The Lagos State Taskforce led by its Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, on Sunday, cleared the railway’s corridor on the Agege axis of the Metropolis during one of its planned exercises designed to restore sanity along the railway corridors of the State.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Director, of Press & Public Affairs, Lagos State Taskforce, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem.

Jejeloye revealed that the exercise was intended to deter some people from conducting business on the rail tracks and to stop them from putting obstacles in the way of trains’ efficient operation.He said

“The activities of these traders are defacing the outlook of the rail tracks by setting up these slums and makeshift buildings here, but we will make sure that we leave no form of environmental crime unchecked.

“We have made an irreversible decision to carry out operations and remain here to discourage them from returning. This singular operation is just the tip of the iceberg but the major activities are coming up in the coming weeks.”

Two siblings identified as Rakib and Mujib Atolagbe have been confirmed dead after the fence of a neighboring building collapsed on their house at Alao Street, Isawo, in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, July 22.

The fence gave way during the heavy downpour that happened in the state.

The bodies of the two siblings aged 9 and 7, were recovered after hours of being trapped in debris amidst rescue efforts by residents of the area.

The spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident in a statement released.

A 37-year-old man, Chiemela Victor Ekeke, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Magistrate’s Court in Umuahia, Abia State, for the s*xual assault of a 4-year-old girl. 

The incident happened at Eze Ogbulafor Street in Umuahia, Abia State on Friday, July 7, 2023. 

Ekeke, who is a labourer and farmer from Ndioru in Ikwuano Local Government Area of the state, confessed to being HIV-positive but claimed that his doctor had “flushed” away his viral load.

Delivering her ruling on the matter, the Presiding Magistrate, N. Lekwa, said that the court in the last sitting found Ekeke guilty of child defilement.

The prosecution commended the court’s decision as consistent with the law concerning child defilement. 

Prior to the life sentence, Ekeke had been discharged on a count of conspiracy, while a second defendant was acquitted due to insufficient evidence linking him to the crime. 

Ekeke admitted to having carnal knowledge of the minor but pleaded for leniency.

According to reports, Ekeke reportedly snuck into the home of the girl’s parents after the mother had gone out to get some commodities.

He took the little girl into one room in the building, where he defiled her and inflicted injuries on her private parts.

A neighbour who saw him enter the house promptly identified him, leading to his arrest.

During interrogation by the crowd, the suspect denied defiling the little girl but claimed that “I only carried her in my laps and touched her in the genitals.”

He further claimed that he came to repay the N3,000 debt he owed someone in the yard.

Ekeke, who blamed the devil for his evil act, was later handed over to the Police for investigation and prosecution

The Society for Family Health (SFH) has renewed its commitment to chart a path that will end AIDS.

The NGO said the path would help to prepare for and tackle future pandemics and advance progress toward achieving the 2030 global goals.

The deputy managing director, service delivery, Kene Eruchaluade, stressed the commitment in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

According to him, the renewed commitment follows the presentation of the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) annual state of the epidemic report titled “the path that ends AIDS”.

Mr Eruchalu said that the report charted a path that could end AIDS, document important progress, though challenges remained.

“Therefore, this calls for immediate action to put the world on course to reach critical 2030 targets.

“We at SFH are renewing our commitments and strategic priorities to continue to prioritise and reach women and key populations.”

Mr Eruchalu said that women and girls were not being reached sufficiently.

He added that the report showed that “every week 4,000 adolescent girls and young women are infected with HIV and the majority are in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa due to gaps in HIV prevention programmes and gender inequalities.

“According to the new report, the path to ending AIDS is clear but requires political and financial commitment.

“An estimated 39 million people were living with HIV around the world in 2022, yet world leaders could end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

He said addressing those gaps was crucial to ending AIDS and would also require international solidarity between rich and poor countries.

He also said that it was time for countries, including Nigeria, to renew their commitment by translating their promise into action.

“Local ownership, domestic resources mobilisation and integration, which are anchored in strong political leadership and communities, are essential.

“We are calling for renewed action and commitment from government and partners to continue the path that ensures sustainability, with focus on children and key populations and investing in a sustainable response through financing what matters most.”

