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Tag: victim

  • Albinism: Experts, victims seek end to discrimination

    Albinism: Experts, victims seek end to discrimination

    The large number of Persons with Albinism (PWA) arriving at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, indicated that something was happening. These were PWA attending the first Pan-African Albinism Conference at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC).

    In attendance with the PWA were members of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), experts and friends from Italy, Japan, Norway, United Kingdom, Neitherlands, United States of America, Turkey, Spain, Belgium, France and Germany.

    The coming of PWA from 29 African countries was amazing. This was because African countries have high record of attacks, including mutilating and killing of PWA. Factors responsible for these attacks include African myths, tradition and capitalism. All the three key factors interact in the context of deeply entrenched witchcraft beliefs. Children made up a large proportion of victims because of the belief that their innocence somehow augments their potency.

    Lies about Albinism in Africa are many. For instance, it is believed that the children’s albinism is always the fault of the mother who had an affair with a European ghost or white man, PWA never die, body parts of PWA taken while alive or dead have magical powers capable of making other people rich and powerful, albinism is a curse, contagious and can heal AIDS, among others.

    To reach across Africa and the world  in an attempt to stimulate a movement that will not discriminate and plant the seed of empowerment for PWA, a non-profit organisation Under the Same Sun (UTSS) organised a Pan-African Albinism Conference (PAAC) at the end of which, the Pan-African Albinism Network (PAAN) was established.

    Driven by the belief that all people have been created in the image of God and thus, have intrinsic value and are worthy of love and support, UTSS began as a collision of the heart, mind and vision of Peter Ash and Vicky Ntetena.

    It was registered in 2008 as a Canadian non-profit organisation and later in 2009, it was re-gistered as International NGO in Tanzania. UTSS promotes, through advocacy and education, the well-being of PWA who, in many parts of the world, are misunderstood, marginalised, attacked and killed because of their genetic condition.

    The purpose of the conference, according to Peter Ash, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of UTSS, was to get PWA leaders in one place, learn from experts and one another as a training channel to take the next step against attacks and discrimination against PWA.

    Welcoming government officials of Tanzania and over 200 participants from about 41 countries at the opening dinner, Ash, a PWA himself, narrated some of his personal experiences of stigma as a young boy when growing up in Canada. He urged PWA to believe in themselves and work hard, saying “you have challenges. It is not easy but you have hope. Today, it’s our time, it’s our day. You must believe yourself as having albinism. Then people will accept you as humankind”.

    With the Theme “Our Goal is to Make Attack, Stigma and Discrimination a Faint Memory,” the four-day conference featured presentation of papers, free eye and skin screening and beach tours among others.

    Training sessions covered topics on documenting attacks, engaging your government successfully, your human rights and preparing your case for court, bring the clinic to your country as well as training teachers and service providers on Albinism.

    Other topics discussed were what is Albinism? Skin cancer: prevention and skin care; Vision-facts and adaptive instruments, Albinism and disability, self-identification, legal framework and reporting to the United Nations.

    Participants learnt about genetics of PWA from renowned world genetics, Dr. Murray Brilliant as well as facts and adaptive vision instrument from a vision optometrist, Dr. Rebecca Kammer who is a specialist on low vision.

    Aside the training sessions, PWAs were all allocated clinic schedule for free skin care and eye test provided by Standing Voice, a charity organisation that promotes the social inclusion and well-being of marginalised groups. It currently tackles the primary dangers facing Tanzania with albinism.

    Standing Voice team has experience of over a decade working with PWA in Africa. While early stages of skin cancer detected were treated using liquid nitrogen applied through Cryo gums, each PWA was given Kilimanjaro sun care cream (Killsun) produced in Tanzania. PWAs that have never treated their eyes did and were also given free eye glasses.

    They also learnt about low vision in detail and the need to visit optamologists who specialised on low vision. During one of the sessions, training leaders and service providers on albinism explained that for children living with albinism to excel in school, they must be well positioned using slanted desk to prevent neck and back pain because they have to bend reading. Experts advised that they should be given reading devices such as telescope to see what the teacher writes on the blackboard and be able to also see the teacher as well as his or her expressions and their colleagues.

