed in about half of them while work had practically ceased in others.

    The model school located in Ewekoro, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state, partially took off last year with 250 students who were taken in for Summer Camp coaching classes. However, regular school activities are yet to commence in others despite repeated promises of the state government to open their gates to would- be – pioneer students at the approach of every new academic session.

    However, even if the state government elects to open some of them this academic session, the schools at Olokuta– Kemta (Abeokuta) and at Isara in Remo North Local Government Area certainly won’t be counted among them. The two and similar others have continued to remain as a foot-dragger and a sore thumb to Amosun’s whole idea of model school as they are a constant ugly spectacle to both residents and passers – by.

    The Nation visited one of the sites and observed that construction workers have since left with their tools. The scaffoldings were already giving way and wild birds, reptiles and rodents have converted it as their homes.

    The whole premises is also  overtaken by weeds while the structure itself, unprotected from the elements, is also experiencing some degree of depreciation even as there are noticeable traces of human habitation, a possibility that miscreants may be congregating there.

    A resident near the area, who identified himself as Ola, told The Nation that the abandoned model school in Olokuta – Kemta was a dashed hope to them.

    He said they had thought the coming of the school to the area would address the students population surge at the Abeokuta Grammar School, its immediate neighbor, which is few meters away from it and also enhance access to education because of its “accessibility and proximity” to residents of Kempta and its environs. She lamented that the expected succour they hoped to get from it may not come soon.

    “We were happy when the state government sited the school here and our joy multiplied when construction began because we believed it is nearer to us, our children will attend it but our hope appeared to have been dashed today.

    “Works have stopped and we don’t know what may happen to it if the administration completes its tenure. Sometime early this year or late last year, some people came to clear the bushes around the building and we thought works will resume but you can see that the situation has remained the same,” he said.

    The Commissioner for Works, Arc. Olamilekan Adepite, when contacted, was silent on the model school in Kemta that appeared abandoned but said some of the model schools are ready to open.

    Olamilekan however referred The Nation to the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, for further details on the matter.

    “Some of the schools are ready for opening, such as Kobape, Onijanganjangan, Akinale, Ado-Odo, Sagamu, Ikenne and Ago-Iwoye. You may see Honourable Commissioner, Education, for further details,” he stated.

    The Nation contacted the Education Commissioner, Mrs. Mujota, on phone for reaction but she said she was in a meeting and requested that text message be sent to her.

    Although two messages were sent via SMS and WhatsApp platforms, no reply has been received.

    However, Governor Ibikunle Amosun had, while addressing teachers during the last World Teachers Day in Abeokuta, skipped mentioning uncompleted model schools but merely expressed his shock that parents were not cooperating to ensure the take-off of the model schools constructed by his administration.

    He said despite the subsidised charges announced by his administration, many parents were not ready to pay for the model school.

    The governor said the rationale behind constructing the model schools was to bring back the boarding school policy which, he said, will serve as model for other schools in the state.

    He said, “We want all the model schools to start; we are running around every day but again, I am truly at a lost as to what’s happening because, we have the number and everybody wants to go to that model school but nobody wants to pay anything.

    “Indeed, I have been accused ‘yes, you used government money, why are you collecting money?’ And I said we went to school too and our parents were buying the uniform, they were buying all the things we were wearing and for those at the boarding school, we paid for what we ate, it wasn’t as if everything was free.

    “And we are saying that, we want to bring back boarding houses; we want to change the entire life of this young ones, these are our future generation, clearly, if you’re in the boarding house, it is different.

    “The schools are there, ready since but nobody want to pay. Even when the government has subsidised it, nobody wants to pay. They said its Ogun State money, give us the uniform, go and buy the canvass for us, etc. There are different things in the hostel, their uniform is different, their sportswear is different, their ceremonial dress is going to be different, all of those are what we aggregated together,” Amosun said.

     

  • Police arrest six suspected rustlers

    Police arrest six suspected rustlers

    Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have arrested six suspected rustlers, who specialize in stealing goats in Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Ekiti and Lagos States.

    The suspects are: Gani Adeyemi, 29, Kabiru Oladimeji, 50, Alimi Ayodele, 32, Kunle Olasebikan, 45, and Umaru Mohammed, 46.

    According to police sources, the suspects had carried out several operations in the neighbouring states, where they stole goats, money, phones and jewelry at gun point.

    It was gathered that the suspects lured goats with raw white beans following which they would gag the animals and cart them away in the operational vehicles.

    Confessing, Ayodele said: “I am married with three children. I stopped at Senior Secondary three and became a bus driver. I started stealing goats seven years ago when armed robbery became very hard in Lagos.

    It was my friend Akube that introduced me into goat stealing. We operated at Osogbo, Oyo, Ilorin, Ijebu. In each of the operations we went home with at least 20 goats. We used to be three in number namely Alimi, Gani, Akube who is still at large. We used to  operate at about from 11p.m to 12 midnight along village roads where goats sleep.

