The Lagos State Fire Service has said it had begun legal actions against one Waheed Balogun for assaulting an officer of the agency who was on duty in the Ikotun area of Lagos State.

The Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Ololade Agboola, disclosed this in a statement made available to PUNCH on Tuesday.

Agboola stated that the suspect was arraigned before Magistrate A.A. Adesanya of a Special Offences (Mobile) Court sitting in the Oshodi area of the state.

Agboola said, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has formally taken legal action against one Waheed Balogun, aged 40, for an alleged assault on a Firefighter during official duties on Monday, October 1, 2023, at 167 Egbe Road, Cele Egbe, Ikotun, Lagos.

“Balogun contends that the Firefighters obstructed his tricycle/motorcycle park operations with their Fire truck.

Subsequently, he was apprehended by the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Task Force last Thursday and is now facing charges at the Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile) Court, Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos.”

She stated further that upon arraignment, Magistrate Adesanya granted the defendant bail to the tune of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. The case was adjourned till December 19 for further hearing.

“The presiding Magistrate A. A. Adesanya has granted Balogun bail under specific conditions, requiring the offender to pay a bail amount of 200,000 Naira with two sureties in like some meeting the following criteria: Lagos residency, public servants or clergymen, two years of tax payment receipts, LASSRA card, and National Identification Number (NIN).

The court has adjourned the hearing until the 19th day of December 2023, allowing all involved parties to perfect their matters,” Agboola said.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service restated the decision to prosecute the accused in a statement posted on its X page on Sunday.

The statement partly read, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is set to prosecute a male adult at the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Court, Safety Arena, Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos on Monday, November 20, 2023, for assaulting firefighters engaged in statutory duty.

“The incident occurred on Monday, October 1, 2023, at 167 Egbe Road, Cele Egbe, Ikotun, Lagos, where the accused allegedly attacked firefighters responding to a fire incident.

“The accused claimed the firefighters obstructed his tricycle/motorcycle park operations, leading to a confrontation.

“Following the altercation, State Task Force officials pursued and apprehended the accused last Thursday, and he is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow.”

An accident involving a Nissan bus and a commercial bus occurred at Ijaiye inward Abule-Egba in Lagos State on Tuesday morning.

This was disclosed in a post on the X handle of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on Tuesday.

The collision left the affected vehicles severely damaged.

According to LASTMA, the accident was due to brake failure, and the casualties, who sustained minor injuries, have been taken for treatment.

LASTMA wrote, “Multiple accidents occurred at Ijaiye inward Abule Egba due to brake failure. Casualties sustained minor injuries and have been taken to BISAM Hospital at Ijaye for treatment.

“The impediments are now off the road.”

The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Monday gave a double life sentence to 65-year-old Igwe Ambrose for sticking his fingers into the private parts of his tenant’s seven- and eleven-year-old children.

Justice Abiola Soladoye ruled that the prosecution had proven Ambrose’s four counts of sexual assault by penetration and indecent treatment of a child beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to Soladoye, the defendant was a filthy old man who while ostensibly offering to assist the survivors with their schoolwork, caressed their breasts and touched them indecently.

She said the defendant had been identified and that the survivor’s evidence had shown him to be an unreliable, dishonest, and unworthy liar.

“The children decided to open up to their mother, who then informed her husband; he thereafter confronted the defendant and the matter was reported to a police station.

“The police visited the scene and the defendant was invited to the police station where he denied the allegations against him.

The judge, therefore, found the defendant guilty of all four counts against him, which were brought against him in violation of Sections 135 and 261 of the Lagos State 2015 Criminal Laws.

Mrs. Olufunke Adegoke, the State Counsel, called four witnesses: the mother of the survivors, the IPO, who submitted five exhibits, and two survivors.

According to the prosecution, the defendant committed the charges at Shagari Estate in Ipaja, Lagos, between January and June of 2021.

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency has said nine bodies were recovered from a boat accident that occurred in the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.

The agency’s Head of Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhaji Salihu Garba, disclosed this in Minna on Sunday.

Recall that 10 persons were confirmed dead in a boat accident that occurred on Thursday.

The victims, mostly traders, were reportedly conveying goods from Zongoru community of bassa ward to Gijiwa, ahead of Friday market in Kuta, headquarters of Shiroro LGA, when the incident happened.

At least 34 persons were said to be on board of which 10 allegedly lost their lives, while 22 were reportedly rescued by local divers.

Garba gave the names of the deceased to include Farida Muntari, Sharhabila Sagir, Bubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, Sadiq Ibrahim and Rafiya Yakubu.

He said that the agency had yet to identify two of the deceased persons, adding that they were from Zangoro.