    • Lucy Oladipo is a member of a civil society group that advocates for non-discrimination against Albinos

     

     

  • CBN fire victim relives healing at LASUTH

    CBN fire victim relives healing at LASUTH

    •Patient eats 20-30 eggs daily

    A fire victim, Kelechi Okoroji, has praised the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) management for his near-full recovery within three months.

    Okoroji urged Nigerians to have confidence in the country’s doctors, saying they remain among the best and can compete with their counterparts abroad.

    Okoroji spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on how LASUTH has been handling his case following a major fire accident.

    NAN reports that Okoroji suffered skin injuries from the fire that occurred at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Zonal headquarters in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, last March 11.

    He said he was referred to LASUTH for rehabilitation following initial treatments at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).

    “I was a 75 per cent degree burn patient, which many thought was a hopeless case before I was referred to the Burns and Trauma Section of LASUTH.

    “There, I have been undergoing rehabilitation by a team of hardworking and committed medical personnel led by Dr Adedayo Buhari.”

    NAN reports that Buhari, a burn and reconstructive surgeon, has been on the staff of LASUTH’s Burns and Trauma Centre for about two years

    Okoroji said his condition after the incident was better imagined than experienced, adding that he is only lucky to be alive to narrate his story.

    “I am happy to say that, our medical system condemned by many as being unprofessional, was able to restore me to life. We need to have a rethink about our medical services. My case had been previously regarded as hopeless by many which made me to have a thin hope of survival. But, here I am being treated in one of the best facilities in the country. However, the doctors and nurses that treated me never gave up hope on my survival; they kept on assuring and encouraging me that I was going to survive during treatment. Imagine if I had been flown abroad without trusting the capable hands we have here, would there have been any chance of survival over there?”

    He praised the doctors and the nurses for their dedication to work.

    Okoroji advised teaching hospitals to always admit those with passion for the job as students so that they can acquire requisite trainings to handle cases similar to his.

    Okoroji also lauded the team for its encouragement during the treatment, saying: “During the treatment, I was advised not to cry or shout, so as not to lose more blood.”

    Okoroji called for more specialist hospitals for burn victims in other parts of the country so as to help those who may not make it to Lagos.

    “I think if we have about three of such institutions in the country and well equipped with medical personnel and equipment, we will be better for it. If Lagos State can build this state-of-the-art centre for us, other states should also emulate it and we will not need to travel abroad for burn surgery. God really helped the hospital to rescue me; I have only spent three months and some days between March and now when I was referred to LASUTH.”

    He said the country could combat medical tourism abroad by building hospitals with modern facilities, as there are many professionals to man them.

    “During my stay here in LASUTH, I have seen nationalities of other countries that came for treatment.

    “I am with the highest degree of burns with blood infection, others were about 50 per cent; even the nurses in Calabar doubted my survival.

    “In all, I give glory to God for my survival and equally thank the LASUTH management and staff for putting me back on my feet,’’ he said.

    Dr Buhari, who led the team that handled Okoroji’s case, said the doctors never doubted his survival because of the available facilities and expertise at LASUTH.

    “LASUTH was able to handle Okoroji’s case because we have the manpower and the facilities to handle such severe cases. Our admission rate in LASUTH is high with 5-burn patients on admission being handled by two burn-consultant surgeons and some well trained nurses. The ratio of doctor to burn patient in an ideal setting is 1 to 5, so we still need more to cope with the population of our patients,” he said

    With adequate training, he said, Nigeria would get it right.

    Buhari said his specialty was to cater for burn cases, either severe or mild, adding that the hospital has been handling such cases successfully in the past years.

    “Okoroji’s case is one of the most difficult cases I have ever managed because of the severity of his burn which was 75 per cent with deep and severe sores. There were so many bacteria in his blood streams as well as suffering from jaundices and fever. So, we have to be treating all of them simultaneously which makes his case very complicated. We have to review our antibiotic in his later condition. He was placed on special diets because he had lost virtually the first layer of his skin. This requires more protein before it can get healed. We advised him to have high calories and protein with good wounds’ care and special antibiotic treatment,” he said.

