The Nation Newspaper

Tag: uncovers

  • NDLEA uncovers cocaine inside passenger’s boxer shorts

    NDLEA uncovers cocaine inside passenger’s boxer shorts

    Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos have discovered cocaine hidden inside the boxer shorts and luggage of a passenger.

    Two suspected drug traffickers, a jewellery and auto parts dealers have been apprehended in connection with the unlawful importation of the narcotics.

    The suspects, according to the agency, are Okonkwo Godwin, 57, an importer of jewellery found with cocaine in his boxer shorts and Nnaemeka David Chinedu, 37, an auto parts dealer who ingested 94 wraps of heroin.

    This is one of the largest quantities of drugs ingested by a suspect at the Lagos airport lately.

    NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, said that the suspects arrived from Brazil and Uganda with cocaine and heroin respectively.

    “Two suspected drug traffickers are currently being interrogated for illegally importing narcotics into the country. Okonkwo Godwin was caught with one wrap of cocaine in his boxer shorts and another inside his bag all weighing 750 grammes.

    “ He was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on a South African airline flight from Brazil, while Nnaemeka David Chinedu was arrested for ingesting 94 wraps of heroin weighing 1.595kg during the screening of passengers on a Rwandan airline flight from Uganda,” Ahmadu said.

    The 57-year-old suspect, Okonkwo Godwin, who hid a parcel of cocaine in his boxer shorts, told narcotic investigators that he smuggled drugs because of his numerous financial problems.

    “I am married with two children, but I am in a terrible financial crisis. I used to import jewellery for sale at the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos and the Onitsha main market. Things have changed so drastically that l even find it difficult to feed my family.

    “ This was what led me into drug trafficking. l was given two wraps of cocaine; one was hidden in my boxer shorts, while the other was in my luggage. The agreement was for me to sell the drug and share the proceeds with my partner in Brazil,” Okonkwo said.

    Nnaemeka David Chinedu said he swallowed 94 wraps of heroin for N 450,000  out of desperation.

    NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (rtd) said the agency would continue to disappoint the plans of drug traffickers “who wish to make money from drug trafficking”.

    The suspects will soon be charged to court.

  • NSCDC uncovers illegal bunkering site in Lagos

    NSCDC uncovers illegal bunkering site in Lagos

    Operatives of the National Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) yesterday uncovered illegal fuel bunkering activities at a boundary between Mosan Okunola and Agbado/ Oke Odo Local Council Development Areas of Alimosho, a suburb of Lagos..

    The operatives were led by NSCDC Commandant, Tajudeen Balogun to the site where it was discovered that some people had been siphoning petrol from a Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation( NNPC) pipeline across a river in the communities.

    The pipeline was reportedly vandalised by a syndicate in the area.

    Although, the suspected vandals had fled before the arrival of the operatives, but the law enforcement agents recovered some of their tools including long  pipes and hose with which fuel is  scooped from the vandalised pipeline.

    The operatives however arrested a security officer, Sam Benedict, who was in charge of the toll collection of a makeshift bridge constructed across the river linking the neighbouring communities.

    Sam who denied knowledge of the illicit operation said he was employed by his boss for toll collection ranging from N20 to N200 from pedestrians and motorists.

    He added that the business was solely run by his boss who is a lawyer.

    Our correspondent observed a couple of tankers parked along some streets leading to the river bank,while no petrol station was sighted in the area.

    At the scene, some chairs and empty soft drink containers were seen on the path leading to the vandalized pipeline. The items, according to the NSCDC operatives indicate regular activities in the creek.

    The commandant, however, vowed to investigate those behind the operation, noting that appropriate sanctions would be meted on culprits.

    He urged residents of the community to desist from backing criminals involved in vandalism, warning that such could lead to unexpected jeopardy.

    Balogun said : “We got an intelligence report from our division here that something fishy was going on in this area and I am here to confirm it. What we have seen is a petroleum pipeline has been vandalised and normally our own duty is to confirm and get across to the appropriate authorities. In this instance, NNPC should come over immediately to seal it up so that our national asset will not be disturbed by  wastage, sabotage and miscreants.

    “We are still extending our investigations to know the perpetrators of this act because that thing did not just happen. Somebody worked on that pipeline to drill it with the intention of siphoning  petrol which is economic sabotage.Our own intelligence group will sniff around to see if there are some collaborators within the community, who are aiding and abetting illegality and will work with appropriate authorities to see how we can stop this from happening.”

