PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN

2011: Jonathan pledges improvements in security, power, infrastructure.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday promised Nigerians significant improvements in security, power supply, national infrastructure, education, health care and employment generation in 2011.

The president made the pledge in Abuja in his new-year message to the nation.

Jonathan said his administration will work harder in the coming months to ensure that ordinary Nigerians begin to feel the tangible benefits of the economic growth recorded by the country in recent years.

He said that the Federal Government would give particular attention to effective implementation of the new national job creation scheme.

Jonathan said that N50 billion had been earmarked in the 2011 Appropriation Bill to create thousands of new jobs for the country’s unemployed youths.

He said that to further boost employment, his administration would initiate a massive national public works programme in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

The pubic works, he said, included the renovation, rehabilitation and upgrading of schools, medical facilities, roads and other public utilities.

The president said that 500 million dollars facility would be made available to support small and growing medium scale businesses.

Jonathan said the fund would supplement the N500 billion intervention fund, which had been established for the country’s power, manufacturing and aviation sectors.

He noted that the measures being evolved by his administration to improve the quality of lives could only be effectively implemented in a secure, peaceful and politically stable environment.

Jonathan urged all stakeholders to play positive roles in ensuring that next year’s general elections are conducted peacefully to further consolidate Nigeria’s status as a stable democracy.

He thanked all Nigerians for their support, loyalty and cooperation since his assumption of office in May 2010.

The president wished all Nigerians a happy, prosperous and rewarding 2011.

NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade

Drug Trafficker Jailed 18 Years

A drug trafficker, who was arrested with 35 kilogrammes of cannabis, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, North-Central Nigeria.

Justice Faji Olayinka found 30-year old Bello Abdullahi guilty on two count charge of unlawful possession and dealing in hard drugs and sentenced him to 18 years imprisonment.

The drug convict was arrested by NDLEA operatives of the Kwara State command along Ilorin-Jebba Road on 6 January 2010 while on his way to Funtua, Katsina State.

The NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, described the sentence as very encouraging, adding that it is a foretaste of what drug convicts will experience in 2011.

“The nation is looking forward to an era of strict enforcement through adherence to adequate and efficient legal framework. Drug traffickers must brace up for strict drug law enforcement in 2011. This is one of our strategies in reducing cases of drug trafficking in the country,” Giade said.

According to Giade, effective drug control has some components: Adequacy and efficacy of legal framework, drug demand reduction and control of illicit drug supply.

“Nigeria must persistently deploy resources in addressing the illicit trade in narcotics. Our policy is to stifle drug trafficking cartels through constant arrests, investigation of assets and diligent prosecution,” he said.

Giade said that the country must learn from the bizarre experiences of Mexico where official figures of drug related deaths in 2010 are 15,000.
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NDLEA alleges plan to attack Kano office

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has alleged that there is a plan by some youths to attack its Kano State Command office.

In a statement, the NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said Ahmadu Giade, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, described such a plan as "baseless and misguided".

Giade said the youths received false information that wrong candidates were selected for Kano State during the agency's recruitment and stressed that no name had been published since the exercise was still on-going.

"The Agency is a Federal Government establishment and its recruitment process is based on the principle of federal character and fairplay.

He assured all job applicants to the agency that the selection process would be "transparent and fair" and urged the youths to be law abiding.

The statement said that security had been beefed up in all NDLEA formations across the country following an intelligence report on the planned attack.

It warned that "any attack shall be resisted while those responsible shall be dealt with according to the laws of the land.
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96 persons convicted for drug-related offences in Katsina

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) secured the conviction of 96 persons out of the 407 suspects it arrested for drug-related offences in Katsina State in 2010.

The state NDLEA Commander, Ahmad Garba, said on Friday that the convicts were sentenced to various jail terms by the Federal High Court, Katsina, where they were charged.

He said 12 of the suspects were women, one of whom, Abu Sale, was convicted and jailed.

Garba said the agency successfully counselled and rehabilitated 279 drugs addicts in theb year.

Garba said the agency seized 517.8 kilogrammes of various illicit drugs, comprising mostly Indian hemp and other psychotropic substances.

He attributed the agency success story in the year to the diligence of its staff in reciprocity of the management's efforts in boosting their morale.

The commander also commended the government and people of the state for their support and cooperation with the agency.

He particularly commended the efforts of the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumin Kabir- Usman, and Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruk, for supporting the agency’s campaigns against drug abuse.

Garba promised that the agency would continue to do its best in the struggle to eradicate the menace of drug abuse and trafficking in the state.

He appealed for more community support to enable the agency to succeed in making Katsina a drug-abuse-free state.
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Expect hard times in 2011 -- NDLEA boss warns drug traffickers.

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, on Friday said that the agency would in 2011 intensify its crackdown on drug traffickers.

Giade made the declaration in a statement while reacting to the 18-year jail term passed on a drug trafficker by Justice Faji Olayinka of the Federal High Court in Ilorin.

A statement by Mitchell Ofoyeju, NDLEA’s Head of Public Affairs, quoted Giade as describing the sentence as very encouraging.

The NDLEA boss said that the sentence was a sign of what to expect in the New Year.

Drug traffickers must brace up for strict drug law enforcement in 2011. This is one of our strategies in reducing drug trafficking in the country.

The statement said the convict, Bello Abdullahi, was arrested on Ilorin-Jebba Road on Jan. 6, 2010 with 35kg of cannabis while on his way to Funtua, Katsina State.

The convict was subsequently arraigned on a two-count charge of unlawful possession and dealing in hard drugs.
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NDLEA naps woman with 1.4kgs of heroin in Port Harcourt

The NDLEA, Port Harcourt International Airport Command, has arrested a woman, aged 59, with 99 wraps of heroin, weighing 1.4 kilogrammes.

Julius Parah, the Agency’s Commander, who paraded the suspect before newsmen on Friday in Port Harcourt, said she was arrested during Outward Clearance of Air France flight on Dec. 27.

During the clearance of flight AF 3051 to Paris, a woman was intercepted with the hard drug by officers of the NDLEA, he said.

Parah said the suspect, with a Nigerian International Passport, also had an electronic ticket number 6UK7QU with which she would have travelled out of the country.

He said that the suspect had obtained a boarding pass and was assigned seat number 46 from Port Harcourt to Paris, with a connecting flight from Paris to USA.

The commander said after preliminary interrogation, the command discovered that the suspect, an indigene of Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo, resides in Lagos.

Parah told reporters that she had confessed to swallowing wraps of the substance.

Parah warned drug traffickers against passing through the Port Harcourt airport as the command was ready to unmask any dealer who ignored the warning.

This is the second drug trafficker arrested at the airport after one cocaine trafficker was caught in June.

The suspect told newsmen that she was HIV positive.

I am HIV positive, I took the risk to enable me take care of the health challenges that I am facing,’’ she said.

The substance was sealed in three transparent envelops and it is estimated to cost N15 million.
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Lagos State Police Commissioner

Bombings: Lagos Police Commissioner urges churches, mosques to be vigilant .

Lagos State Police Commissioner, Marvel Akpoyibo has advised religious organisations to beef up security at their worship centres during the New Year festivities.

Akpoyibo gave the advice in Ikeja at an interactive session with religious leaders in the state.

He, however, said the state was not under any threat of any violence or attack.

Akpoyibo warned them against parking vehicles close to their worship centres for security reasons.

The police boss implored the religious leaders to collaborate with the police in ensuring security and effective traffic control.

Religious leaders should prevail on their followers to eschew all forms of violence as the command will not condone any form of lawlessness.

He called on parents and guardians to restrain their wards from indiscriminate use of fireworks during the New Year celebrations, noting that criminals use fireworks to commit crimes.

FRSC Corps Marshal

FRSC records 9 deaths from road accidents in 5 days in Delta

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Delta says no fewer than nine persons lost their lives in auto-crashes in the last five days in the state.

Yakabu Attah, Zonal Commanding Officer (ZCO) zone 5 comprising Edo, Delta and Anambra, said that the deaths were recorded in two separate road accidents along Asaba and Benin express way, adding that 29 persons were involved in the crashes.