    Buhari, a graduate of the University of Jos, said the knowledge and prescription of the right nutrition helped in rehabilitating Okoroji.

    This is because nutrition is an essential key to burn patient’s rehabilitation, he said.

    “Adequate nutrition is the key to his rehabilitation; we also give him food supplement because protein is the key; he eats about 20 to 30 eggs in a day.

    “We have also been counselling him on the importance of this nutrition which he himself has been struggling to abide with because it is not easy being on such diet.

    “He also had to endure aggressive sore dressing because of the wounds,” he said.

    Buhari, however, urged the three tiers of government to increase the capacity for the management of burn and reconstructive surgeries in the country.

    “The number of those that can handle burns in the country is inadequate and there is the need for governments to sponsor more people for training within and outside the country.

    “We need to be abreast of new methods of treating burns, most especially, as it concerns special nutritious for burns’ patients.

  • Ojuelegba explosion: I ran out naked, says victim

    Ojuelegba explosion: I ran out naked, says victim

    Some residents of Ajoke Dosunmu Street in Ojuelegba, Lagos are still scared to return home after an explosion from a fuel tanker razed five cars and a storey building on Saturday.

    Many occupants on the streets, The Nation learnt, are squatting with friends and families.

    The wife of the owner of the burnt storey-building, Mrs Rita Jinadu, who was admitted in a hospital, said she was asleep when the incident occurred.

    She said she perceived the fuel around 2am but slept, believing that nothing was going to happen.

    Her words: “When I perceived it, I was not comfortable because I don’t use generator in my house. Around 4am, I woke up to use the toilet and immediately, my husband and I saw fire. The fire came directly to our bedroom. We woke our children and ran out of the house. I was naked. It was a neighbour that clothed me. We watched our house burn from a distance.

    ‘’I wouldn’t have thought of this happening to me because I am at the remote side of the community. It is really pathetic. As I speak, we don’t have anything. My children’s certificates, everything went with the fire. I just collected N250,000 from my thrift collecting business but everything is gone. We were told the government instructed Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) to take us to Igando but we don’t know what they have for us. Her son, Oluwashina Jinadu, pleaded with the government to assist them, adding that there is nothing they can do.

    He said:”We have been living here for 10 years. I can’t believe we lost everything in one day. My brother and I slept in a friends place while our parents slept in the hospital. We need help; we really do.”

    A resident, Matomi Lawal, said when he saw fire, he took his children to his mother’s place on the Island.

    He said: “It is still like magic. I couldn’t think straight. It was even after I took my children for safety I returned for my certificates. I thought my house would also burn. I thank the fire fighters.”

    Alhaji Fatai Aro, said he thought his life and his family members was going to end.

    “We were sleeping when a neighbour woke us. Our door was so stiff and so many things kept going through my mind. We couldn’t sleep. My wife and children went to her mother’s place while I waited behind. I have been using water to put out the remaining debris because smoke has not stopped coming out. It is really unfortunate. My mind is not at rest,” Aro said.

    David Alu, who sells printing materials said he lost about N350,000 to the fire adding: “I have nothing. I watched my shop go down. Today (Sunday), some people gave me print papers to sell. I need assistance so I can be on my feet again.”

    Another resident simply called Tawakalitu said she would no longer live in the house adding: “I can’t live here anymore because I am scared. I slept in my sister’s place.”

     

  • Amosun’s wife rescues victim

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s wife  Olufunso yesterday rescued a commercial motorcyclist, who was knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle at the NNPC Junction, Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The victim was taken to the state hospital, Ijaiye.

    Mrs. Amosun instructed her convoy to stop at the accident scene to help the victim, simply identified as James.

    The governor’s wife advised motorists to stop speeding and be conscious of other road users.

    An eyewitness said: “The accident occurred suddenly and all our efforts to track down the motorist were fruitless.

    “But for the intervention of the governor’s wife, he would have died because nobody was willing to take him to the hospital.”