    Continuing, he said : “We are working in conjunction with the Lagos state government to clear all the creeks so that doing anything under darkness will not be allowed. We appeal to the communities around here, residents who live here permanently that there is no need to be selfish and supporting criminal to do this kind of act.”

    The corps also called the attention of the  government to the recent leakages of NNPC pipelines, following the discovery of another fuel well at a school on 2, Taiwo Aina Street.

    The commandant emphasized the need for the NNPC to proactively tackle the challenge with proactive measures, noting that the inherent hazards were beyond economic sabotage.

    The well, he said, currently poses danger to toddlers who often use the school premises.

    “The most important thing is that right now, to avoid disaster which could be manmade, because when petrol is usually in a place like that, and there is fire, you can imagine what will be the case. To make matters worse, this is the premises of a school. We have little children here,” he added.

     

  • NACA uncovers 3,500 male sex workers in Abuja

    The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) yesterday said about 3,500 male sex workers have been identified in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    NACA’s Director-General, Prof. John Idoko, spoke at the agency’s maiden lecture marking this year’s World AIDS Day.

    In the lecture, with the theme: Strategies for Ending AIDS in Nigeria by 2030, Prof Idoko said the situation was worrisome because over 60 per cent of the men were married.

    He said their action could expose their spouses to the transmission of Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV).

    Prof Idoko said the agency was working on some areas identified as hotspots for male sex workers to end the practice.

    He said: “We found that if we focus our resources in three council areas of Gwagwalada, Bwari and Abuja Municipal, we would have covered a greater population of persons with HIV within the area.”

    The NACA chief said the agency was developing interventions to reduce contacts between infected and uninfected persons.

    In another lecture, the Director of Global Health at the University of Manitoba, Canada, Prof James Blanchard, noted that despite modern technologies, HIV prevention was still complex because of social factors that should be addressed.

    He listed such factors as political commitment and advocacy, laws and labour policies, community mobilisation and a host of other things.

    The expert said Nigerian is a large and complex country, adding that reaching those who need to receive the treatment requires the country to focus on the right environment and high risk areas.

    He said: “We need to match our HIV interventions with the population of HIV distribution. We need to get down to the micro level to know where we put our resources. We have the sex workers, persons who inject drugs and men who have sex with men.”

    Prof Blanchard said the NACA survey identified eight priority states in Nigeria because HIV was not evenly distributed.

    According to him, there are very large populations in parts of the FCT, Lagos, Nasarawa and Benue states.

    He said: “We found that in Benue, 60 per cent of men who visited bars, restaurants and hotels were seeking sexual partners while 12 per cent of the females were seeking sexual partners and nine per cent of those who patronise these places are female sex workers.

    “We also saw substantial risk behaviour in rural areas.

    “In Benue State, 30 per cent of unmarried men had visited a sex worker and 18 per cent of married men had visited a sex worker within the last one month. But this was not the same across the states as some places were high risk areas.

    “Also, a high proportion of married women in the NACA study reported having more than one sexual partner in Cross River and Benue states within the last six months.

    “We need to recognise that Nigeria has a high mixed epidemic with a large number of female sex workers and high causal and female sex workers in urban areas.”

    He added that Nigeria needed to think of how to cover its key population, particularly the sex workers, through intensified outreaches, condom programming, higher treatment and testing programmes.

    Prof Blanchard said: “We need to think of structural programmes to reduce stigma, to reduce vulnerability and violence against sex workers. We should focus our interventions on urban hotspots rather than thinking of a general flood irrigation approach.”

  • ICPC uncovers over N23bn pension funds ‘lost’ in 40 bank accounts

    ICPC uncovers over N23bn pension funds ‘lost’ in 40 bank accounts

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered over N23billion pension funds ‘lost’ in 40 bank accounts in the country.

    Chairman of the commission, Mr Ekpo Nta, who yesterday made the disclosure at the maiden town hall meeting of the ICPC in Makurdi, the Benue capital, said the commission consolidated the accounts into four and was also able to recover N496million in accrued interests on one of the accounts.

    Represented by member of the ICPC, Alhaji Isa Salami, he said: “The commission discovered that the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) was not remitting deductions from employees’ salaries to their respective Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) owing to inaccurate information.