He explained that the major causes of accidents were over- speeding and burst tyres, as Nigerians were always in a rush and some have not fully imbibed the culture of vehicle maintenance.

The zonal commanding officer said that road accidents might be difficult to eradicate, but could be reduced if Nigerians adhered to safety rules and road traffic rules and regulations.

While commending the Delta Government for its continued support, he appealed to the government to assist the FRSC by providing ambulance support service for the command.

Meanwhile, Luka Ikpi, Delta Sector Commander, has advised motorists and motorcyclists to desist from using mobile phones while driving.

Ikpi gave the advice in Warri at an end of year road safety rules sensitisation rally organised by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in collaboration with the Warri Unit Command of FRSC.

He explained that the use of mobile phones while on motion would distract the attention of the drivers, and could also endanger life of other road users.

The sector commander also advised against drinking of alcohol before driving, as well as driving when tired or feeling sleepy.

He said that okada riders and their passengers should use crash helmets and desist from overloading their motor bikes with goods and passengers.

He further called on motorists to ensure that their vehicles had fire extinguishers and fire certificates.

In his opening remarks, Joseph Udoabba said that the sensitisation rally was to bridge the gap between stakeholders and the public.

He stressed the need for the public and motorists to be informed about safety rules to enable them caution commercial motorists and riders when they default.
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45 drivers convicted of violating traffic rules in Oyo

No fewer than 45 erring drivers were convicted in Ibadan on Thursday by the Egbeda Unit Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) mobile court headed by Magistrate Remi Ebeloku.

The convicts were found guilty of various traffic offences, attracting between three months and six months jail term or fines ranging from N1,000 to N10,000.

Abiodun Akinlade, FRSC Unit Commander for Egbeda, said after the court session that the mobile court was established in line with ``operation Zero tolerance’’ to deter erring drivers from violating traffic rules.

Akinlade warned motorists to desist from over speeding, overloading and wrongful overtaking on the highways.

He said that the drivers were dragged to court to serve as a deterrent to others, adding that drivers accounted for 90 per cent of the causes of accidents on the highways.

The unit commander advised road users to cooperate with the FRSC in its effort to reduce accidents on the roads.
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Lagos Raises Alarm Over Fake Number Plates

The Lagos State Government has raised alarm over the large number of fake number plates in circulation in Lagos, South West Nigeria and warned the public against using such plates.

The government said plate number syndicates were now on the prowl looking for unsuspecting Lagosians to swindle, saying that security agents had been alerted to arrest motorists with fake number plates.

Commissioner for Transportation, Bamidele Badejo said it is important to inform unsuspecting members of the public of the existence of these syndicates producing fake fancy and out of series number plates and avoid falling prey to them.

According to him, genuine fancy and standard number plates could only be obtained at the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency’s Licensing Offices spread the state.

Badejo stated that anyone desirous of fancy or special number plate should apply to the Special Number Plate Unit of Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, MVAA located at the Old Secretariat, Ikeja.

The commissioner stated that the government was not averse to any individual using name or title as vehicle identification mark but declared that such identification mark should be produced and registered by appropriate agencies.

Badejo warned individuals using unregistered fancy number plates to remove them and properly register their vehicles, adding that such vehicles were security threat, as they were not traceable, if involved in any crime or contravene traffic regulations.

“The appropriate security agencies have been put on the alert to check all vehicles carrying fancy and out of series number plates with a view to arresting fake ones.
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423 die, 300,000 injured in December -- FRSC

No fewer than 423 persons lost their lives in December while 300,000 sustained various degrees of injury nationwide in road crashes.

Osita Chidoka, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, announced this to newsmen in Onitsha in Anambra on Friday during the Special Ember Months Patrol at the Niger Bridge.

Chidoka said the commission had adopted measures to reduce road mishaps, especially during yuletide.

He added that the statistics of accident victims declined tremendously this season, but did not state the percentage of decline compared with last year.

Chidoka also said that the FRSC had adopted measures to stop the incessant use of sirens to distract the peace of the masses.

The corps marshal also announced that the commission had started the sale of sirens.

The campaign also featured the distribution of special fliers to motorists on the busy Niger Bridge.

INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE.

Police step up patrols in commands

The police say patrols have been stepped up in all police commands across the country for effective protection of lives and property.

Inspector of General of Police, Hafiz Ringim in a New Year message in Abuja on Friday, said that the public should not be apprehensive due to reports of violence in some parts of the country.

Ringim said the Nigeria Police had always been active in response to issues that bordered on security of lives and property.

He also called on policemen to prepare ahead of the 2011 elections and ensure free, fair and violence-free polls.

The inspector general charged the officers to be focused and exhibit professionalism in the conduct of their duties during the elections.

According to him, the task of ensuring a violence-free election must be given all the seriousness it deserves.

Ringim said in the outgoing year, the police arrested and prosecuted more than 35,000 persons in various courts across the country, in its efforts to check crimes.

He commended officers and men of the force for effective management of the recurring Boko Haram crisis and the menace of kidnappings.

Ringim also thanked Nigerians for keeping faith with the police and assured them that the police would continue to collaborate with them to achieve the objectives of community policing.

The police, therefore, advised Nigerians to go about their normal businesses and not be apprehensive in view of what was happening in some parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olusola Amore said all the Commissioners of Police in the various state commands had been put on ``red alert''.

Amore urged the public to collaborate with the police, saying that we are all stakeholders as security is everybody’s business.

He assured the public that informants would not be treated as suspects.
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Police vow to arrest perpetrators of Bayelsa explosion

The Bayelsa police command has vowed to arrest the perpetrators of the bomb explosion that rocked a political campaign rally in Yanagoa on Dec. 19.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Musa, said on Friday that the perpetrators succeeded in scaring away supporters who gathered at the rally.

Musa said the police command would take proactive steps to curb such incidence in the future.

The commissioner, who described the spate of explosions in the state as worrisome, however, appealed to the people to see security as every body’s business.

He advised them to always provide information to the police for prompt action.

The commissioner said the command would set up a bomb disposal unit to comb the nooks and crannies of the state capital to check such incidences and appealed for the understanding of members of the public.

Two explosives suspected to be time bombs went off at a school field during the rally organised by a PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Beimo Rufus-Spiff.
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Bomb blasts: Force Hqtrs deploy experts to Jos - Commissioner.

Force Headquarters, Abuja has deployed bomb experts to the Police Command in Plateau to begin a thorough investigation into the Christmas Eve bomb blasts in Jos.

Abdulrahman Akano, the Police Commissioner in the State, told newsmen in Jos that forensic, bomb and scene crime experts were already carrying out investigations in Jos.

He said that the experts from Abuja were working hand-in-hand with detectives based in Jos to unravel the mystery behind the bombing.

Akano said that the Command was using the experts to sweep venues of important events ``before people are allowed into such places to prevent a recurrence’’.

He said the command had introduced strategies such as vehicle and foot patrols, road blocks and joint investigations with sister security agencies in its bid to prevent a recurrence of the Dec. 24 incidents.

Akano urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the police or any security agency for necessary action.

He appealed to the citizens of Plateau to go about their lawful business as security agencies were ready to protect their lives and the property.
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Suspected Boko Haram members kill four policemen, others in Borno.

Armed men suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram, were killed four policemen and three civilians in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The gunmen ambushed a Joint Task Force team made up of Military and Policemen in the Dala area of Maiduguri metropolis and opened fire on them.

The ensuring shootout four police officers were killed, some escaped with bullet wounds, while their patrol vehicle was burnt down.

The assailants, who arrived at the scene in three Golf cars, fired several shots into the air to scare away members of the public, but three people were said to have been hit by stray bullets and died.

However, ASP Abdullahi Lawan, the Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in the state, who confirmed the incident, said that only three policemen and one civilian were killed in the incident.

Lawan said that more policemen and soldiers had been deployed to the area to fish out the suspects from their hideout.

He urged the public to assist security operatives with vital information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.
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Clerics call for prayers for Nigeria

Religious leaders on Friday called for prayers for the peace and prosperity of Nigeria as it enters a new year.