     

  • Human Trafficking: My life as a victim

    Human Trafficking: My life as a victim

    Burdened by the many cases of Nigerians trafficked overseas, Bukola Oriola, a former victim, is back home on sensitisation campaign, reports Sunday Oguntola 

    THE tears are still flowing. They came in torrents just less than five minutes into the chat. “I found myself in a situation where I don’t even trust my family members any longer,” she broke down.

    “I may trust a friend this moment but the next I don’t trust him or her anymore. So, this is a part that strikes a chord in me that could strike anytime.”

    Ten years after, the psychological and mental scars of her ordeals remain indelible. She’s healing but the traces of the battered psyche are still fresh.

    “The thing is the wound is inside and it is hard to heal,” she sobbed.  “I’m tearing up not because I’m sad but because it’s always an open wound that is there. You heal through the process but it’s not a healing that happens once,” she explained last week.

    Down the memory lane of miseries

    In September 2005, Bukola Oriola, an award-winning journalist with the defunt New Age newspapers, went to the United States of America on “I Class” visa to cover the 60th anniversary and General Assembly of the United Nations.

    As it turned out, she ended up staying put after Tade, who she was engaged to, persuaded her to raise a family with him. The duo had completed traditional wedding rites in October 2004.

    That was how she was baptised into the world of human trafficking and forced labour. Tade, her hitherto amiable spouse, turned against her. He practically subjected her to psychological and mental torture. In what was supposed to be her matrimonial home, Bukola literally became an imprisoned slave.

    Tade not only abused her but also neglected their only child, Samuel. With the support of his friends and relations overseas, he stripped her of all dignity as a wife and human being through constant tearing down. For two years, Bukola couldn’t step outside their apartment; she could only peep through the windows. Her supposed home had become a detention camp.

    Tade threatened her with the law and police, forcing Bukola to suffer in silence. On several occasions, she was at the verge of suicide. She was so convinced that dying would be more honourable than the maltreatment her supposed husband was dishing to her but in a foreign land.

    “I suffered isolation for two years. I could not go wherever or whenever I wanted. I was at the mercy of my husband, who took me whenever he felt it was necessary, or, on his own condition, and sometimes, for sex. I suffered through pregnancy.

    “I could not eat wherever I craved. And, sometimes, I was at home in pain with little or no help. He pretended to care for when others were around. When I worked, he took most of my money, leaving me with virtually nothing to survive on.

    “It was a situation of a slave at the beck and call of her master. It could be described as the Israelites in the hands of Pharaohs and the Egyptians,” Bukola wrote in her book titled Imprisoned: The travails of a trafficked victim.

    Left with no dignity, self-worth or anyone, Bukola could only turn to God. The law couldn’t help her. Two law firms actually turned down her brief. It was by sheer providence that she managed to escape to a shelter for battered women from where she was granted legal stay in America.

    Life as an advocate

    Her ordeals in the valleys of the shadow of death have since become a reference point with many speaking engagements across America. Bukola has met with diverse groups and organisations to speak on the challenges and dangers of human trafficking.

    On TV, her show, Imprisoned, has become a household name in the human rights community with very interesting episodes on diverse issues surrounding human trafficking. Through her organisation, many victims have been receiving help, rising from the rock bottom back to the position of prominence.

    From a victim, Bukola has become a survivor and then an advocate. This, she said, makes her fulfilled and glad. “I’m grateful to God that I have moved from a victim to a survivor and then a helper. I relate with the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his siblings.

    “I can look back and use my story to help others. I feel happy when I put my hands into someone who was where I was and is now happy. It takes time but people are being helped. It gives me joy that I can use an experience that almost took my life to help others now,” she stated.

    Like the Biblical Joseph, Bukola believes she was saved to help others undergoing harrowing cases of deprivation and subjugation from familiar foes. Had she not gone through the pain, she reckons her current role as an advocate wouldn’t have arisen.

    When she spoke up, Bukola was described in glowing terms in Nigeria and America. Minnesota Women’s Press even gave her award as Change maker in 2009 for her courage. Many stated she was courageous and resilient to have spoken up against her abusive husband. But Bukola will be the last person to take such credits.