He further said that there were 24 males and female adults, 10 male and female children in the boat when it capsized.

Garba also said that a search operation was ongoing to recover the remaining bodies.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ibrahim Momoh, seven years after he escaped from Kuje Prison in the FCT.

Also known as Ibrahim Bendel, he was serving a prison term for drug dealing when he escaped from custody.

NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, stated on Sunday in Abuja that Mr Momoh was arrested in a raid on his hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei area of Abuja.

Mr Babafemi described Mr Momoh as a notorious major distributor of illicit substances within the FCT. He recalled that he was first arrested on November 17, 2014, with Indian hemp weighing 385.1kgs, prosecuted and convicted.

He explained that Mr Momoh was convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on July 22, 2015, but escaped from prison custody on May 16, 2016.

“Following credible intelligence reports, NDLEA operatives stormed the warehouse of fugitive Ibrahim Momoh on November 20, 2022, and recovered 81 jumbo bags of Indian hemp weighing 1,278kgs.

“The store was located within his poultry farm in the Dei-Dei area of the FCT.

“Momoh was not around at the time of the operation, but his warehouse manager, 55-year-old Ghanaian Richard Forson Gordon, was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to two years in jail,” said Mr Babafemi.

The NDLEA spokesperson said the agency arrested Mr Momoh with 56.9kg of Indian hemp and 42.7 grams of Diazepam on November 5 during a raid on his hideout at Filin Dabo, Dei-Dei. He had been declared wanted.

In another raid in the same area of the FCT on Monday, November 13, a suspect, Yusufa Ibrahim (27), was arrested with 75.3kg of Indian hemp.

Meanwhile, a massive operation at an Efon Alaye forest in Efon Local Government Area of Ekiti on November 18 led to the destruction of 52,500kg of Indian hemp planted over 21 hectares of farmland.

Mr Babafemi stated that 92 bags of Indian hemp weighing 1,380kg were recovered, while 250 bags of the same substance, weighing 3,000kg and stored in different huts on the farm, were burnt.

“Fifteen suspects, with their ages ranging between 18 and 39 years, were arrested on the farm during the operation,’’ he stated.

Oil-bearing communities in Bayelsa have bemoaned prolonged delays in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) host community fund component.

Representatives of the communities expressed dismay that since the PIA came into effect in 2021, no meaningful development projects had been carried out due to bureaucracy in setting up a governance template for the funds.

The Bayelsa oil communities expressed their position in a statement issued on Sunday in Yenagoa.

It was jointly signed by Francis Amamogiran, Chairman of the Dodo River Rural Development Association; Christopher Tuduo, the youth leader; and Theophilus Moses, a community leader.

They noted that their peaceful disposition had ensured uninterrupted oil and gas exploration and production amidst the delays and warned against taking their stance for granted.

The statement urged the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to expedite its regulatory efforts to ensure full compliance by all oil companies with the three per cent operational expenses obligation.

The communities noted that, given the opaque nature of the oil industry, the regulatory powers of a regulator were required and urged NUPRC to be a catalyst and not a cog in the wheel of progress.

They stated that the oil communities would be constrained to disrupt oil production across the state if the relevant agencies continued actions that could reduce the three per cent host communities fund or create bottlenecks under the PIA.

The communities expressed their readiness to take decisive action and escalate their efforts to address the concerns of the oil and gas communities.

They explained that their proactive engagement in pacifying the youths across various communities since the signing of the Petroleum PIA had yielded the desired results.

They stated that the stability of oil operations could be compromised if the situation deteriorates further.

They warned that improper handling of host communities’ issues could negatively affect Nigeria’s oil production and economy.

According to them, host communities are often excluded from the decision-making process, which results in using public resources to defend decisions in the media.

They noted that NUPRC’s regulatory oversight function was essential and that over-involvement in the activities of host communities was counterproductive and financially burdensome.

The Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday said its operatives arrested two suspected motorcycle robbers in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansur Hassan, said in Kaduna that the suspects were arrested on Wednesday.

Hassan said that on November 15, at about 1300hrs, acting on credible information, police operatives arrested one of the suspects in Rigachikun area of Igabi Local Government Area.

He said that after a search at the suspect’s residence, a boxer motorcycle, half bag of maize, two pairs of scissors, one sharp knife and two charms were recovered.

Hassan said that other items recovered were a green fingers bus stop RGC 36 cyclist vest all hidden in the suspect toilet.

He explained that when the suspect was questioned, he could not give any satisfactory explanation of how he got the items. Hassan said that investigation was still ongoing on the case.