In separate messages to herald the year 2011, the religious leaders urged Nigerians to be obedient to constituted authorities and pray for the country’s leaders.

The Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr Mike Okonkwo, urged Nigerians not to lose hope but pray for the recovery of the economy and for successful elections in 2011.

He appealed to politicians aspiring for public offices to play by the rules and not see the forthcoming elections as a do-or-die affair, stressing that Nigerians deserved credible leaders capable of delivering the dividends of democracy.

The cleric also urged politicians to desist from acts and utterances capable of overheating the polity thereby creating unnecessary tension.

The cleric tasked security agencies to wake up to their responsibilities and prevent a recurrence of violence, stressing ``any nation inundated with violence cannot develop’’.

In his message, the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Ephraim Ademowo, declared 2011 a decisive year.

He charged the government to be committed to laying a solid foundation for credible elections and urged the citizens to be tolerant and vigilant in order to advance the country.

Ademowo urged political parties to imbibe the culture of intra-party democracy, adding that the era of imposing unwanted and unpopular candidates on the people was over.

He advised the government to evolve new measures to deal with corruption, which he said had plagued the nation since independence.

Ademowo called on all tiers of government to declare a state of emergency in healthcare, power, security, education, infrastructure and the employment sector.
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Police step up patrols in commands

6 Okada Riders Gang-rape Lady

It was a terrible ordeal for a 20-year old lady (names withheld) when six commercial motorcycle operators also known as okada riders gangraped her.

The incident took place in front of a shop along Ijegun-Ijagemo road, Oyedokun bus stop in Iba Council area of Lagos State.

The victim said one of the suspects Aderoju Johnson carried her on okada from Ijegun while Saheed Ila sat at her back, on Christmas day.

But when the okada failed to stop at Ile Meta bus stop, Ijagemo, her destination, she attempted to shout but Saheed Ila at her back covered her mouth with a cloth. They carried her to Oyedokun bus stop where four other accomplices joined them.

However, luck ran on them when they started to argue amongst themselves whose turn it was to rape her. Their noise attracted Wasiu, another okada rider who also hails from Ado-Awaye in Oyo State, the homestead of the victim and the suspects.

Wasiu and others were able to call the baale-elect of Ijagemo, High Chief Abdul Hakeem Tunde Balogun who mobilised some youths in his car.

The vigilance team was able to apprehend three of the suspects, Aderoju Johnson, Oladepo Adeyemi and Soji Ikoo.

They were handed over to the police at the Isheri-Oshun division who gave the victim a paper to Igando General Hospital. A drug was prescribed for her which she could not get around the area.

Narrating her ordeal , the single mother of one said All of them are natives of Ado-Awaye, in Oyo State.

Three were initially arrested and handed over to the police. Then the police arrested another while two of the suspects are still on the run.

The Divisional Police Office of Isheri Oshun Division, Supol Segun declined comment on the incident.

But a source at the station confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspects who will soon be charged to court, while a manhunt had been organised for the two fleeing suspects.
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Woman Gives Birth To 6 Kids In 18 Months

Donations flowed freely from passersby into the coffers of a destitute with six children begging for alms at Ikeja area of Lagos State.

The woman, Aisha Ibrahim, 30, from Kano State, it was gathered, gave birth to quadruplets in 2008 and a set of twins in June 2010 in her village in Kano and came to Lagos to beg for alms when she and her husband could not cope with the feeding of the children.

The woman was seen on Awolowo Way, Ikeja where a crowd gathered around her and six children (three boys and three girls).

Many passersby pitied her and gave her money freely. They called on the Lagos State Government to come to her aid by providing for the children.

Aisha said she left Kano for Lagos when the suffering became unbearable and there was nobody to run to.

She gave the age of the quadruplets as two years old while the twins are six months old.

She described her husband, Ibrahim, as a peasant farmer who cannot cope with the upkeep of the children.

Aisha was accompanied by a woman and her sister, who help to carry some of the children while she begs for alms.

She received money ranging from N10 to N500 and even more from passersby.

Aisha who stays at the Lagos Central Mosque, Lagos Island, appealed to Governor Babatunde Fashola to come to her aid by providing her accommodation and job to take care of her children.

She also appealed to Nigerians to assist her take care of her malnourished children who are living on the benevolence of the public.
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Lawmakers urge Jonathan to decisively tackle Plateau crisis

Lagos lawmakers on Friday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the sovereignty of the nation above all interests in resolving the incessant communal clashes in Plateau.

The lawmakers urged Jonathan to bring to book those culpable in the Plateau violence, to serve as a deterrent to others.

Sanai Agunbiade, (ACN/Ikorodu 1) said that it was unfortunate that such a development was coming at this time in the nation’s history.

The legislator said the law should not respect any individual or group, no matter how highly placed.

Hodewu Avoseh, (ACN/Badagry 2) said that the crisis no matter what name was given to it was wrong.

According to him, no single religious or ethnic group can live alone in a community.

Avoseh warned the Federal Government against bias which, according to him, may lead to another civil war.

Babatunde Adewale, (ACN/Apapa 2) on his part called on the Federal Government to address the political issue that gave rise to the crisis in Plateau.

Adewale described as despicable the disdain for human life and called on the warring factions to sheath their swords.
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Three injured in gas explosion

Three men are in critical condition at the emergency unit of the Lagos University teaching Hospital (LUTH) following a gas explosion at a workshop at Iyana-Ipaja.

The incident happened at the M.O Owolabi metal workshop on Wednesday about 2.30pm. Six of the workers were attempting to fill a metal cutting machine with industrial gas when the gas cylinder went up in flames and burnt three of them.

The others sustained minor injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital in the area.The incident caused panic among residents and passers-by at the Adealu bus stop where the shop is located .

Some of the residents said they assumed that the explosion was a bomb blast and they feared for the worst.

The manager of the company, Samuel Ayo dispelled the rumour of a bomb blast. He also denied the speculation that some of the workers died in the process.

They were burnt badly, their faces, hair, chest and hands were badly burnt. They were rushed to LUTH at Idi-Araba, where they are being attended to in the emergency unit of the hospital. The three others sustained minor injuries and they were treated at the hospital close by; so it is not true that our workers died. Nobody died and those taken to the hospital are responding to treatment.

The workers are covered with the insurance company policy and we will not abandon them, we are footing their bills. It is not as if anybody planned for this to happen it was an incident and the risk involved in the job, we sympathize with the workers and it is sad because this machine is what we used to cut all the metals we sell. And we need it, but we will be very careful so that next time an accident will not occur again.

Following the gas explosion, residents of the area urge the government to make factory work less hazardous.“I heard the gas explosion while I was standing at the bus stop, we all ran away, thinking it was a bomb.

We were not sure until later when we heard it was a gas explosion from the factory, some of the workers were badly wounded by the explosion, and they were just groaning in pains.” one of the eye witness said.

Government should make factory work less dangerous so that things like this will not be happening. It is sad that people who left their homes for work are now disabled.
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Cleric docked for alleged forgery, theft of title document

A cleric, Rev. Emmanuel Evhoesor, on Friday appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates Court in Lagos charged with forging the title documents of a property.

Evhoesor, 57, who is standing trial on a three-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and stealing, however, pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, ASP N. Sule, told the court that the accused with others still at large allegedly stole and forged the title documents of a property belonging to one Chika Obi.

The prosecutor alleged that the accused and his accomplices subsequently sold the property located at No. 3 Baale Animashaun St., Alakuko, Lagos for N2.7 million and pocketed the money.

He said that the offence was committed on Jan. 11, 2002 at Alakuko in Lagos.

Sule said that the offence committed contravened Sections 516, 468 and 390 (10) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.

The Magistrate, Mrs O. A. Ogunbowale, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case till Jan. 17, 2011 for further hearing.
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Responding quickly to accident, gunshot victims

Sometime in December last year, a car swerved off the Isolo-Egba road in Lagos and rammed into a motorbike with riders.

A lady on the bike was badly wounded in the accident. In fact, her stomach was virtually ripped open with the intestines coming out.

The hapless woman was rushed to a nearby clinic by sympathetic passersby but she was denied medical attention by the nurses on duty.