    ‘’ Gani’s role is to drive our operational vehicle, Akube catches the goats with raw beans while Ayo seals the goat’s mouth. Most of the goats sleep on the road. We were challenged by vigilante men at Iyana Oba in Osogbo where they blocked the road and we exchanged fire with them. We sold the goats to one Kazeem at Mile 12 market (Lagos) at N7,000 each. Kazeem is still at large.

    ‘’For the 20 goats we got at last operation at Osogbo we got 20 goats and sold 19 for N133,000 and roasted the one that died out of suffocation and celebrated our dinners with it. Out of the N133,000, I paid N20,000 for fuel and N20,000 for vehicle maintenance and shared the balance.

    In his confession, Kabiru, whose gang operated in Ojodu Berger, Agbado, Mowe Ibafo and Sango areas of Ogun State said his group stole only three goats on a daily basis.

    Kabiru and other members of the gang were however arrested by a police patrol team which also recovered guns from them.

  • Ogun revenue agency generates N33b in 8 months — Chairman

    Ogun revenue agency generates N33b in 8 months — Chairman

    Mr Adekunle Adeosun, the Chairman, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), said on Friday that the agency generated more than N33 billion from January to Aug. 2017.

    Adeosun made this known during an oversight visit of the State Assembly’s Committee on Finance and Appropriation to the agency’s head office in Abeokuta.

    He said that the amount generated with the eight months under review was part of the estimated revenue of N41 billion approved for 2017.

    According to him, the agency has already recorded 81 per cent performance.

    The chairman stated that of the N33 billion generated by OGIRS, N31.6billion came from personal income tax, more than N1.2billion from withholding tax, and N318.5million from road tax.

    “Some of the revenue also came from property tax, pools and lottery, levies and also from registration and other miscellaneous collection,’’ he said.

    Adeosun explained that the achievement recorded in the area of huge revenue collection could be attributed to regular tax education and enlightenment of the public by the state government

    According to him, the enumeration of existing and potential tax payers also contributed significantly to the success recorded.

    “We do not have any interference from the governor of the state on the issue of tax collection which has significantly contributed to the success of OGIRS in its aggressive revenue drive.

    “It could also be attributed to collaboration and exchange of information with Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and aggressive tax drive within the confine of the law.

    “Low level of voluntary compliance by self employed individuals and informal sectors and paucity of funds to buy operational vehicles are some of the challenges we are facing in OGIRS,’’ he said.

    Responding, Chairman of the state assembly committee, Mr Akanbi Bankole, congratulated the management of OGIRS on the huge revenue collected.

    Bankole, however, charged the management of OGIRS to expand the revenue base of the state with a view to delivering more dividends of democracy to the people.

    He urged OGIRS to ensure that carried members of the Ogun assembly along in the execution of some of its policies and programmes to improve the relationship between the lawmakers and the agency.

    Read Also: Ogun ‘church’ where Satan is a ‘brother’, worshippers are served alcohol

  • Shell Nigeria Gas donates labs, ICT centre to Ogun school

    Shell Nigeria Gas donates labs, ICT centre to Ogun school

    Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG) has donated an ICT centre and well-equipped science laboratories to African Church Community Secondary School in Ewupe, a community hosting the company’s facilities in Ota, Ogun State.

    The gesture was the second phase of SNG’s intervention in the school to bring it to a competitive standard.

    Last year, the company also donated a block of five classrooms, a 12-room stand-alone toilet facility, school water system, upgraded football field, and rehabilitated five blocks of 19 classrooms for shared use by the school and the co-located Ebenezer African Church Primary School in the first phase of the intervention.

    “Our goal is to support government and other relevant agencies to close the gap of educational inequality between pupils of public schools and their counterparts in private schools,” Managing Director of SNG, Ed Ubong, said at a ceremony marking the completion and handover of the projects to Ogun State government.

    “We recognise education as the topmost need of the people of our neighboring communities and what we have done is a progression of our longstanding support to the school and to the communities,” Ubong added.

    Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Mrs. Modupe Mujota, who received the facilities, commended SNG’s gesture. She charged the students to take advantage of the facilities to “upscale their academic performance and competitive exploits”.

    “This singular act of Shell Nigeria Gas depicts the company’s fulfillment of its social responsibility for the development of its host communities and is worthy of emulation by others,” she said.

    The Principal, Mr. Gbolahan Adekunjo, acknowledged the improved academic standard and the growing number of enrolment in the school following the series of upgrade by SNG.

    “The interventions have resulted in an enabling environment for teaching and learning and the impact is felt by the students, staff, parents and catchment communities.”

    Community Development Association, Ewupe, Chairman Alhaji Monsuru Akande thanked SNG. He appealed to the government to create the enabling environment for SNG and other companies to support education in the state.

    SNG is owned by Shell  for the downstream distribution of gas.

    It operates a gas transmission and distribution network of approximately 115km and serves industrial customers in Ota, Ogun State and Aba in Abia State.