    “I wouldn’t say I’m courageous,” she began.  “It was just God that I had. My child was just 11 months old. I told God that if I get help, I’d take the shame by putting my face on the case. That was what helped me to come out. It had nothing to do with courage but the grace of God.”

    Back home with a message

    Since she left in 2005, Bukola had never been back home. But last Monday, she exchanged pleasantries with some of her old journalism colleagues at the Lagos headquarters of Vintage Press Limited, Publishers of The Nation newspapers.

    She said she decided to return home after ten years because she has a strong message for Nigerians planning to relocate overseas. Having gone through the path of pain in the process of relocation, Bukola is determined to prevent as many Nigerians as possible from experiencing the same. Travelling, she said, remains the best form of informal education. “I encourage people to travel because it is educative. It broadens your worldviews and exposes one to different global cultures,” she stated.

    But most Nigerians, she pointed out, travel overseas with too many assumptions. They believe the pasture is greener over there and expect to make it big once overseas without realising things are not as they seem. Many of them, she lamented, become victims of trafficking, forced labour and sexual harassment.

    Expatiating, she said everyone has a level of vulnerability that abusers or traffickers could exploit. “It can happen to anybody, not just illiterates or anything. I was educated, even a journalist when it happened to me.

    “The fact that you have a two-year visa does not mean you will get a job. Who is going to give you a job? Even those who won the green ticket can hardly get jobs.

    “People who send their children to schools and think they have relations they can stay with have to be careful. If you have a student’s visa and do not get enrolled at a certain period, you will lose your status.

    “Many students who left to go to schools are in some houses as maids. Staying for free with someone can turn you to a slave because the person can claim you owe him or her.”

    While at home, Bukola will be addressing students of selected tertiary institutions on the dangers of trafficking and how to avoid becoming a victim. Her ultimate goal is to form a coalition of International Association of Students against Abuse and Slavery.

    For spouses going overseas, Bukola advocates counselling sessions to understudy their new environment, culture and status with a view to avoiding damaging marital misunderstanding. A new environment, she explained, changes people in unexpected ways, throwing up challenges for relocating couples.

    So, what are the tell-tales for would-be trafficking victims? One, she said perpetrators always begin by isolating their selected victims.  “When the person is not letting you interact with people, it is a red flag. When your spouse or partner is isolating you then that is a red flag.”

    From isolation, the abusers always move to psychological tearing down. In her case, Tade constantly spoke her down before people. One day while with guests, he commented that he dislikes Nigerian journalists because they were dummies. “That was meant to bring me down.”

    She continued: “If he is supposed to conclude your documentation and he keeps postponing, that is a red flag. If you go on finance’s visa, you have 90 days to get married.

    “If you don’t, you lose your status and you cannot marry another person until you return home and come back. If you are with someone who cares about you, there shouldn’t be problems about that.

    “If you have a child overseas, always call to check up on them because they could be with someone as maids. Their uncles could have turned them to be baby-sitters.

    “Some grandmothers could also be labour slaves. They are isolated and could not go anywhere. There are so many people kept in some houses. Those abroad need to be calling home too to tell people what they are going through.”

    Video:

    https://goo.gl/F8Yj20

     

  • Questions as Agip pipeline explosion victim is buried

    Questions as Agip pipeline explosion victim is buried

    Today a vibrant, young Niger Deltan, Mr. Duabo Theophilus, will be buried in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. Theophilus, who worked with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment, died untimely. He was 46.

    His demise is a grim reminder of environmental abuses, reckless exploration and exploitation of oil many of the International Oil Corporations (IOCs) operating in Nigeria have subjected the region to. It has also raised question on the sanctity of life and value placed on life of a Niger Deltan by multinationals when oil is the business.

    The late Theophilus was among the 12 persons who died horribly on July 9 when the Tebidaba-Azuzuama pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Azuzuama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, exploded and went up in flames.

    The inferno resulting from the blast also injured four others with one person declared missing. The explosion which was described as deafening also quaked the nearby Azuzuama community and created panic among the residents.