Miss Iyabo Ogunbamiwo, a 25-year-old undergraduate, who witnessed the scenario, recalls that the woman’s rejection by the nurses could not be justified under any guise.

Obviously, the lady’s rejection by the clinic could have stemmed from past experiences with security agents and other factors relating to issues such as bills’ settlement.

The Nigerian Medical Association, the umbrella body for Nigerian doctors, has repeatedly described such rejections of patients as very unfortunate.

The NMA, nonetheless, attributes the reluctance of doctors to promptly treat accident and gunshot victims to misunderstandings between doctors and security agencies.

A recent forum on ``Emergency Response to Victims of Gun Violence and Road Accidents in Nigeria”, jointly organised by CLEEN Foundation, the Lagos State branch of the NMA and the Lagos State Police Command, sought to address the problem.

Adedamola Dada, the Chairman of the Lagos State branch of the NMA, blames avoidable deaths from accidents and gunshots on ``buck passing between security agencies and medical practitioners’’.

He says that some doctors had complained about harassments by security agencies after they treated gunshot and accident victims without security clearance.

There are instances where doctors have been arrested for performing their duties in treating gunshot victims.

Dada, however, says that more lives can be saved if such misunderstandings are duly resolved by all stakeholders.

He adds It is, therefore, obvious that we need to forge a new relationship with the police on this issue - a relationship that will entail mutual respect and good cooperation with a good system of communication and witness protection policy.’’

Dada, nonetheless, stresses that doctors have a responsibility to render efficient services, just as patients are obliged to pay for their treatment to enable the clinics to remain in business.

Azubuko Udah, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), stresses the need to arrive at a consensus in solving the “misunderstanding” between security agencies and doctors since anybody can become a victim of road accident or gun attacks in robberies.

He says that part of the orientation given to policemen relates to how to handle matters relating to homicide, gunshot wounds, while rendering emergency services.

Udah, nonetheless, stresses the need to fully equip the country’s hospitals to motivate doctors, while the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) should be provided with requisite logistics to enable them to effectively manage accidents.

The police chief believes that if the police are properly equipped, they will not be found wanting in the performance of their duties.

The FRSC Sector Commander, Jonas Agwu, bemoans the difficulties which his men encounter when ferrying accident victims to hospitals.

He says that most hospitals often reject accident victims, insisting that a certain amount of money has to be paid before the commencement of any treatment.

Agwu, nonetheless, insists that the FRSC Act makes it unlawful for any hospital to reject accident victims, adding that such offence attracts a fine of N50,000.

He recommends stiffer penalties for offenders, saying that the current fine is too paltry and cannot serve as a deterrent.

Agwu pleads with members of the general public to always stop and render help whenever an accident occurs, adding that the victims could even be their relations or friends.

Ugbeye says that system deficiencies in the Nigerian environment are largely responsible for the high incidence of trauma in the country.

Ugbeye, who is also the Head of Training, Research and Education, National Orthopaedic Hospital, recommends the introduction of a trauma management programme for the citizens, while road users are mobilised to be more careful.

Besides, Ugbeye calls for a review of traffic laws in the country to enhance safety on the roads.

He calls for a total ban on the use of motorcycles for commercial transportation, saying that commercial motorcycles account for most of the accidents on the roads.

He recommends the re-introduction of rail services to help out with transportation of goods, while keeping heavy-duty trucks off the country’s major highways.

Moreover, Ugbeye proposes the production of radio programmes in local languages to educate the people on safety precautions.

He recommends the Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) course for all officers and men of the uniformed services, including the police, the FRSC, the military, the Customs Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The citizens certainly expect that all stakeholders will pool resources to ensure safety on the country’s roads, homes and workplaces, while the hapless victims of accidents should be promptly attended to, as part of efforts to save lives.
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Eleweomo

Murder OF Eleweomo: Police Deploy More Men To Oyo PDP Congress.

Following yesterday’s murder of the National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW chairman, Lateef Salako a.k.a. Eleweomo at Akanran in Ona Ara Council Area of Oyo State, security was beefed up today at the Liberty Stadium, the venue of PDP’s state congress where new state executives for the party will be elected.

A combined team of security operatives which include the police, the State Security Service, SSS and others were seen at the entrance of the stadium frisking everybody before they were allowed entry.

They also checked thoroughly all cars with anti-bomb equipment before they allowed them into the stadium.

Five people have already been arrested by the police for being in possession of charms and other dangerous weapons.

Teslim Folarin is alleged to have led hoodlums loaded in about 10 buses belonging to the factional NURTW chairman, Lateef Akinsola, a.k.a. Tokyo to cause mayhem at the congress.

Oyo NURTW Henchman, Eleweomo Killed.

Barely 24 hours to the Oyo State Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party to choose new executives for the party, the sacked Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport
Workers , Lateef Salako alias Eleweomo has been killed.

He was murdered at Ibadan District Primary School, Akanran Area of Ibadan.

Confirming the incident through a text message, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Adisa Baba Bolanta through the state Police spokesperson, Tunji Ajimuda said tersely “Eleweomo is
dead.

He was killed while the local government congress was being conducted for Ona Ora Local
Government.

Fortunately, Senate Leader Teslim Folarin who was at the spot escaped death by the whiskers as the congress turned bloody.

Eleweomo was reportedly deployed to that particular venue of the local government congress to ensure that the interest of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala is protected.

Eleweomo, prior to his death, was expected to play a prominent role tomorrow during the state congress that is allegedly being stage-managed by Akala to ensure that the sacked Dejo Afolabi-led executive emerges so as to ensure that he Akala gets the governorship ticket at the Party
primary.

Though the senate leader escaped through the intervention of the security operatives attached to him, two of his loyalists were, however, not lucky as they were shot dead by members of the NURTW loyal to Eleweomo.

However, while speaking with our man, Olayiwola, one of the members of the Eleweomo faction alleged that the loyalists of Teslim Folarin burnt three of their buses while the confrontation lasted.

Aside sporadic shooting, dangerous weapons were freely used while policemen were helpless.
The sporadic shooting in the ensuing melee created panic in the neighbourhood of Ona-Ara as people ran for safety.

Reacting to the attack on his men, Senate Leader Teslim Folarin who condemned the attack, said he had earlier informed the police about an impending trouble but they did not take any action.

While saying politics should be by the number of people you command, Folarin added that there was no need for the governor to involve the NURTW he had earlier proscribed to intimidate party faithful who had come out to exercise their membership rights.

He, however, lamented that apart from two people that were murdered in the attack, two other loyalists of his who sustained injuries are recuperating at a private hospital where they were
rushed to.

Folarin confirmed that they are responding to treatment.

Meanwhile, Ibadan has been thrown into confusion as fracas has erupted in some parts of the city, including Iwo Road.

Ekiti State Commissioner of Police warns DPOs on conduct.

The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Olayinka Balogun, has threatened to remove any Divisional Police officer who makes himself inaccessible to members of the public.

Balogun made the threat on Thursday while parading 23 robbery suspects, including a 65-year-old woman, Victoria Faturoti in Ado-Ekiti.

He promised not to allow the politicisation of the arrest and detention of any of the robbery suspects, who have been terrorising the people of Ido-Ekiti in Ido/Osi Local Government Area.

The police commissioner emphasised that the suspects would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.

Balogun explained that he was quite aware of the politics behind the statement allegedly made by some suspects, pointing out that investigations would be conducted to ascertain the veracity of their claims.

He assured the people of the state that all the dangerous weapons being used by robbers would be mopped up before the 2011 general elections.

According to him, all the divisional police offices of the command had been placed on alert.

PPRO LAGOS STATE POLICE COMMAND

Railway staff steals N1.32 mln rail tracks.

A staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Lawal Ikani, who allegedly stole rail tracks valued at N1.32 million was on Thursday charged before an Ebute-Meta Magistrates Court, Lagos.

Charged with a three-count offence of conspiracy, stealing and fraud, Ikani, 38, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Moses Uademevbo, said that the accused conspired with others still at large to steal 30 rail tracks, properties of the corporation.