Mr Hassan added that on the same date at about 1400hrs the other suspect was arrested over theft of a motorcycle.

He said the suspect was arrested by the Kaduna State Vigilance Service operatives while trying to steal a Jincheng motorcycle, at Kabeji Filling Station on Kaduna-Zaria Expressway, Igabi.

The police spokesman said that the suspect had confessed to committing the crime and would be charged to court for prosecution.

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a suspected traffic robber identified simply as Ali in the Lekki area of the state.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said on Wednesday the “notorious traffic robber, one Ali ‘m’, was arrested in the Ikate area of Lekki” while carrying out “his nefarious activities on Tuesday through the combined efforts of residents and the police.”

“Preliminary investigation so far reveals that the suspect who posed as a beggar on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, terrorised unsuspecting motorists and robbed them of their cash and valuables under the threat of violence,” Hundeyin said in a statement.

In a statement also, the Lekki Concession Company Limited disclosed how its security operatives aided the arrest of the suspect.

The head, Corporate Affairs, Communications & Marketing, LCC, Veronica Jacob, disclosed on Wednesday that the suspect’s arrest was based on an intelligence report it received.

Jacob said, “The Chief Security Officer of the LCC, Solomon Tolafari, received reports from a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army to the state governor on the nefarious activities of a man posing as a beggar who then attacks and relieves unsuspecting motorists of their valuables in the state.

“Tolofari said, ‘Based on the recent report of a man that had been terrorising road users along the Lekki corridor, I mobilised our Man ‘O War team to go after him and he was apprehended around the Ikate area on Tuesday carrying out his nefarious activities, robbing unsuspecting motorists while pretending to be begging for alms,’ the statement added.

The LCC noted that Ali was handed over to officers at the Maroko Police Station for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Concluding, the state PPRO further said, “The suspect will be arraigned contingent on the outcome of an investigation.”

The Ogun State Police command has banned the use of fireworks and explosives in the state during the Yuletide celebrations.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement in Abeokuta on Monday.

Ms Odutola said there had been complaints from residents about their inability to differentiate between gunshots and genuine fireworks.

The PPRO urged residents to respect the privacy of others.

“The state police command is inundated with reports from residents since November 1 especially in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, Ikenne and Sango Ota, over the indiscriminate use of dangerous fireworks popularly called ‘banger.’

“They said that the deafening sound of it threatens their peace of mind and triggers anxiety of residents especially amid security concerns. The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, has henceforth declared a ban on indiscriminate use of explosive fireworks in Ogun State due to residents and the community’s inability to differentiate between gunshots and genuine fireworks,” she said.

Ms Odutola added that the commissioner had issued a warning to young persons who might want to flout the directive, saying violators would be punished in accordance with extant laws.

The Ekiti State Police Command has declared a 30-year-old man, Mr Joseph Anifowose, missing.

This is contained in a statement by state police spokesperson, DSP Abutu Sunday on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti.

He said Anifowose of Lane 6, Wonder City College Ado-Ekiti, left home on November 6, at about 08:00hrs to an unknown football viewing centre and had yet to return home.

Mr Sunday said he is dark in complexion, six feet tall, speaks Yoruba and English fluently and has no tribal marks.

The command said it had commenced investigation to unravel his whereabouts.

He urged anyone with useful information concerning his current location to contact the nearest police station or call 09064050086.

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed three persons dead in another bloody cult clash in Sagamu.

After killing about 20 persons in September, the cultists resumed their supremacy battle in Sagamu on Friday, killing at least two men.

In a statement on Friday, police said they discovered three men lying lifeless in the pool of their blood.

According to a statement by the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, the Divisional Police Officer in Sagamu had during a routine weekend patrol on Sunday intercepted intelligence from a concerned citizen with a private identity.

According to the information provided, a group of six unknown men had gone to the Agbowa area “to foment trouble causing rival cult group clash.”Odutola said the DPO swiftly led a patrol team to the area.

“On arrival, they discovered three unidentified young men lying lifeless in a pool of blood, with gunshot wounds to their heads.

“The victims were immediately rushed to Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital in Sagamu, where a doctor certified them dead. Their bodies were subsequently taken to the morgue,” she said.

The police had cordoned off the scene of the crime, where eight expended cartridges, one live cartridge, and one Samsung phone were recovered.

Three individuals were said to have been arrested namely, Oluwatosin Adeniro 25; Adebayo Oluwasun 35, and Segun Ademola who is 38 years old.

She added that there is visibility of policemen in Sagamu at the moment, asking residents to carry out their daily routines without any fear or hesitation.

The Director of Servicom at the University of Calabar, Patrick Egaga, was on Sunday night abducted by gunmen at the institution’s staff quarters.