    “With the intervention of ICPC the sum of N34.5 billion has been remitted to 97, 842 employees’ RSAs.’’

    Nta further revealed that while conducting systems review of personnel cost expenditure profile across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over a period of four years, ICPC compelled the return of over N6 billion unspent balances into government treasury.

    The ICPC chairman urged Nigerians to “support the renewed onslaught against the monster called corruption because it is by so doing that we can drive down the menace and eventually eliminate it from our country”.

    In his speech, Govenor Samuel Ortom who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Benson Abounu, urged all political office holders in the country to strive to ensure that they never became guests of the ICPC after office.

    Ortom regretted that the state was facing the most difficult times due to corruption and the squander of the state resources by the past government.

    In their separate speeches, the Tor Tiv, Chief Alfred Torkuka and Ochi Idoma, Elias Obekpa pledged the support of the traditional rulers in the state in the fight against corruption in the country.

  • JTF uncovers illegal bunkering in Rivers

    JTF uncovers illegal bunkering in Rivers

    •32 barges, boats seized
    •Eight suspects arrested

    The Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, has uncovered as illegal bunkering at Onne Port in Rivers State.

    It was learnt that the JTF operatives stormed the port on Tuesday and impounded 32 long barges and Cotonou boats suspected to be used for bunkering.

    The JTF’s monitoring team recently set up by the commander, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, was said to have received information that people were using the port to indulge in oil theft.

    A source, who partook in the operation, said many of the barges were laden with products believed to have been sourced from illegal refineries in the creeks close to the port.

    The source, who pleaded anonymity, said on sighting the JTF, people on board the vessels abandoned them and ran into the creeks.

    He said some of them dived into the water and swam to safety, adding that operators of illegal refineries used Cotonou boats to load the barges.

    The source said one of the barges was loaded with Automated Gas Oil (AGO), adding that the vessel had the capacity to carry 5,000 metric tons or 582,000 litres of the product.

    Describing such activities as a rape on the economy, he lamented that they were being carried out despite the presence of operatives of another security agency.

    The source said Atewe and the JTF’s Chief of Staff, Col. Hilary Nzan, led the Onne raid, adding that samples of the products were taken for laboratory analysis and investigations.

    He said the JTF was determined to punish the persons, including the security personnel linked to the theft, if found guilty.

    Said he: “We will carry out thorough investigations to determine the veracity of the information we got. We know that there are ships licensed to sell petroleum products.

    “But we learnt that people are using it as a cover to buy illegally- refined products. They anchor their barges and use illegally-refined products from illegal refineries to fill them.

    “Sometimes, they mix genuine products with bad ones. We have impounded a Cotonou boat, which supplied such product and arrested the driver.

    “During the operation, some people, who may be benefitting from the illegality, tried to stop us, but we resisted. The barges will be investigated.”

    Col. Nzan confirmed the raid, saying it was carried out based on reports that bunkering was ongoing at the Onne Port.

    He said eight persons were arrested, adding that the JTF took samples of the product for investigation.

    Nzan said one of the suspects was arrested for allegedly stealing 55 gallons of the product.

    Said he: “following on a tip-off, we carried out an operation at Onne Port.

    “The team impounded Cotonou boats and discovered barges suspected to be used for bunkering. Based on the zero tolerance for oil theft, we arrested people. The JTF will investigate the barges at the general area.

    “Some of them were filled with products. We collected samples of the product and tested them to determine their quality. Most of the suspects ran away when they saw our troops.”

  • Presidency uncovers plot to invade Abuja

    The Presidency said it has uncovered alleged plans by some aggrieved Niger Delta youths to invade Abuja following their exclusion from the Presidential Amnesty Programme for ex-militants.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Presidential Amnesty Office alerted security agencies to abort the planned invasion.

    The statement by Amnesty Office’s Head of Media and Communications, Daniel Alabrah, denied extending invitation to any group of youths from the Niger Delta.

    It reads: “We have discovered that their plan is to storm the National Assembly to demand inclusion in the amnesty programme, even after the window granted by Mr President had since closed.

    “The Amnesty Office notes that the agitation for inclusion in the programme is a familiar pattern encouraged by some elements in the Niger Delta each time they want another phase of the programme.

    “The Amnesty Office insists that no amount of protest or agitation will force an extension beyond the Third Phase, which is indeed the last of such inclusion in the programme.