He told the court that the accused and his accomplice committed the offence on July 10 on Duste-Bako road, Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

Also, Uademevbo said Ikani had on Sept. 3 at Kafanchan Railway District Office, presented some forged documents, purportedly issued from the Police Commissioner, Railway Command Headquarters, Ebute-Meta.

The offence, he said, contravened Sections 390, 467 and 516 of the Criminal Code, laws of Lagos State.

Chief Magistrate, Oyindamola Ogala admitted him to a N500, 000 bail with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till Jan. 19, 2011 for further hearing.

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Driver arraigned for allegedly killing 58-year-old woman.

A commercial bus driver, Aliu Wahab, was on Thursday in Lagos arraigned for alleged dangerous driving which resulted in the death of a 58-year-old woman.

The accused, 49, is facing a seven-count charge, including causing the death of Ogbuegwn Rose at a Yaba Magistrates Court.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N3 million with three sureties in like sum.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the accused had on Dec. 13 at Idi-Oro, Mushin, Lagos, drove his Volkswagen bus with registration number XF 559 SMK recklessly and in the process killed the woman.

He alleged that the accused dumped the deceased at 9, Martins St., Mushin instead of taking her to a hospital for medical attention.

According to Emuerhi, the accused also drove the vehicle without a driver’s licence, a vehicle road worthiness certificate and an insurance certificate.

He said the offence contravened Sections 18, 27, 45 (1) and 343 of Road Traffic Act and Section 32 of Motor Vehicle Traffic Act, laws of Lagos State.

Magistrate, Salamah Matepo, adjourned the case till Jan. 17, 2011 for further hearing.

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Businessman arraigned for allegedly defrauding pastor of N700,000.

A 40-year-old businessman, Okechukwu Ihuoma, was on Thursday charged before an Ebute-Meta Magistrates Court in Lagos with allegedly defrauding a pastor, Paschal Mathew, of N700,000.

Standing trial on a three-count charge of fraud, forgery and issuing a dud cheque, the accused, however, pleaded not guilty.

But the prosecutor, Sgt. Ayorinde Ezekiel, said the accused committed the offence by presenting a forged contract document purportedly issued by Computer Warehouse Ltd, Lagos, for the supply of computers worth millions of naira.

He said the accused gave the forged document to Mathew and obtained N700,000 from him as ``inducement’’..

The prosecutor said the incident which occurred on Jan. 2 at 168, Ijeshatedo Road, Surulere, contravened Sections 419, 419 (b) and 473 (1) of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.
The accused, on conviction, risks seven years in jail.

Magistrate, M.O. Olajunwo, granted the accused a bail in the sum of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till Jan. 20, 2011 for further hearing.

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Escapee faces double arraignment.

A 34-year-old motor mechanic, Azukah Ikediashi, who had been detained previously by the police for alleged fraud and theft, on Thursday appeared before a Yaba Magistrates Court slammed with an additional charge.

Ikediashi is now facing a one-count charge of escaping from detention, in addition to the previous two-count charge of obtaining money under false pretence and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Sgt. Emuerhi Benson, told the court that Ikediashi on Nov. 24 escaped from lawful custody over the alleged offences of obtaining money under pretence and theft.

He said the accused was earlier arraigned on Oct. 30 for allegedly obtaining N70,000 from one Tajudeen Oladeji, at 6 Williams Ayemeh Str., Oworonshoki, Lagos, under pretence.

He said the accused obtained the said money under the pretence of converting the complainant’s car from right-hand steering to left-hand steering.

According to Benson, since the accused did not carry out the conversion, he had stolen the complainant’s money.

He said the offence contravened Sections 390(9) 419 and 135(b) of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Magistrate, Salamah Matepo, adjourned the case till Jan. 17 for further hearing.

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Fake Cancer Patient, Mother, Sister Arrested.

The 17-year old fake breast cancer patient, Annuche NnorumA 17-year old girl pretending to be suffering from breast cancer, Annuche Nnorum, has been arrested by officials of Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, the law enforcement arm of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment.

Annuche, mother of a two-month old baby boy, was arrested with her 50-year old mother, Ngozi and 19-year old sister, Chioma, at Oshodi, along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.

KAI Commander of Oshodi zone, Ayo Ogunbiyi who led the team that arrested the pretenders said he had earlier stopped them and other beggars from coming to the highway to beg for alms. While others obeyed, Annuche and members of her family failed to heed the warning.

He said that after a close observation, he discovered that there was nothing wrong with the girl and that she was only deceiving Nigerians that she had breast cancer.

During interrogation, Annuche said she finished primary six at New Layout Primary School, Arochukwu, Abia State and Eleja Primary School, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, adding that she took to begging in November, 2010, after she gave birth on 5 October.

She explained that the man who impregnated her ran away and there was no one to take care of her and her mother.

She said she makes between N1,500 and N2,500 daily, which she uses to take care of the baby and her sick mother.

Chioma, 19, her sister who was also arrested said she joined her sister in begging because there was no one to help them after the death of their father.

Their 50-year old mother, Ngozi Nnorum, said she couldn’t discourage her daughters from begging because she was not doing anything for a living.

She said since she was unable to engage in any trade due to her sickness, the family lives on the proceeds from begging.

KAI Marshal-General,Captain Danjuma Maigeri urged Lagosians to be wary of people who go around begging in the name of one sickness or the other.

He said the arrested pretenders would be handed over to the appropriate quarters where their fate would be determined.

KAI confirmed that they were later handed over to the Welfare Department of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Welfare, where they were released after signing an undertaking not to go back to begging.

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Poly Student Stabbed To Death.

Tragedy struck at Agege on Boxing Day when a 24 year- old part time student of Lagos State Polytechnic, Oluwaseun Dada Festus was stabbed to death by three miscreants popularly known as area boys following a fight over a girl.

Residents who witnessed the incident said the event that lead to the death of the deceased started on Christmas day when youth in the area organised a carnival.

According to them, during the carnival, the deceased elder brother had engaged some area boys in a fight over attempt to snatch his girlfriend from him.

Narrating the incident one of the witnesses who does not want his name mentioned said Festus’s brother had a fight with some area boys on Christmas day during the carnival party.

The fight was over his girlfriend but it was quickly settled that day.

But, to everyone’s surprise, on Boxing Day the area boys came after the deceased in retaliation and stabbed him on his hand.

Before people discovered him where he was stabbed, he had bled to death.”

Police at Elere station have arrested the three area boys and are still conducting further investigation on the incident.

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Accidents On Our Roads.

Despite warnings to motorists and commuter bus drivers by the Federal Road Safety Commission, to drive cautiously and observe traffic rules in the festive season, the country still have some road users driving recklessly and causing accidents on the roads.

Hardly does a day passes in the ‘ember’ months September to December without one or two accidents being reported.

On the first day of December, about fourteen people lost their lives along the Lagos-Ibadan express road when a truck rammed into an inter-state commuter bus going to Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

While some blamed the accident on overspeeding by the truck driver, others blamed it on an illegal checkpoint mounted on the road by policemen.

As if this was not enough, about fifteen people lost their lives the following day in a carnage which resulted from the carelessness of an oil tanker driver which overturned on the Lagos-Badagry expressway near Alakija Bus Stop.

The accident resulted in a huge inferno which led to the roasting of commuters in their vehicles.

Apart from these instances, ghastly accidents resulting in the death of commuters are reported almost daily along the major highways in the country.

These accidents still occur despite efforts by officials of the Commission to reduce the incidents at this period.

Just last wednesday, a commuter bus nearly plunge into the Lagos Lagoon on the Third Mainland bridge.

Two commuters in the bus were, however, not so lucky as they were flung into the lagoon when the bus hit the railings , One of them was later brought out dead by divers.

Many able-bodied Nigerians that could have contributed to the prosperity of the country have died as a result of needless accidents on the roads caused by insensitivity of drivers.

Therefore the need to put a halt to these road accidents cannot be overemphasized as the importance of driving safely before during and after festive season.

Too many lives have been lost already and there is the need to prevent further loss of lives.

‘Ember’ months have been described by the Commission as a period when there is an increase in the movement of goods and people from one place to another.