Mr Egaga, a professor at the Department of Special Education in the institution, was said to have been abducted at his residence.

The Cross River Police Command, which confirmed the abduction in an interview in Calabar on Monday, said action had been initiated to secure his release.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, said the police were working to secure his freedom even though the family did not report the incident.

The institution’s spokesperson, Effiong Eyo, also said the university learnt of the abduction on Monday morning.

The gunmen were said to have whisked the don away through the river that overlooked the university’s staff quarters.

It was gathered that they also came in through the same river that connects Calabar to Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the state.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced power disruption in some parts of Benin, Edo State capital.

Ndidi Mbah, the spokesperson for Benin Main Substation, announced this in a statement on Sunday in Benin.

Mr Mbah said the disruption was due to a plan to upgrade its Ihovbor 132/33kV Transmission Substation.

The general manager said the company would use the processes to replace a 60MVA power transformer within the substation with a 100MVA transformer.

“The exercise is scheduled to commence from Monday, November 13, 2023, to January 7, 2024.

“Consequently, there will be a minimal load supply of eight hours per day through the substation to Benin Distribution Company (BEDC) for distribution to its customers who are supplied electricity from three feeders in the Ihovbor substation.

“The upgrade will not affect bulk power supply through the University of Benin (UNIBEN) feeder.

“Areas that will experience power interruption due to the upgrade include Egba, Oluku, and Ihovbor, while UNIBEN will have its 24-hour normal power supply,” said the spokesperson.

She, however, regretted the inconveniences the upgrade would cause electricity consumers within the affected areas.

According to her, the exercise is necessary to increase the capacity of the TCN’s Ihovbor transmission substation to enable the delivery of more bulk electricity to Benin DisCo for distribution to its customers.

The Yusuf Maitama Sule University Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kano State, has condemned the alleged persistent neglect of the institution by the state government.

The ASUU branch chairman, Suraj Suleiman, and its secretary, Mansur Saeed, in a joint statement on Sunday in Kano, expressed sadness over the devastating condition of the institution.

“Consequent to the series of submissions to the state government on its members’ demands and strategic denial of its request for an audience with the visitor (Governor Abba Yusuf), the branch resolves to publicly cry out over the devastating condition of the institution.

“We are engaging the entire public, intending to inform them of a looming crisis and the wanton devastating condition of the university as a result of government neglect,” the statement said.

It said the union focused mainly on the three central issues in ASUU’s struggle, including improving the condition of service of its members, revitalising and accelerating the development of the university through sustainable funding, enhancing and protecting the university’s autonomy, and academic freedom.

“The union further calls for an urgent reconstitution of the University Governing Council’s conditions of service for its members and the immediate payment of the balance of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and the consequential adjustment arrears,” it added.

It also demanded the immediate domestication of the newly-approved consolidated universities academic salary structure, effective from January 1, and payment of arrears of N35,000 provisional wage award approved by the federal government.

The union urged the government to expedite action towards completing ongoing projects to complement the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)’s funding of academic staff training.

It urged the government to consider immediate stoppage of automatic deduction of 25 per cent from the university’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

“It is worth noting that registration fees are service fees,” it said.

According to the union, the branch also observes that funding remains one of the major challenges faced by the university since its inception, as budgetary appropriations for capital projects have never been fully released.

It, therefore, urged the state governor to improve the university funding.

The union called on the governor to, in the interest of industrial harmony, intensify efforts towards resolving the brewing issues.

The police command in Niger says it arrested a 51-year-old woman, Blessing Jeremiah, for attempting to steal a three-year-old girl, Rahanat Abubakar, in Niger and sell her to a buyer identified as Mrs Ejima.

Mrs Ejima had already paid her N530,000, police said, adding that the 51-year-old suspect stole the child from her parents in the Tudun-Natsira area of Minna.

The suspect was arrested as she was about to board a bus to transport the child to Nnewi in Anambra.

Confirming the incident on Friday, the police spokesman in Niger, Abiodun Wasiu, said the victim had been reunited with her parents.

“On October 25, 2023, at about 1930hrs, one Mrs Blessing Jeremiah, 51 years of Keteren-Gwari, Minna was seen at luxurious bus park around Maitumbi bye-pass Minna, in an attempt to board a bus to travel with a three-year-old girl suspected to have been abducted,” the police officer stated.

Mr Wasiu added, “Police operatives attached to Tudun-Wada Division were immediately drafted to the park and arrested the suspect with the girl child. During interrogation, she confessed that she took the child named Rahanat Abubakar from a compound in the Tudun-Natsira area of Minna on the same date at about 1800hrs.”