    “We insist that there will be no further inclusion beyond the 30,000 beneficiaries already captured in the programme and condemn any move that encourages unengaged youths in the region to demand inclusion through ill-advised agitations and protests.

    “The Amnesty Office aligns itself with the outcome of the Third Phase verification exercise conducted by the Air Vice Marshall James Gbum-led committee set up by the Chief of Defence Staff.

    “The committee did a thorough job and we are satisfied with the outcome of the verification exercise, which resulted in the inclusion of an additional 3,642 youths in the programme, following a Presidential directive. The payment of the monthly stipends of the youths has since begun, having been properly verified by the committee.”

    The Amnesty Office urged security agencies to be on the alert over the threat posed by the group.

    “The Amnesty Office urges security agencies to continue to be alive to their responsibilities and take appropriate actions to stop any individual or group that foments trouble in Abuja or in the Niger Delta under the guise of demanding inclusion in the amnesty programme.

    “We also urge the states in the Niger Delta to engage youths in the region through educational, skill acquisition and empowerment schemes, as the amnesty programme for the former agitators is not an alternative government in the region,” the statement added

  • JTF uncovers new method of concealing stolen crude

    Oil thieves have adopted a new approach of concealing their stolen products- they keep it in shrines belonging to communities in the Niger Delta, it was learnt yesterday.

    This emerging trend is aimed at hiding their illicitly-acquired products from the prying eyes of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield.

    But JTF operatives have discovered such illegal fuel dump in a shrine in Egbekodo community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

    JTF’s Media Coordinator Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu said the development was uncovered by the troops of 3 Battalion Sector 1, led by Lt-Col. Ifeayin Otu.

    Nwachukwu said in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the troops impounded 230 drums of illegally-refined Automated Gas Oil after raiding the shrine.

    He said the operatives also destroyed 13 illegal refineries close to the shrine.

    The spokesman said the owners of the illegal refineries also hid 37 steel surface tanks, 360 drums and 44 opened boats filled with stolen crude oil in the creeks of Benneth Island, Gbekobor, Iffie communities in the local council.

    “During the operation, two suspects- Queen Maku and Sylvester Togo- were arrested with eight live cartridges and one empty cartridge. The suspects are in custody,” he said.

    The spokesman said the JTF’s 5 Battalion troops impounded three self-propelled barges and a tugboat in one of its operations.

    He said two of the barges, christened MV LAMME and MT FUFUSWAY, were laden with 100,000 litres and 500,000 litres of illegally-refined AGO.

    He said the AGO was a product of stolen crude oil.

    “The barges, which had 11 crew members on board, were intercepted around Bonny Anchorage in Rivers State and are now in custody of Sub-Sector 5, while the crew members on board both barges have been conveyed to Headquarters Sector 2 in Port Harcourt for further investigation.

    “A third barge, christened DFC 2, was impounded on Azagbene River in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State without its crew members.

    “The patrol teams also impounded two open boats caught while attempting to siphon crude oil near the Shell’s burnt pipeline site at Bodo West.”

    In Bayelsa State, he said, troops of 343 Regiment of Sector 2 and Forward Operational Base (FOB FORMOSSO) of the JTF destroyed 22 illegal refineries in Southern Ijaw and Brass local government areas.

    He said the soldiers impounded three wooden boats and 500 drums used for oil theft in Masonkiri, Lagosgbene, Oyeregbene, Igbematoru, Ekiambiri and Polubobou communities in the local government areas.

    He said the JTF conducted all the operations between July 3 and 12, adding that 15 suspected oil thieves were arrested.

    After preliminary investigations, he said the suspects would be handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies.

    Following allegations that communities were shielding oil thieves in the region, JTF’s Commander JTF, Major-General Bata Debiro, called on all leaders and youths to help stop the menace.

  • Bauchi uncovers 6,500 ghost workers

    Bauchi State Head of Civil Service (HOS), Mr. Abdon Dalla Gin, yesterday said the government has saved N12 million from the 6,500 ghost workers it uncovered from 2011 till date.

    Gin addressed reporters at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat ahead of this year’s Civil Service Day on Sunday.

    He said this year’s theme is: Nigerian Public Service in the Age of Open Government: Giving Voice to Citizens, for the national level.