People are moving from one place to the other either to celebrate the festivals which fall within the period when people visit their families or reunite with their loved ones.

Motorists and Commuter bus drivers must begin to drive with caution and obey traffic rules.

They should avoid overspeeding and ensure that they check their vehicles before travelling, As they say, life has no duplicate and the expressways are not race tracks.

Drivers should not drink and drive or make or receive phone calls while driving as These have been identified as some of the causes of accidents on the roads.

There is also the need for drivers to be aware that the majority of the roads are in deplorable conditions and any slight mistake could result in ghastly accidents.

Inter-state commuter bus drivers should, as much as possible, avoid night travelling, overloading and overspeeding.

The government should also regulate the movement of tanker drivers on the highways by setting aside a specific period of the day for their movement.

Stakeholders can also organise enlightenment programmes for them to sensitise them on the need to drive with caution on the roads.

They should learn to obey traffic rules and regulations.

The government must be implored to deploy more traffic officials and policemen to the roads to check overspeeding and drunkenness by drivers.

Like the officials of the Commission have continuously emphasised, there are no devils on the road, rather it is the recklesness of drivers that kills.

Life is precious and everything should be done to preserve it.

As the nation begins another new year, Road users must to exercise caution and drive safely.

PPRO LAGOS POLICE COMMAND, FRANK MBA

Driver arraigned for allegedly causing colleague to lose an eye .

The police on Wednesday arraigned a driver, Nurudeen Salami, for allegedly assaulting a colleague and consequently injuring him on his left eye.

Salami, 29, is standing trial before an Ikorodu Magistrates Court in Lagos on a one-count charge of assault.

The Prosecutor, Fola Takunbe, told the court that Salami struck his victim, Riliwan Oseni, with a stick following a disagreement and thereby caused the loss of his left eye.

Takunbe said the offence was committed on Dec. 21 at PZ premises, Odonjunyan in Ikorodu.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 338 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State.

Salami pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of assault.

Magistrate, Ademola Adesanya, granted the accused N50,000 bail with two sureties in like sum.

Adesanya, however, adjourned the case till Feb. 2 for mention.
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Man sentenced to 1 year imprisonment for fraud

An Ikorodu Magistrates Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a 29-year-old man, Felix Oseyen, to one-year imprisonment, for fraud.

Magistrate, Ademola Adesanya, jailed Oseyen after he had pleaded guilty to the one-count charge.

Adesanya said the court had a duty to protect citizens` property.

The convict fraudulently obtained N50,000 from one Bolaji Mabadeje of Maya Village in Ikorodu, Lagos.

The Prosecutor, Fola Takunbe, said that the convict committed the offence on Dec. 11.

Takunbe had told the court that Oseyen had sent a text message to Mabadeje and threatened to eliminate him unless the amount was paid into his Bank PHB account.

LAGOS STATE POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER.

Inherited Wife Kills Policeman.

A traffic warden attached to Ijora Divisional Headquarters, Lagos State, South-West, Nigeria, has been killed by the wife he inherited from his late elder brother.

The deceased, Monday Aigbologa, 56, a native of Edo State until his death, resided in a room and a parlour at 10, Mosalasi Alao Street, Agege, Lagos with his wife, Mrs. Juliana Aigbologa.

Investigation revealed that on Sunday, 26 December, the deceased and his wife ate and slept together after watching a Yoruba programme at 11pm.

And when it was morning around 5 am on Monday, one of the deceased’s children Sunday who slept in the parlour took his father’s mobile phone to him when it rang only to discover that the room where his father slept had been locked with a padlock.

When he eventually opened the door, he saw the body of his father in his own blood with machete cuts all over his body while his wife had escaped.

According to one of the deceased’s children, Aina Aigbologa, 25, “my father inherited this woman after the death of his elder brother. My late daddy had divorced my mother and this woman has no child for my dad.

The woman is wicked, she is troublesome. Can you believe that her late first husband also died when she just touched his chest after a minor quarrel and the man died like that.”

Sources said the fleeing Juliana and Aigbologa are always quarrelling over domestic issues. However, it could not be ascertained at press time what caused the tragic incident.

Policemen from Pen-Cinema Division have visited the scene. The corpse has been deposited at Isolo General Hospital.

Police investigation into the incident continues.

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2 Passengers Drown In Lagos Lagoon

Two unidentified passengers drowned in the Lagos lagoon this morning as the commuter bus with registration number XW 124 LSR summersaulted several times on the Third Mainland bridge in Lagos, South-West, Nigeria.

An eyewitness account said the 14-seater Obalende-bound bus was coming from Ketu.

Its tyre exploded near the University of Lagos axis of the bridge and it summersaulted several times.

Two passengers reportedly fell off the bus and plunged into the lagoon, while others who are injured were taking to hospital.

As at press time, the corpse of a man in his 40s had been recovered by local divers while the search for the second body was ongoing.

The bus was towed to the Olowu, Lagos Island office of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA.

A combined team of policemen and LASTMA officials were at the scene of the accident to ensure free flow of traffic after clearing the initial gridlock caused by the accident.
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Thieves Burgle ATM Facility

An Automatic Teller Machine, ATM, located at an eatery at Idimu Road, Egbeda, Lagos, South West Nigeria has been burgled by thieves.

The thieves reportedly went to the place at night and dismantled the facility and carted away all the money stashed in the machine.

They gained entrance into the place without the knowledge of the security men guarding the place.

Workers discovered that the eatery had been burgled when they resumed work in the morning.

The matter was reported at Idimu police station where the police were said to have commenced full investigation on the incident.

Workers in the eatery confirmed the incident and said that they got to know about the incident just like other persons.

Efforts to speak with the owner of the eatery proved abortive because the workers said he was not around.

At the police station, the DPO was also not available but police sources confirmed the incident, saying that investigation has commenced. However, no arrest has been made.
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Robbery Suspect Electrocuted

A member of a four-man gang of suspected robbers identified as Ibrahim who broke into a house at Oniru Estate area of Victoria Island, Lagos has been electrocuted.

The suspect, it was gathered, got electrocuted while trying to escape arrest by the police who came to the area after a distress call.

The incident happened on Boxing Day, at Land Bridge Avenue, Oniru Estate, Maroko, Victoria Island, Lagos, South West Nigeria.

A resident of the estate that the four-man gang came to the street around 2 a.m. and jumped into one of the buildings to rob, but unknown to them, a neighbour opposite the building saw them.

Investigations revealed that while the suspects were making frantic efforts to enter the building whose owner had travelled for the yuletide, the neighbour called the police and a patrol team swiftly arrived the scene.

On sighting the police, three of the suspects jumped in to the adjoining compound and escaped, while the fourth, Ibrahim, who was already on top of the balcony of the duplex could not escape.

In an attempt to escape, he mistakenly cut a live wire beside the building and was electrocuted.

The incident threw residents into confussion.

With the help of policemen, the residents invited officials of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN to put off electricity supply to the area to prevent fire outbreak, as smoke was coming out of the body of the suspect.

The PHCN officials arrived the scene and put off the light before removing the corpse of the suspect to the nearest police station from where it was taken to the Isolo General Hospital.

Items recovered from him include a knife and a torchlight.

The Maroko Police Division to see the Divisional Police Officer for comment on the incident, he was said to have gone out, but a police source confirmed it.

Federal Road Safety Commission

FRSC advocates return of rail system to reduce pressure on roads.

The Federal Road Safety Commission, on Wednesday urged the government to bring back rail system to reduce pressure on Nigerian roads.

Zonal Commander, RS2, Danjuma Garba said the freight that ten trailers would carry could be lifted at once by a locomotive.

Garba said If ten trailers are off our roads daily, risks will be managed, the roads will be saved from wear and tear and we will have less vehicles to control.

However, Lagos Railway District Manager of the Nigeria Railways, John Dottie said that freight services had resumed on Dec. 23.

Dottie said the first consignment of 300 tons of cement was lifted from Ewekoro to Agege and Ijoko cement depots.

According to him, the 300 tons of cement lifted by the train is equivalent to what more than 10 trailers can transport.