The police spokesman added, “She claimed that she intended to take the child to one Mrs Ejima at Nnewi, Anambra state, who contracted her to get a female child for her at the rate of N530,000, while a sum of N230,000 was recovered from the suspect.”

The officer added, “However, the child has been reunited with her family. The case is under investigation at SCID Minna as effort is ongoing to apprehend the said Mrs Ejima.”

Police in Edo State have arrested the husband of Mrs Toluige Olokoobi after she committed suicide.

Olokoobi was the mother to Oreofeoluwa Lawal-Babalola, the little boy whose video went viral after begging his mother with “Mummy, calm down” in 2020.

Oreofeoluwa became popular on social media platforms after a video went viral of him in tears in an attempt to confidently appeal to his mother, who scolded him.

The video inspired Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the time as he used it to send an Eid-el-Kabir message to Muslims and Lagos residents generally to maintain calm during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The boy, alongside his family, met with the governor, who hailed his courage and composure.

Three years after the incident, sad news hit social media on Tuesday that the boy’s mother had killed herself.

An X user wrote that Olokoobi committed suicide in Benin, the capital of Edo State, due to undisclosed reasons.

The X user, who said he was at the scene of the incident on Monday afternoon, added that she had refused to share her problems with anyone before committing suicide.

“The woman in the viral ‘Mummy Calm Down’ video has just committed suicide here in Benin,” he wrote.

“She refused to speak to anyone about her problems. She left three kids for her husband, including the popular Mummy Calm Down boy.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed Olokoobi’s death in a chat with BBC Pidgin.

He said that her husband had been arrested and detained for questioning.

Nwabuzor said the husband reported the matter to the police.

The police spokesperson quoted the husband to have said that “he came home from the market when he saw his wife hanging with rope on her neck”.

Nwabuzor said she was rushed to the hospital and later deposited in a mortuary after she was confirmed dead.

The leaders of the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria have called for an interactive approach and collective approach to fighting the menace of insecurity in the country.

The leader of the team, Bashir Umar, made the call when the group paid a courtesy call on the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at the Defence Headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, according to a statement by army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Tukut Gusau.Mr Umar called for a re-examination of the existing process of securing the nation, adding that peace could never be without justice.

He said the visit was to seek first-hand information on the general efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in addressing security challenges confronting the country.

According to him, these leaders actively appeal to the masses through their daily contact.

The Islamic leaders also called for teamwork and modern technology to fight insecurity.

Mr Musa expressed optimism that the security challenges facing the nation were surmountable. He said the composition of the council membership and their open-mindedness for truth showed their seriousness in addressing the scourge.

The defence chief added that armed forces had remained professional during operations, adding that there are few bad eggs among the troops, which he promises would be filtered out.

The defence chief recalled that about 75,000 members of the Boko Haram terrorists and their family members surrendered to troops during his tenure as the theatre commander in the North-East.

He added that the numbers had risen above 100,00, assuring the clerics of his readiness to partner with religious organisations to resolve security challenges.

The defence chief pledged to improve military operations while calling for innovation to arrest insecurity in Nigeria.

A loaded truck crushed a car at the Abule Egba area of Lagos State on Friday.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority shared photos from the accident on its X page.

The photos were captioned, “An accident involving a loaded truck and car occurred a few minutes ago at Ijaiye inward Abule Egba due to some impatience.

“Situation is under control even as effort is on for removal of the vehicles.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin Zonal Command, on Monday, November 6, secured the conviction and sentencing of two internet fraudsters, Tijani  Olasunkanmi and Soneye  Abiodun before Justice Adebayo Yusuf of the Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State.

They were jailed after pleading guilty to a separate charge, bordering on internet fraud,  brought against them by the commission.

This was made known on the commission’s Facebook account on Wednesday, November 8.

The defendants pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to them.In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel Isabel Adeniran prayed the court to sentence and convict the defendants accordingly.

The post read, “Justice Yusuf thereafter convicted and sentenced Olasunkanmi to six months imprisonment without an option of fine.

“He equally forfeited a Lexus RX350 Sports Utility Vehicle, iPhone 14 Promax and a MacBook laptop to the Federal Government.

“Similarly, the judge convicted and sentenced Abiodun to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N50,000.

“He also forfeited an iPhone 6+ and the sum of N220,000 to the Federal Government.

“Additionally, the convict was ordered to restitute the sum of $180 to his victim.

“The convicts began their journey to the Correctional Centre when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  Ilorin Zonal Command, arrested them for internet-related offences.

“Specifically, they impersonated foreigners and defrauded them in the process.”