    Theophilus and his departed compatriots died in active service. The victims were at the scene of the blast to conduct Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) and carrying out repairs on ruptured spots of the pipeline when the incident occurred.

    Six employees of an indigenous company, M.G. Vogas Nigerian Limited, hired by Agip to maintain the line, two Agip workers, a soldier and an official of the National Oil Spill Detection and Regulatory Agency (NOSDRA) including an indigene of the host Azuzuama community were among the dead victims.

    The Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment led by Mr. Iniruo Wills, has been mourning the incident especially the painful death of Theophilus. Indeed, Wills is determined not to allow the matter to be swept under the carpet. Even the governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson, after the incident, threatened fire and brimstone and read the Riot Act to oil companies operating in the region.

    Dickson immediately called for a forensic investigation into the explosion. He summoned officials of NAOC to Yenagoa for an emergency meeting, but was unhappy that the Managing Director of NAOC refused to attend the meeting.

    The governor vowed to explore all legal means to seek redress.

    He expressed dismay at the absence of NAOC’s Managing Director at the meeting, saying that henceforth he would want to relate directly with the Chief Executive Officer when discussing weighty mutual issues.

    He consoled the families that lost their loved ones to the incident and restated his administration’s commitment to the protection of the environment against any further destruction by oil companies and perpetrators of pipeline vandalism.

    He said: “In this government, we are concerned about the environment. The statistics that have been read out is alarming, to say the least. I can’t imagine in this state, how from your facilities alone, 656 spills occurred in one year.”

    Some state officials, including Wills, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Kemasuode Wodu and Special Adviser on Security, Mr. Boma Spero-Jack, decried Agip’s attitude.

    But what caused the fire that resulted to the explosion? Even as Theophilus who hailed from Bassambiri, Nembe in Bayelsa State, is buried today, there is no official report indicating the real cause of the explosion. Maybe, the final report of the investigation if it is eventually compiled and made public will disclose how a JIV turned tragic.

    Could it be that the oil company and its servicing firm failed to observe the minimum required safety standard recommended during visits to spill sites? The Commissioner for Environment, Wills, went into the books recently, dug out and documented guidelines on sequence for oil spill response and management in a condensed form.

    The one-page document, titled Lives before Oil, stated 12 actions that must be undertaken in responding and managing spills. First is to shut down pipeline or other spill source facility and notify regulators within 24 hours as stipulated in NOSDRA Act.

    Secondly, before conducting a JIV, there must be sufficient fire prevention/fighting equipment, materials and competent personnel certified by the regulators. All the persons in the JIV must be kitted with appropriate fire resistant protective equipment and a gas leak test must be conducted in the incident area.

    Others are, protect spill area and relevant personnel and contain immediately as soon as possible; provide relief materials and services for affected communities; establish muster point at a safe distance determined by regulators, cordon off incident hazard area and conduct toolbox, safety meeting at the muster point.

    Speaking to the Niger Delta Report in a briefing attended by the ministry’s Director, Petroleum and Pollution Department, J. Blanks and Deputy Director of the department, A. E. Adire, the commissioner said the government was exploring wide range of measures and sanctions in the law to hold oil companies operating in the state accountable.

    He said companies could be dragged to court on corporate manslaughter to seek remedies for a firm which conducts its business so recklessly that it leads to the death of a person. He said the laws were not being implemented against environmental violators because of lack of political will across all tiers of government.

    “We have not been resting on our oars. We are not satisfied with the level of compliance because there have been settled culture of corporate impunity in the oil sector. But we are now insisting on 100 per cent of compliance. This time around, we must force change to occur by taking distinct legal action against environmental violators”, he said.

    In fact, everybody is waiting for the forensic investigation ordered by the state government to determine the cause of the blast that killed Theophilus and to ascertain whether Agip complied with the minimum safety standard before engaging in the tragic JIV.

    Unless violators are punished to forestall future occurrences, Theophilus and other fallen heroes may have died in vain. Besides, the family of the deceased and the state government are demanding adequate compensation from the oil firm to some extent cater for the abandoned responsibilities of the deceased especially the child, wife and other dependents left behind by Theophilus.