Mr Eruchalu said that SFH, with support from multiple partners, had been working together to eliminate all HIV-related stigma and discrimination by providing safe space and promotion of non-discriminatory laws for key populations.

He added that recently, the harm reduction services guidelines and SOP were recently inaugurated in Nigeria, with SFH providing high-level technical support towards its actualisation.

This includes supporting research and study tours towards better understanding of how it can be rolled out.

The organisation is also providing continuous support in meaningful engagement for young people in and out of schools, education and curriculum development and voluntary HIV testing to empower community networks.

“We have also rolled out interventions around Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) for pregnant women and children.”

This reaches thousands to uphold the power of adolescent girls and young women to make autonomous decisions about their own bodies and challenge discriminatory norms that prevent access.

“We work to continually build the capacity of community-based organisations, lower cadre health workers and networks, to enable sustainable HIV programming at community level,” he said.

Mr Eruchalu added that SFH was now working with the National Health Insurance Authority, National Agency for the Control of AIDS and other sub-national governments to put people and communities first in their policy priority and programmes in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

This, he said, promoted the integration of HIV care in Nigeria’s health systems, leadership and governance, and gender equality for better overall health.

Police in Ogun on Saturday confirmed the death of six friends after taking alcohol in their friends house in Ogbogbo, Ijebu North-East Local Government Area of the state.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, at a drinking joint where the seven friends reportedly gathered to have a nice time.

The source said that the deceased and the suspect had a serious altercation at the joint but later resolved their matter.

It was further learnt that the suspect offered to donate a bottle of drink to affirm their reconciliation.

According to a source, all those that had the drink died, except the seventh person that allegedly served the drink from his home.

He was said not to have partook of it.

The source said that some hours after they had dispersed, news filtered into the town that two of them had died, while four others were hospitalised.

It also said that the four died the following day.The suspect was reported to have fled the area in the wake of the incident.

The command’s public relations officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident.

She said, “I just confirmed that something like that occurred but the families said they were not pressing charges and prefer to bury their dead.”

The Kano State government has ordered the immediate suspension of three principals of public secondary schools for dereliction of duty.

The government, however, rewarded another for diligence to work.

The state Commissioner for Education, Umar Doguwa, gave the order, according to a statement by the state Ministry of Education spokesperson, Ameen Yassar, in Kano on Friday.

The schools affected are G.G.S.S. Dawanau, G.G.S.S. Kwa and G.A.S.S. Dawanau, all in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area.

Mr Doguwa directed that the principal of Government Girls’ Secondary School Harbau, in Tsanyawa Local Government Area, be rewarded for her diligence.

The commissioner announced this shortly after visiting the schools between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Friday, where he found out that the affected principals had yet to report to their duty posts.

He said all three principals have routinely absconded from work on Fridays for quite some time.

“This administration will not condone truancy, lateness or any form of official misconduct, therefore, these principals are suspended forthwith,” he said.

The commissioner directed that new and competent principals be posted to the three affected schools immediately to ensure that academic activities were not disrupted.

Mr Doguwa also directed that four teachers at G.G.S.S. Kwa and two at G.A.S.S. Dawanau be queried for truancy.

“The action of these principals and teachers depicts unseriousness.

“We are a serious government, and we will not allow uncommitted people to ruin our plans for education,” he warned.

The Ondo government has procured eight firefighting trucks to combat the incessant fire outbreaks destroying properties worth millions of naira.

Richard Olatunde, the spokesman for Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, confirmed this in a statement.

He said the state government procured the “state-of-the-art” firefighting equipment as part of its commitment to enhancing the fire service’s capabilities in handling emergencies.

The delivery of the fire trucks on Friday came five months after exposure of Ondo State Fire Service – with the firefighters lamenting the lack of trucks to attend to emergencies in the state.

In its findings in February 2023, The Gazette observed the shortage of fire fighting trucks at the offices of the fire services across the state, even as staff in the fire department decried poor remuneration and pay.

However, Mr Olatunde noted that the chairman of the state’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ade Adetimehin, received the fire trucks on behalf of the governor at the government house in Akure.

He explained that each newly acquired modern firefighting truck has a two-row cabin with air conditioning, a WD615.69, 336HP, Euro II engine, and an HW19710 transmission with 10 forward gears and two reverse gears.