He said the lifting of the consignment would be on daily basis except on Sundays when the trains would go for maintenance.

He said that a new locomotive engine has been dedicated to the freight services.
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FRSC warns motorists against over speeding.

The FRSC on Wednesday warned drivers and road users not to capitalise on the light traffic in major cities because of the festive period to violate speed limit.

Corps Public Education Officer of the commission, Charles Akpabio who gave the warning in Abuja said reports from the corps monitoring teams in some major road corridors in the country showed that major cities recorded light traffic during the Christmas celebration.

He listed the cities as Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Oyo, Kaduna , Edo, Anambra and the FCT.

NYSC member arraigned for allegedly abandoning 14-day-old baby.

A 25-year-old NYSC member, Bere Basiri, was on Wednesday arraigned before an Abeokuta Chief Magistrate's Court for allegedly abandoning her 14-day-old baby.

Police Prosecutor, Paul Etusi, had told the court that the the accused person, who is doing her primary assignment with the Osun Government, delivered the baby in Abeokuta.

Etusi said that Basiri abandoned the child with one Funmilayo Fakorede on Dec. 16, in Asero Estate Area of Abeokuta.

He said Fakorede in turn gave the baby to one Sarah Adenle, who also gave the baby to another person identified as Modupe Aduke.

Etusi told the court that Basiri exposed the child to grievous harm and danger and that the matter was reported to the police by some good spirited individuals.

He said the police arrested Basiri through intelligence means and that the father of the child was identified as one Victor Kalu, a business man in Osogbo.

Etusi further accused Funmilayo Fakorede, 30, Sarah Adele, 25 and Modupe Aduke, 45 of conspiring to steal the child, adding that they knew that Basiri would not come back for the child.

He said They collected the child for dubious reasons.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Their counsel, Adekunle Ogungbemi, thereafter applied for bail on behalf of his clients.

Chief Magistrate, Kolawole Peters, granted them bail at N200,000 each and two sureties each in like sum.

He said the sureties must have visible means of livelihood and should reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He, thereafter, adjourned the case to March 26, 2011 for further hearing.

Few accidents this Christmas.

The Federal Road Safety Commission has recorded low accident rate during the yuletide period.

Kayode Olagunju, who is the Commander in charge of Okene-Lokoja-Abaji and Abuja for the Christmas and New Year period, said this in Abuja, but did not give any figures to buttress his claim.

He added that the commission has recorded some crashes on the road, but, as said earlier by the Corp Marshal few days ago, we are not where we wanted to be but the rate is lower than what it was last year.

Today, the road is better than it was three days ago, traffic was very heavy because a lot of people delayed their movement till Christmas Day.

He also said the major problem the commission had on the road was that of some senior government officials who have the privilege of using siren, disrupted the traffic arrangement on ground.

They put on their siren and their convoy disorganise the traffic control arrangement and when they move many other road users followed them.

The late Bola Ige, SAN

Where are Ige’s killers?

NINE years after, the killers of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige (SAN), are still at large.

PERHAPS, the greatest tribute to his memory is that a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor is no more calling the shots from the Bola Ige House, Osogbo, capital of Osun State.

The Government House, built by his associate and former Governor Bisi Akande, was named after him when it was completed.

Observers agreed that, since 2003, the exalted seat was desecrated by the symbol of the conservative bloc, who gained access to the throne, following the political earthquake that shook the Southwest, almost eight years ago.

For this to happen, James Ajibola Ige, prominent lawyer, former Oyo State governor and Leader of Alliance for Democracy (AD), which held sway in the geo-political zone, was removed from the scene.

Since his cap was removed at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, by hoodlums allegedly sponsored by political foes, his days were numbered.

The Cicero’s life was on the line. According to his family, he had planned to resign from Obasanjo’s government to enable him strengthen AD in preparation for the 2003 polls.

When the election day arrived, he was already out of circulation.

There were cries and wailings in Esa-Oke, his home town. Grief enveloped Yorubaland following the demise of the most colourful politician in post-Awolowo era.

The pain of the December 23, 2001 gruesome murder continues to linger. Even today, the scars have not faded.

It also remains a puzzle that justice has also eluded the justice Minister and Afenifere deputy Political Leader, for his killers still walk as free men on the street.

Memories of the life and times of the fearless politician, who was nicknamed ‘Arole Awolowo, were recalled with fondness at the weekend in his native town.

Ige’s Esa-Oke’s residence, Solemilia Court, hosted the faithful disciples of the fallen hero who came to pay tribute.

They were not in the Ijesa territory to mourn, but to tell the world that he did not die in vain.

The chief host was Akande, his deputy in the Second Republic who now leads the Action Congress of Nigeria , the party that produced Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The large presence of loyalists was a soothing balm for Ige’s children, Funso Adegbola and Muyiwa, an architect, who reckoned that their beloved father lived in the hearts of many admirers.

The governor led the remembrance prayers at the tomb of the deceased, singing the familiar mobilisation song: “There is victory for us. In the struggle for Africa, there is victory for us”, which was chorused by all.

The tomb of the polyglot is another tourist centre. It is decorated with marble tiles on which the Latin quotation was inscribed.

Paying tribute, Aregbesola said: ”Uncle Bola Ige may no longer be physically present here with us, his spirit is alive. His ideas are living. Uncle has proved to us that even in death, there is victory.”

He added: “There is victory in death and that victory is scored when an individual devotes his life to the development and advancement of his people, his community, his country.

Whenever he drops dead, the world will always remember him. That means he is victorious even in death”.
Aregbesola recalled the some of the battles fought by Ige, describing him as a believer in the advancement of the Yoruba.

“The victory is even now being rekindled by virtue of the fact that such legacies are being re-enacted with the proposition by the governments of Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states that are now coming together to achieve success in the execution of projects like the Great Western Rail System”, he said.

Ige’s grace and magnetism have endured. Even, in death, he has continued to dwarf his rivals within the Afenifere and bitter opponents in the conservative fold.

Like his leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Ige shone with brilliance, boldness, sagacity and self-confidence.

He was a successful lawyer, political author, orator and effective campaigner.

But he is missed in the now dull political theatre as an espouser of ideas germane to nation-building, national rebirth and revatalisation.

He was a great debater, with a head full of facts and figures. His knowledge of political history, sheer wit, bravery and devotion to principle stood him out from the crowd.

Ige studied Classics at the University of Ibadan, where he became an Awoist, and later, Law, at the University of London.

He learned politics at the feet of Awolowo, his mentor and role model, who detected and built the qualities in the promising disciples.

In the 60s, he handled two assignments successfully, to Awo’s pleasure. As the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Group (AG), Ige was an able propagandist, like Sam Ikoku, who gave Akintola a tough time in the old Western Region.

When tribulation arose, he was one of the counsel mobilised by his leader to defend the hapless leaders of Joseph’s Tarka’s United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) hounded into detention by the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC).

After the second military coup, Awo had recommended Ige for a ministerial position in Gowon Administration.

Although he could not make the list, he was appointed commissioner by the Military Governor of Western State, Major-Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo. In I977, he became a member of the Constitution Review Committee set by the Military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, to produce the 1979 Constitution.

In 1979, he contested against his former Vice-Principal, Ven. Emmanuel Alayande, for the governorship of Oyo State and won.

He defeated his colleague at the bar, Richard Akinjide, at the general election and was sworn in as governor on October 1, 1979.

He fought many battles. He won many, he lost some. At the Yola Congress of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1982, he escaped the hammer of expulsion dangling on his head.

His offence was that he allegedly hobnobbed with Gen. Obasanjo, who was perceived as an enemy of the party.

Then, Obasanjo had offered to broker peace between Ige and his deputy, the late Chief Sunday Afolabi.

Ige lost the governorship to Dr Omololu Olunloyo of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1983 in a controversial manner.

He was detained and later jailed by Buhari/Idiagbon Regime for allegedly enriching his party. But, following a review of his appeal the Akinola Aguda panel set him free.

Throughout the Babangida years, Ige abstained from the porous and prolonged transition programme based on Awo’s counsel to his followers to wine with the devil with a long spoon.