     

  • Ogun traffic agency returns N151,700 to 75-yr-old accident victim

    Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) on Friday handed over the sum of N151,700 recovered from the scene of an accident to a victim, Alhaji Jimoh Oguntoye.

    The money was handed over to the septuagenarian at a private hospital in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    Oguntoye was said to be the driver of the Mercedes Benz jeep 500 ML marked (LAGOS) KRD 933 BC which crashed into a passenger bus at Onipepeye axis of the Abeokuta – Sagamu expressway penultimate Monday.

    Two persons including a Mass Communication student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, lost their lives, while 16 others were injured in the accident.

    The Director of Operation and Acting Commandant of the Corps, Seni Ogunyemi,  said the money was retrieved from the Mercedes jeep by TRACE’s rescue team led by Commander Adeola Adekoya which evacuated the victims to hospital.

  • Benue police arrest suspected kidnappers, rescue victim

    Men of Benue State Police Command have arrested  three suspected kidnappers and rescued a 70- year- old victim, Atser Kyausu.

    The victim is the father of a Makurdi- based oil mogul, Chief Athanasius  Atser Kyausu.

    The kidnappers were said to have abducted Kyausu after they failed in their bid to kidnap his son, who was their target.

    Kyausu was allegedly kidnapped at Vandeikya community in Benue northeast senatorial district.

    While parading the suspected kidnappers at the police headquarters in Makurdi, the outgoing Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, said the suspects stormed the residence of the victim on July 25, 2015, and took him away on a motorcycle.

    Dagala also said that the suspects blindfolded their victim and forcibly collected the sum of N770, 000 from him.

    Dagala said: “The kidnappers took their victims on a motorcycle after they forcibly collected the sum of N770, 000 naira from him. They conveyed him on motorcycle to a thick forest and demanded N200 million naira ransom from his son on telephone.”

    “Based on the report, a team of detectives from the state police headquarters swung into action and located the gang in a thick forest in Vandeikya. Three members of the gang were arrested by detectives who stormed the forest while other members of the gang escaped. Two of the suspected kidnappers sustained gunshot injury while our men are on the trail of other members who escaped .Those arrested are Terfa Terkuma, Kwaghfan Apeaka and one Aondona all of Vandeikya town.”,

    Chief Kyausu, commended the police for rescuing his father from the kidnappers.

    Dagala said ,“we will charge the suspects to court once investigations are concluded.

  • Delta bullion van accident victim loses leg

    Delta bullion van accident victim loses leg

    •Husband seeks financial help

    Mr Michael Akporode, the husband of the victim of last Monday’s accident, which was allegedly caused by policemen escorting a bullion van in Udu, Delta State, has appealed for help for his wife, Mrs Onome Akporode.

    The woman’s legs were crushed by a lorry that was avoiding a head-on collision with the police bullion van conveying money to a first generation bank.

    Mrs Akporode is recuperating in the Intensive Care Unit of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara.

    Our reporter, who visited DELSUTH yesterday, learnt that the Akporode family had spent over N1.3 million to save the woman’s legs.

    But the left leg has been amputated; the right was saved, after a coordinated medical battle by doctors.

    Her husband spoke with our reporter on the plight of the family to save his wife.

    Akporode saqid: “As I am talking to you, we have spent about N1.3 million on drugs, blood and other medical supplies, from when the accident occurred till this moment.

    “Here, I have a list of drugs of over N100,000 that I have to buy today. I am going to Warri to get at least two pints of blood. When I was leaving this (Monday) morning, I left N50,000 with my sister; that money has been spent and we are spending more. Every day, I spend up to N200,000.

    “Unfortunately, since the accident, we have not heard anything from the police or the bank. What we were told is that the bullion van was rented from a security company and they are asking us to go to the company.

    “I cannot leave my wife to die; God has spared her life. But I need the assistance of public-spirited persons, organisations and anywhere else help can come from.”

    He said his family, including his siblings, were in various markets and other public places, using the gory photographs of the victim to solicit for help.