“The trucks also feature an HF7 front axle with a capacity of 17,000kg, drum type, and an ST16 rear axle with 216,000kg, drum type. They are fitted with 315/80R22.5 tubeless tires, 11 in total, including a spare tire and a 400L fuel tank.

“Furthermore, the fire tankers possess impressive 10,000-liter water and 2,000-liter foam capacities, accompanied by state-of-the-art equipment to tackle fires effectively and efficiently,” Mr Olatunde added in the excerpt of his statement on Saturday.

He, however, added that fire trucks would be deployed across the three senatorial districts of Ondo to ensure efficient coverage.

The Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Garbai, has called for sustained daily prayers for divine intervention over the shortage of rainfall in parts of the state.

Special prayers for rain were offered on Sunday and Monday across the state.In a statement on Thursday from Mr Garbai, he directed all Imams to offer special prayers/supplication for Allah’s intervention on Friday.

The statement was signed by the secretary of Borno Emirates Council, Zanna Kazalma.

He also urged all mosques where five daily congregational prayers are being observed to also pray for rain.

The Shehu also directed all district and village heads across the state towards mobilising the Muslim Umma in thier respective domains to reach out to the needy, orphans, disabled, e.t.c.

He advised all parents to counsel thier wards to desist from immoral behaviours, misconduct, social vices, drug abuse as well as urged all traders and business operators to fear Allah in conducting thier lawful businesses.

Anight fire has destroyed some shops at Kasuwar Rimi Market in Kano, firefighters said on Thursday.

Saminu Abdullahi, spokesman of Kano State Fire Service, said 10 shops were destroyed in the fire, which occurred at about 8.40 p.m. on Wednesday.

“We received a distress call from one Magaji Umar that there was fire outbreak at the market where they sell mattresses, beds and carpentry materials.

“On receiving the information, we quickly sent some of our personnel and fire fighting vehicles to the scene at about 8.49 p.m. to quench the fire so as not to affect other shops,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi added that six permanent and four temporary shops were completely razed, while one public convenience was slightly burnt.

He said that the fire was caused by electric spark from an improvised structure, adding that the incident was under investigation.

The spokesperson, however, said there were no injuries or death and advised traders to always double-check and ensure they switch off all electrical appliances and disconnect from source before leaving the market.

The Nigeria Army has intercepted a truck transporting about 16,000 litres of adulterated diesel for sale to unsuspecting users in Port Harcourt and environs.

The illegally refined diesel was stored inside 80 drums and worth over N14 million at street value.

Brig.-Gen. Eddie Effiong, commander of 6 Division Garrison, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, spoke while presenting the seized truck and petroleum product to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

He said the truck was arrested on Sunday along Okporowo Road in Ahoada East Local Government by army troops at a security checkpoint in the area.

“This arrest reveals another dimension of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta, devised by oil thieves to deceive unsuspecting security personnel on routine duty.

“Normally, illegally refined products are conveyed in tanker trucks but this seizure shows that they are now transporting illicit products via container trucks meant for goods.

“Ordinarily, if this adulterated diesel was in a tanker truck, it would have been easily detected. This shows the extent to which people can go to commit crime.He said the fake diesel was packaged in such a manner that would easily deceive personnel at security checkpoints to think the truck was conveying goods or frozen foods.

“But our troops acting on credible information, laid an ambush for the truck, and on opening it, they found 80 carefully arranged drums laden with illegally refined diesel.

“We want them (oil thieves) to understand that as they are devising new methods that we equally devise our own means to catch them.

“Henceforth, if drivers of trucks are stopped on the road for searching, they shouldn’t get angry because everything now can be used to convey illegally refined petroleum products,” he added.

Mr Effiong, who is also the commander of Sector 3, Operation Delta Safe Military Joint Task Force, said no arrest was made at the scene of the seizure.

According to him, the occupants of the truck abandoned their vehicle and escaped into the nearby bush on sighting the army checkpoint up ahead of them.

The police have arraigned one Michael Ucheonye, 43, for allegedly obtaining N3.08 million from a complainant by fraud.

Mr Ucheonye is standing trial on conspiracy, fraud and stealing before Magistrate D.S Odukoya in Ojo Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.The prosecutor, Insp. Esther Adesulu, said that the defendant committed the offence with others, now at large, in October 2022.