When the Military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, teleguided five political parties to endorse him for the Presidency, Ige dismissed them as five fingers of a leprous hand.Toward the end, he joined the June 12 struggle.

In 1998, Ige, a member of G 34, was reputed to have written the constitution of the PDP and later All Peoples Party (APP). Both however, failed to meet his expectation because of invasion by Abacha politicians.

The AD was hurriedly formed by Ige and his colleagues after the closing date for party registration. The party won sin the ix Southwest states.

However, post-primary crisis marred its presidential shadow poll at D’Rovans Hotel, Ibadan. Ige, as aspirant, lost to Chief Olu Falae. When he was informed abroad, he described it as the second fall of man.

Apparently to spite his colleagues who preferred Falae to him, he joined Obasanjo Government as a minister.

He did not return alive. After his demise, a protracted leadership succession crisis broke out between his two lieutenants-Akande and Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa.

The party did not survive the internal crisis.

In post-Ige years, PDP overran the progressives in the Southwest. Many attributed the ride to his absence.

He left behind political orphans and associates scattered across both progressive and conservative platforms. But his ideas survived him.

Ige was at the forefront of the search for a truly united Nigeria, although he was branded as a Yoruba irredentist.

Justifying the clamour for true federalism, he had said that a system of centralised administration was inimical to the health of a diverse and plural society amalgamated by foreigners who did not seek the opinion of the natives in the forced union.

Ige supported the call for national debate on the future of the country. “Do we want to cohabit as members of the same country?”, he once threw the question at a public lecture.

If yes, the next question is how,” he also asked. Answer to the better question could resolve the national question tearing the country apart.

His death was sudden; unbefitting of an old man. That the killers have not been found attested to the illusion of justice in the country.

“If they say they don’t know the killers, they are deceiving Nigerians’, lamented Wale Oshun, Third Republic House of Representatives Chief Whip, who added: “No murderer is ever found in Nigeria”.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Jonathan condemns involvement of traditional rulers in communal crises .

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday, condemned alleged involvement of traditional rulers in communal crises in the country which had resulted in the killings of a sizeable number of people, including the youth.

The traditional stool, according to him, was sacred, and the tradition bestowed on the rulers to live an exemplary lives worthy of emulation by the youths.

Making this known at the formal coronation ceremony of the paramount ruler, Obanema of Otuoke, King Lot Justin Ogiasa and his deputies, Paul Engoye and Moses Otazi, the president stated that traditional rulers had roles to play in the building of egalitarian society, most especially in maintaining peace and order in their respectives communities.

Even though the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, did not spell out the role of the traditional rulers, the President disclosed that a bill to this effect would be forwarded to the National Assembly before the end of the first quarter in 2011.

Condemning the act of administering the subjects from outside their domain President Jonathan urged the traditional rulers and chiefs to always reside in their domains, rather than living in diaspora to enable them to know the problems in their areas and nip them in the bud.

The President said that traditional rulers should learn to make sacrifice to enable peace and development reign in their communities, rather than razing down of buildings and killing people.

On the newly crowned King of Otuoke, Jonathan said Ogiasa deserved to be made the paramount ruler of the community because he was a selfless and transparent leader he had known from his undergraduate days in the University of Port Harcourt.

According to him,as a citizen of this small village, I was born and raised here.I thank all of you for finding time to grace the occasion.

POLICE CHIEF

Police kill 2 armed robbers in Ibadan •Arrest 5 over kidnap of Saudi-based doctor’s wife.

Two suspected members of a six-man robbery gang were, on Sunday, killed by the police and security men attached to a petrol station they had gone to rob in Ibadan.

The armed gang arrived Lawibee Petrol Station at Gbekuba area of Apata, around 6.30 p.m. and asked for the manager of the petrol station.

A security man attached to the company reportedly shot one of them, killing him instantly.

Responding to a distress call, a patrol team from Apata police station went to the scene of the robbery, just as one of the armed robbers shot indiscriminately in an attempt to escape.

In the process, two men fell victim to his shots and died while a woman sustained gunshot wounds on her hand.

The fleeing armed robber was eventually brought down, and others were reported to have abandoned the Toyota Camry car they brought for the operation.

The armed gang had snatched the 2003 model of the Toyota Camry car, with registration number GH 416 ABC, at Odejayi area of Old Ife Road.

Earlier, they had reportedly proceeded to Obokun area of Eleyele and robbed at a petrol station, shooting a man before entering a block of flats beside it. The man reportedly died later in the hospital.

Items such as laptop computers, handsets, Jewellery and cash were collected from the victims while they also raped one of the occupants of the house who was on a visit, before leaving for Gbekuba area, where two of them were killed.

The robbers also snatched a Mercedes Benz 200, with registration number AV431GWA, to use as a get-away car as they tried to escape from Gbekuba area, shooting sporadically into the air to scare people away.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command has arrested five persons, including a lady, over the kidnap of the 65-year-old wife of Saudi Arabia-based medical doctor, Mrs Juliana Ogunleye.

The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Adeniran Aremu, who confirmed the arrest, said two of the suspects were reportedly picked up at different locations in Akure, while others were arrested following the confession of the two earlier arrested.

Aremu did not offer further comment so as not to jeopardise ongoing investigations into the crime.

He said the culprits would be brought to book and that those still at large would soon be arrested by the detectives working on the kidnap.

Ogunleye was kidnapped at her house at Oluwatuyi area of Akure last month and was held captive by her abductors for 16 days before she was left off the hook.

The development led to a strike action by medical doctors in the state who protested against the kidnap of the wife of one of them.

When she was released, the abductors called the family members early in the morning to go and pick their mother on Ado-Ekiti Expressway in Akure.

Special Task Force

We foiled fresh plot to bomb Jos, says STF. A FRESH attempt to bomb Jos has been foiled, the Special Task Force in the state said Monday.

Normalcy has also started returning to the tin city after three days of mayhem that followed Friday’s explosions.

Although Monday was a public holiday, people were seen going about their normal business. This follows the reinforcement of security by the Federal Government.

The STF also Monday handed over the three suspects arrested to the Police.

STF spokesman Captain Charles Ekocha said Two of the suspects, Yusuf Sabiu and Samaila Garga, were arrested at Dogon-Karfe area of Jos city while trying to ignite a dynamite to bomb the area.

The third suspect, who claimed to be from Niger Republic, was also arrested at Dogon-Karfe with a knife and a dagger. Other items found on him were seven unexpended life cartridges, two raps of Indian hemp, dynamite powder, N850.00 and a Nokia handset

On the fresh attacks being planned, Captain Ekocha said, We also encountered some other people who were assembling explosive devices at Nasarawa area near St. Micheal. They fled on sighting our men and we could not arrest them.”

The spokesman said The substances we saw them assembling are materials used to make explosives. if our men did not come across them, they would have used them to make another explosive,” he said.

The STF spokesman appealed to the public to “help us with valuable information that will lead us to arrest those causing mayhem in this state. The people doing these things are living among the people. If they are not ready to expose them, how then can we succeed in restoring the peace?”

The Civil Liberties Organisation accused politicians in Plateau State of displaying “a high sense of insensitivity to the plight” of the people by not doing enough to address their problems.

In a statement in Jos by its Executive Director Steve Aluko on the CLO described the blasts as “the act of terror perpetuated in a systematic way to provoke another round of killings.”

The Ulama Elders Council has also condemned in strong terms the blasts. It criticised indiscriminate shootings and killings of innocent citizens, saying the atrocities were not restricted to Christian-dominated areas because shooting and maiming also occurred at Amingo junction which is Muslim-dominated.

In the statement signed by Sheikh Balarabe Dawud, Chief Imam of Jos (Chairman) and Mohammed Lawal Ishaq, Secretary, the Ulamas decried the continued proliferation of illegal arms in Plateau State and the lack of adequate response from the appropriate quarters.

The Ulamas called for drastic measures to address the security challenges in Jos.

Gyang Dantong representing Plateau North described the explosions “as barbaric and satanic.

He expressed regret that the explosions occurred at a time the peace efforts of the Federal Government and other stakeholders had started yielding results in the state.