    Akporode said the money raised from such sources was spent on drugs and settling other bills.

    The agitated husband said he had bought over 30 pints of blood at N15,000 each, because his wife’s blood group is the rare O-Negative.

    He said the blood group is considered a “universal donor” but can only receive donation from the same group.

    Akporode said: “So, it has not been easy and we are doing everything in our power to raise money, because without the money there is nothing the doctors can do; they need the drugs to treat her.”

    Our investigation revealed that the medical team at the teaching hospital have been battling to save the woman’s right which, like the already amputated left, was mangled by the Mercedes Benz 911 truck.

    “We are doing our best, but I don’t know what has been decided. It seems likely that the other leg too might go to save the woman,” one of the doctors told our reporter on condition of anonymity.

    It was learnt Mrs Akporode’s condition had improved since last weekend.

    At the time of our visit she was breathing without the aid of oxygen.

    Police spokesman Celestina Kalu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the report in a telephone chat last week.

    She said the police were investigating the matter.

    An independent investigation by our reporter revealed that the policemen involved in the reckless convoy are facing orderly room trial.

    But the bullion van’s driver, the bank officials in the convoy and the truck driver are expected to be arraigned today.

  • Jega is a victim of circumstance

    Jega is a victim of circumstance

    Frontline artist and former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Tola Wewe  shares with Assistant Editor Arts OZOLUA UHAKHEME on his studio life and why he rarely handles commissioned painting,  among other issues.  

    What is your studio work schedule like? How many hours do you spend in the studio daily?

    My day starts with a cup of coffee with some peanuts at about 7.30 am while I read some pages from a book or periodicals after which I move straight into my studio since I work from home.

    Sometimes, the day’s works are predetermined; most of the time however, I submit to handling what appeals to the moods of the day since I usually have several pieces in progress at any given time.

    I work long hours, the longest being 12 hours with about 1 hour break in between to have lunch and pray. Although I spend like 11 hours of physical work, I also commit some hours later at night to reading and other studio related activities.

    I do not work beyond 7.00 pm because I work mostly with power tools and I hate to disturb my neighbours who would have gotten back from work around that time otherwise, I would have loved working late at night. On most days I spend at least 10 hrs painting.

    What are you working on currently; exhibition or commission works?

    I simply work. I rarely do commissioned works. Most of my works go for exhibitions. A lot are also sold on completion by my clients.

    How many works are you working on concurrently and why?

    I am currently working on 4 paintings. I don’t have any special reason for that. I am just expressing myself.

    Of all the media, which one do you find challenging to handle and why?

    I haven’t thought of a special challenge I have with any medium. I simply use the ones I find convenient.  I use mainly, oil, acrylic and at times pen/ink.  I used to do a lot of commissioned portraits. I hardly do this these days. I am too busy with what I now do.

    In your personal collections of your own paintings, are there works you will never part with? If yes, what is the attachment to the work?

    I have several works in my personal collection.  I am not thinking of not partying with any of them. After all, I will die one day and leave them behind.

    Some artists are looking outside the regular materials to achieve their dream work. Are you in that frame of mind too?

    I guess you are talking about using materials other than regular ones like paints and brushes. I am a bit conservative when talking about materials. I belong to the old school.

    As a seasoned artist, what is the relevance of art movements or guilds to the growth of art practice?

    Guilds and movements in art practice add more to creative industry. They do this in terms of style. They also do in terms of techniques. They make pleasant contributions.

    Considering the many debates on different national issues in politics and economy, how has the visual artists fared in contributing or adding his or her voice to the talk?

    Artists generally make social comments with their works. How much impact these comments have made on our society, I don’t know. But no socio political issue goes untouched by artists. Poverty, corruption, decayed infrastructures, and very recently, Boko Haram are issues that are loudly expressed on canvases by our artists.

    Until very recently, Jega was largely praised by our politicians. The atmosphere is now charged. The ruling party is scared. The opposition party is getting confident.  Jega becomes a victim of the present circumstance. Jega is doing his best. And we should allow him. We have never had it this good.