He alleged that the defendant fraudulently obtained N3.08 million from a complainant, one Blessing Onwudiwe, pretending that he would supply her some scrap irons.

“The representation was false as the defendant disappeared with the money and never supplied the items to the complainant,” Ms Adesulu said.

Ms Adesulu said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 287, 314 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Ms Odukoya granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She also adjourned the case until Aug. 8 for trial.

The federal government and the United Nations have called for a holistic approach to achieving a sustainable food chain in Nigeria.

The call was made at the pre-food systems stock-taking moments media engagement on Wednesday in Abuja.

The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) jointly organised the event.

The ministry’s permanent secretary, Nebeolisa Anako, said a food system entailed complex networks that include input and output of food production processes and consumption.

“The food system problem has been on transportation of food from the farm, getting the seedlings to plant, to the time we plant. Down to the table to managing the waste; our effort is to reduce hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition,” the official noted.

He added,

“We want to drastically reduce food importation and promote sustainable food trade as a country, and we are getting there. This is a project that concerns all of us.”

Ernest Umakhihe, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the call became important for African stakeholders to ensure food security.

Mr Umakhihe said, “As we are all aware, our country is facing a severe crisis in line with the recent declaration on the state of emergency on food security and water by President Bola Tinubu. The declaration demands our utmost intention and collective efforts to address the perceived challenges and explore the prospects of sustainable food security in Nigeria.”

UNIC director Ronald Kayanja commended Nigeria’s efforts toward ensuring food security and stressed that “everybody in Nigeria needs to mobilise to ensure food security after the president’s declaration of emergency in the food sector.”

Mr Kayanja added, “The progress and success in Nigeria are immeasurable on what can be done, but there are challenges that must be tackled, irrespective of the land size.”

The Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) has expelled seven students and suspended six others for various offences, including examination malpractice and gross misconduct.

This is contained in a statement by the information officer of the university, Umar Usman, in Gusau on Wednesday.

“The management of Federal University Gusau, Zamfara, had during its 82nd meeting considered the report and recommendations forwarded to it by the students’ disciplinary committee.

“The committee recommended the expulsion of seven students and the rustication of six others for various gross misconducts,” Mr Musa said.

According to him, the investigation into the offences proved the students’ wrongdoing contravened the institution’s rules.

“The expulsion and rustication were conveyed to the affected students by the Acting Academic Secretary of the University, Mu’awiyya Bello, on behalf of the Registrar, Yakubu Anivbassa,” he said.

According to Mr Musa, the students were punished for different offences/misconducts ranging from burglary and stealing to assault, the circulation of unverified information via social media, and examination malpractices.

The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Nasarawa state has arrested two suspects with 1,608kg of substance suspected to be cannabis sativa.

NDLEA commander in the state, Peter Onche-Odaudu, made the disclosure while speaking to newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia.

He said that the suspects, aged 29 and 30, respectively, were arrested by operatives of the agency in Akwanga at about 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Mr Onche-Odaudu said that the suspects, who were travelling from Edo in an unregistered Peugeot J5 vehicle, had stopped after sighting NDLEA operatives from a distance.

“They opened the bonnet and abandoned the vehicle, leaving the impression that it had broken down.

“Our operatives monitored them all through the night until the two suspects returned in the morning to take the vehicle away,” he said.

The commander stated that bags of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa were concealed under the piles of pineapples also loaded in the vehicle.

“They loaded pineapples in order to beat law enforcement agencies and to mask the strong odour from the weed,” he said.

Mr Onche-Odaudu said that investigation was ongoing on the matter and that manhunt had been intensified to arrest other accomplices.

The commander restated the commitment of the agency to rid the state of illicit drug business and substance abuse.

The Kwara government has rolled out new public health advisory measures to curb the spread of anthrax.

The measure follows the federal government’s confirmation of an anthrax outbreak in a multi-specie animal farm at Gajiri, Suleja local council in Niger.

The veterinary services department in Kwara’s agriculture and rural development ministry released the new advisory on Tuesday in Ilorin to prevent the disease.

Abdullateef Olugbon, the director of veterinary services, encouraged livestock owners and other stakeholders to increase their alertness and ensure prompt reporting of suspicious illnesses and death of their animals.