    The HOS explained that the state’s theme is: Attitudinal Re-Orientation Towards A Result-Oriented Bauchi State Civil Service.

    Gin said the government set up a high-powered committee which verified and uncovered 1,500 ghost workers in the civil service.

    According to him, 5,000 were uncovered from the 20 the local governments.

    Gin said: “The state government, in its efforts to address the ghost workers’ challenge in its civil service, introduced the Bio-metric Capturing Data (BCD) system where the bio-data and thumbprints of each civil servant are captured as they physically appear before the screening committee, to ascertain their identity.”

    The bio-metric capturing exercise, according to him, is a data bank in which all civil servants in the state are captured and stored.

    He said the data bank is updated regularly.

    The HOS noted that some of the policies and programmes of the state government were introduced to rejuvenate the civil service.

  • UNIABUJA is rotten, says panel

    UNIABUJA is rotten, says panel

    The Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has recommended the sack of the university’s management.

    The panel, which admitted that the university is stinking, also said the top officials should be reprimanded for contract splitting and irrational decision to buy N37 million plastic chairs.

    About N110, 647, 045.00 was uncovered to have been misappropriated in the name of security honorarium.

    A top official of the university is expected to cough out N25, 501, 415. 08 “needlessly and unilaterally spent on image making and public relations”.

    But some top officers of the Federal Ministry of Education are trying to shield the report away from President Goodluck Jonathan, it was learnt at the weekend.

    The rot in the university was discovered by the Visitation Panel headed by Dr. T. C. Osanakpo (SAN).

    According to the panel’s report, many students graduated from the university without completing the requirements.

    It established a case of 31 students in the English Department, who graduated desspite having a number of carry-over courses in the 2003/2004 academic session.

    Besides lack of infrastructure, the panel said, the university’s admission has been abused without taking cognisance of the capacity of its staff and facilities.

    The report said: “The quality of the buildings and environment on the mini-campus is well below the standard expected of a university. The mini-campus is indeed a mockery of a university. The buildings on both the Mini and Main campuses do not provide adequate number of staff offices, classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratory spaces and other facilities for the use of both the staff and students of the university.

    “After a careful review and evaluation of relevant documents on admission and examination, interaction with management and senior staff in the Registry and academic Planning Unit, some heads of departments and deans, it became clear to the Panel that:

    “Up till now, there is no Admissions Office and a clearly identifiable desk officer. From July 2009, the Senate Committee on admission, which hitherto handled admission, became extinct.

    “However, it was also revealed to us that there are at present two Admissions Committee, namely Central Admissions Committee and Senate Admissions Committee, whose members were handpicked by the Vice-Chancellor.

    “A large number of the final Admission lists submitted to the panel did not have JAMB or Post-UTME scores; thus their authenticity was in doubt.

    “The administration of Post-UTME test was not consistently done and used for admission purposes. While in some cases it was written, in others it was either oral or not done at all. It is clear that the admissions based on 40 per cent of the total were solely handled by the Vice Chancellor’s office (which should not be so) after departmental and faculty recommendations of the first 60 per cent.

    “Only the first 60per cent of admissions adhered to the JAMB Admission categories of merit, catchment and EDLS to a large extent, while there was no evidence of how the balance of 40 per cent was done except for staff and some concessional requests from outside the University. Nonetheless, the 40 per cent often exceeded the numerical value of the earlier 60 per cent as the final figure often exceeded by a large percentage of the carrying capacity of the university. It would be safe to say that the second-tier admission exercise for a so called 40 per cent violated JAMB guidelines in every aspect.

    “The selection of staff/any designated university official’s biological children did not necessarily undergo scrutiny by the Deputy Registrar (Academic) to ascertain the authenticity of claims as should be the case before forwarding the requests to the Committee of Deans that approved such lists in this University. Consequently, the process was grossly abused. This was reinforced by the number of requests by an individual like the Bursar who sent in 118 names in 2009/2010 in addition to pressure from outside

    “Record keeping on examinations is very poor. Similarly the computation of students, Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was found to be poor resulting in wrong determination of final degree classification.

    “Thirty one (31) students of English Department graduated with varying numbers of carry-over courses in 2003/2004 session which the University panel investigated but not determined to date. This indicates the highest degree of carelessness, incompetence and insensitivity. The Department has not been able to defend this. We have every reason to believe that there could be more of such cases. The senate should be directed to revisit these cases and take appropriate action.