  • Crocodile Smile II: 40 suspects arrested by the Army in Lagos, Ogun

    Crocodile Smile II: 40 suspects arrested by the Army in Lagos, Ogun

    The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said it had arrested over 40 suspects for various offences within Lagos and Ogun states after the launch of ‘Exercise CROCODILE SMILE 2 ‘ by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    The army made this known through a statement by the  81 Division spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Olaolu Daudu in Lagos.

    According to him, so far, the troops have being carrying out routine activities associated with the exercise seamlessly along with other sisters services, security and para military agencies.

    “Some suspected criminals have been arrested; drug peddlers, cultists, car snatchers and other criminal elements have been denied freedom of action through patrols, raids, road blocks and checkpoints.

    “On Oct. 4, based on credible  information on activities of pipeline vandals at Ronik Hotel Agbule Egba area of Lagos state, troops of 149 Battalion, 81 Division Nigerian Army were immediately dispatched for a Cordon and search Operation.

    “The troops arrested the suspected pipeline vandals and items found within the hotel premises include 16 loaded kegs of premium motor spirit (PMS), 5 cars and 2 tankers loaded with PMS,” he said.

    He said the suspects have been interrogated, profiled and handed over to NSCDC.

    “In a related development, on Oct. 11,  troops of 174 Battalion, 81 Division Nigerian Army while on a stop and search operation arrested a car robber who snatched a Toyota Venza with reg no. FST 762 CV along Ikorodu – Sagamu road.

    “The suspect who was fleeing with the stolen vehicle rammed into other vehicles and pedestrians in a bid to escape and was arrested by troops.

    “The suspect and the recovered vehicle have been handed over to Owutu Divisional police Headquarters,” he said.

    He also said that five drug peddlers were apprehended with gallons of unidentified chemical substances and Indian hemp on Oct. 14 by  troops of Sector 5, 243 Battalion at Agbara area of Lagos State in conjunction with men of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    “Arrested suspects and items have been handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation.

    “Similarly, raid and clearance operations were carried out on Oct. 14, by troops of 65 Battalion Sector 1 of Exercise CROCODILE SMILE 2 at Ajah general area.

    “Nine suspects were arrested with bags containing Indian hemp.

    “Two of the suspects were alleged to have snatched a female purse containing Samsung Galaxy and Itel phones, Bible, house keys and N1,200   which were also recovered,” he said.

    The spokesman also said another raid operation was carried out by troops of 9 Brigade Garrison Sector 4 at Ipodo, Ikeja general area where five suspects were arrested.

    “Five suspected fraudsters were arrested and items recovered include 4 generators, 4 laptops, scanning machine, colour printer, 3 stabilizers, 10 ups, 3 car chargers and 16 handsets stand.

    “The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to Lagos State Special Task force, Oshodi.

    “On Oct. 15, the Commander Sector 3 of Exercise CROCODILE SMILE 2 handed over 36 suspects arrested by troops of the Sector during a raid operation at criminal hideouts and notorious drug dens in Ikorodu general area.

    “The handover was carried out at Odogunyan barracks in Ikorodu, while the suspects were received by the Area Commander, Nigeria Police Ijede in Ikorodu,” he said.

    Daudu also disclosed that four suspected cult members were arrested around Badagry area on Oct. 15.

    “At about 11.59 pm, gunmen suspected to be cultists attacked Rolex Hotel in Ajara area of Badagry.

    “Following a distress call to troops of 243 Battalion Sector 5 on Exercise CROCODILE SMILE 2 on activities of suspected cultists, troops responded immediately and arrested 4 suspected cultists.

    “Also a follow up of suspected cultists attack, two suspects were arrested in connection with previous attacks at Rolex Hotel.

    “The arrested suspects were detained and preliminary investigation is in progress while suspects would be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation and prosecution,” he said.

    The spokesperson reassured the public  that the Division is poised to maintain peace and security in the entire Lagos and Ogun States.

    Daudu enjoined members of the public to cooperate with security agencies by remaining law abiding and giving credible information to the nearest security check point.

    According to him, members of the public can also call 193 and the various telephone numbers that were earlier released.

  • Ogun moves to prevent blindness

    The Ogun State government has warned people against harmful practices, such as, playing with sharp or pointed objects, which could cause blindness.

    Coordinator of Eye Health, Primary Eye Care, Mr. Tola Aina, in an interview with reporters in Abeokuta, said one of the main reasons for observing the World Sight Day is to enlighten the people on the causes and ways of preventing blindness.

    He reiterated that harmful practices, including playing with sharp or pointed objects, must discouraged, especially among children.

    Director of Special Needs Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Elijah Akinyemi noted that visually-impaired people have been able to justify the assertion that ‘disability is not inability’. He urged the government to provide the enabling environment for the visually-impaired to maximise their potentials.

    Akinyemi implored parents who have visually challenged children not to abandon them as there were special schools for their education and rehabilitation.

    “If the environment is conducive, a blind person can fully attain his/her desired goals in life. Therefore, government and the society should support and encourage the visually- impaired to become enviable people in life,” Akinyemi said.

    In her remarks, the Consultant Ophtalmologist, Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Oluwatomi Onabolu, lauded the government for its efforts at making life meaningful for the visually-impaired.