He advised the public to exercise caution when buying animals from Niger and other states bordering the Republic of Benin, Chad, Niger, Ghana and Togo via waterways.

Mr Olugbon also advised butchers to avoid slaughtering animals at home and other illegal abattoirs and slaughter slabs and urged them to desist from slaughtering sick animals for public consumption and avoid selling or eating products from sick or dead animals such as skin, hides and milk.

He also urged the public, especially livestock value chain operators, to increase hygiene by washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling animals or their products.

The officials said livestock farmers and the public should report any suspected cases of anthrax symptoms, such as bleeding from body openings like the nose, eyes, anus and ears, to the nearest veterinary authorities or the state Ministry of Agriculture and its offices across the state.

The Kwara government had warned the public about the disease outbreak in some neighbouring West African countries that claimed human lives, especially on the northern Ghana border.

The Abia command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has arrested a kidnap suspect, Kingsley Ogbonna, 35.

Commandant Paul Igwebuike disclosed this during an interactive session with journalists in his office in Umuahia on Tuesday.

Mr Igwebuike declined to disclose the victim’s identity for safety reasons and said he was rescued after five days in captivity.

He said his men were on routine patrol when they received distress calls from a reliable informant.

He said the suspect, a native of Edda in Afikpo South local council of Ebonyi, was arrested by the command’s special force on July 2 for his alleged involvement in the June 29 kidnap.

The commandant said that the victim was kidnapped at the gate of his house in Aba while waiting for his gateman to open the gate for him and whisked away in his car.

He further disclosed that they demanded a N100 million ransom from his relatives. According to him, the suspects fired shots at the point of kidnap, which attracted the attention of security operatives in the area.

Mr Igwebuike said that although the hoodlums later reduced the ransom to N10 million, “our joy is that the victim was successfully released without ransom”.He said he had since been reunited with his family.

Mr Igwebuike said the suspect was already facing prosecution and would face capital punishment in line with the extant laws of the land if convicted.

The NSCDC commandant said the command seized one AK-47 rifle, one magazine, 21 rounds of live ammunition and a cutlass.

Other recovered items were seven ATM cards bearing different names and belonging to different commercial banks.

Meanwhile, the command has issued a fresh warning to those that hide under the guise of metal scrap business to vandalise, steal or sell critical national assets and infrastructure.

The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to make as one of its priorities a determination never to allow the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other education unions to embark on strike again.

Miftaudeen Thanni, immediate past Amir of MSSN in Lagos, made the call on Sunday during its Annual Conference, which was held on Sunday at the Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos.

“We are reminding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise education, youth empowerment, security of lives and property, economic and infrastructural development,” Mr Thanni noted.

According to him, investing in the education sector is not a luxury but a necessity.

“As we move into a new dispensation of ‘Renewed Hope’ in our national polity, we are urging the federal government to pay more attention and improve on the education investment. We don’t want strikes again, and this can be achieved by investing more in education,” stated Mr Thanni.

He added,

“It’s a way to invest in peace, as educated individuals are more likely to embrace dialogue, reject extremism, and work towards resolving conflicts through peaceful means.”

Niyi Yusuf, chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), stressed that as youths, the time had “come for us to stop taking the back seat in leadership positions because are still very young, some of our prophets were still very young when they started contributing to Islam.”

The chairman advised the MSS members to be united, pay serious attention to education as part of efforts to revive the good old days of Islam, referred them to read the ‘Golden Age of Islam’, which according to him, talked about when Muslims were the leaders of the world.

The University of Ilorin has alerted the public about the latest antics by scammers, using fictitious social media accounts to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

The university stated that the accounts were created in the name of the vice-chancellor, Wahab Egbewole.

The university raised the alarm in a statement signed by its spokesman Kunle Akogun.

It hinted that the scammers’ sole aim “is to con the public into parting with their hard-earned money” and that “these rogues use the fake social media platforms, like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Facebook and Messenger to make all sorts of demands from members of the public in the name of the vice-chancellor.”

The statement said, “For the avoidance of doubt, Prof Egbewole does not operate on any of those social media platforms.

Members of the public should, therefore, be wary of the antics of these unscrupulous elements and be adequately guided not to fall for their pranks.”