    “A number of students both regular and part-time (CDL & CE) have graduated without completing their requirements for graduation. We would by sighting some departmental results and receive complains. It is like a fairy tale what is going on in the University of Abuja . There were also petitions on errors in degree classifications of graduands already issued with success letters signed by the Registrar of the university.

    “Generally, it was observed that most of the departments followed the correct format of presenting results that go to Senate for approval. However, the following departments were found to be the only ones that kept spread sheets. Linguistics and African Languages, Geography and Computer Science. We also observed that there is no Examination Records Office in this University to handle all examination matters, instead they are handled either by the Academic Office or Academic Planning office with none being solely responsible.”

    On financial management, the panel called for the replacement of an audit firm which had undertaken the University’s Audit for the past eight years (2004 to 2012) should be replaced by the council

    It added: “The Auditor-General for the Federation should in the interim be directed to appoint the external auditors for the university and superintend their work plan and the segmented execution of the audit to completion

    “The financial system in the university needs to be overhauled. There should be a customised Accounting Manual as well as an Internal Audit Manual designed by Professionals, using the NUC Manual as a guide.

    “The manual which should also incorporate the computerisation of the system will help to strengthen the financial system, standardise and improve general financial operations of the university. It would also strengthen internal control and correct the anomalies of the present system whereby the operations are centered on an individual in the person of the Vice Chancellor.

    “The budgetary system in the university needs to be improved and budgets implemented according to plan. The Finance and General Purposes Committee responsible for budget monitoring as a committee of the university council, should stringently monitor and review the university budget implementation from time to time and report to the Council accordingly.

    “In accordance with the laws of the land, the university should as a matter of urgency remit all taxes deducted from contractors as well as PAYE.

    “The Pro-Chancellor should refund N3, 645, 578. 62 being sums expended on his wife’s medical expenses.

    “The management of the university should be advised in strong terms that this matter of expenditure amount to financial impunity which should not be tolerated in a federal establishment

    “The total amount of N25, 501, 415. 08 needlessly and unilaterally spent on image making and public relations should be recovered.

    “The amount of N110, 647, 045.00 misappropriated in the name of security honorarium should be recovered.

    “The rates applied for the payment of sitting allowances and other entitlements to external members of the University Council should conform to the provisions of the extant of government circulars.”

    “The university with the support of the government should embark on massive infrastructural development to correct the perceived imbalance between facilities and end users, as a way of improving the learning environment and addressing the welfare issues arising. While this is being done, the existing facilities should be revamped to serve their purpose more effectively.”

    A member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIABUJA Chapter, said: “Some top officers of the Ministry of Education have been trying to suppress the report. Instead, they have been encouraging security agencies to clampdown on our members.

    “Yet, our position is that UINABUJA ought to be a model university and not a glorified secondary school that it is today.”

     

  • Task force uncovers illegal oil bunkering outfits in Lagos

    The Lagos State Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit has demolished illegal oil bunkering hideouts in Orile-Iganmu Under Bridge and Mushin, two Lagos suburbs.

    The taskforce officials, led by their Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, a Superintendent of Police (SP), besieged Orile-Iganmu under bridge, a few metres from the light rail system under construction, early on Saturday.

    They freed an illegal oil depot where petroleum products were being sold. The illegal hawkers fled on sighting the taskforce.

    The taskforce demolished illegal structures erected on road median, setback and on some parts of the Orile-Badagry Expressway being expanded by the government.

    At Mushin, illegal structures built on drainage channels at Oloruntoyin Street were demolished; abandoned vehicles were towed away, forcing mechanics that have turned the street to their workshop to leave. At Ladipo bus stop, an Indian hemp joint was raided and its patrons arrested.

    Sulaiman told reporters that the Iganmu raid became necessary because of the light rail system, adding that under the bridge was being weakened by the illegal bunkering.

    “We have evacuated them from that place before. We are going to monitor that place effectively from now on so that they do not return. At Orile, it is part of our duty to clear the area. We have even cleared the area before the governor visited the other time.

    “In Mushin, we found out that the local government had allocated the place to the people who erected shanties. If there is a fire in that area, it will be devastating,” he said.

    Sulaiman said the taskforce invaded the Ladipo hemp joint following a report that the place had been raided on several occasions, but the smokers still find their ways there.