Sequel to the new reforms that the State Government has adopted to sanitize the red meat value chain in the State, the State Government has unfolded what it termed the immediate, intermediate and long term strategies for immediate implementation in the State.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal disclosed this in Lagos over the weekend when he met with Presidents, Secretaries and members of the Board of Trustees of the Butchers Association in the State in order to avail them of the new reforms as well as solicited their cooperation and support for the success of the reforms in the red meat value chain.

He recalled that the main objective of the sanitization exercise in the red meat value chain are the promotion of the red meat value chain by providing wholesome and hygienically processed beef for the populace as well as boosting beef processing to international standards in order to facilitate export opportunities and foreign investment into the value chain.

“A 21st Century Lagos wants to raise the standard of slaughtering, processing and marketing of red meat in the state. The purpose is to ensure the safety and health of the populace by ensuring that only certified animals are slaughtered and wholesome beef is available in our markets. This will also boost international recognition of beef from the state thus opening up an export portal which will be a source of forex, This is what Lagos is pushing for, a conducive and hygienic environment in the red meat value chain,” the Commissioner observed.

According to the Commissioner, among the immediate strategies for implementation is the linking of approved slaughter houses and abattoirs to the markets being supplied through the EKO refrigerated meat vans adding that abattoirs supplying various markets are identified and classified using the meat vans such that butchers in such abattoirs are not only identified but linked to the market they supply with the use of a color tag/code.

He explained that henceforth butchers in the State would be issued veterinary meat hygiene certificate for health and wholesomeness after inspection of carcass by veterinary officers and certificates and colored or coded tags for their respective vendors stressing that any butchers or vendors with certificates and tags would therefore be expected to load the products into coded meat vans en route to their specified markets.

“The proposed flow of activity is to ensure that only certified carcasses leave the approved abattoir. The products are tagged and traceable to butchers/vendors and markets by use of coded EKO meat vans. This strategy will prevent street hawking of beef and sale of beef from illegal abattoirs as coded markets will be made public and the populace would be advised to only purchase from same,” he noted.

The Commissioner stressed that the issuance of the veterinary meat hygiene certificate for health and wholesomeness is compulsory and backed by Schedules 4 and 5 Cap M3 Meat Inspection Laws of Lagos State adding that no butcher or meat vendor can sell without the certificate in the State.

Lawal noted that a monitoring team comprising officials of the Ministries of Health, Environment and Water Resources, Special Duties and Inter Governmental Relations, Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas as well as the monitoring, enforcement and compliance unit of Ministry of Agriculture such as Veterinary Microbiologists and Pathologists has since been constituted in order to ensure the effective implementation of the reforms.

The Commissioner further highlighted the need for the standardization of abattoirs activities in the State such that all the approved abattoirs are not only functional, hygienic and conducive for slaughtering activities but strictly adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

“There must be continuous availability of clean water supply and there must be prompt disposal of waste from the abattoirs. Any person in possession of beef for sale without our certificate will have such products confiscated and the person prosecuted,” Lawal averred.

He added that part of the intermediates strategies are that concessionaires will be mandated to complete all necessary construction and upgrade within a specified timeline; any concessionaires that renege on terms of contract/agreement will have such contract reviewed; the upgrade of markets to comply with international standards and introduction of modern and standard butchering tables with removable tops.

“Our long term strategies will involve livestock identification and traceability system such that an animal can be traced from the cattle market to shops; the use of meat boxes instead of bags to convey beef cuts and the set up recall/return strategies if there is a problem with a particular batch of meat,” the Commissioner added.

Other according to him are the creation of a butcher’s database/log so that details of butchers in the State are captured and numbered accordingly, introduction of batching and coding system using the identity of each butcher that will allow easy tracking and tracing of abattoir activities and the establishment of functional prototype meat shops across all the divisions in the State.

Floods swept an 11-year-old boy and his rescuer, simply identified as Wasiu away at Aboru and Iyana-Ipaja in Alimosho area of Lagos on Saturday.

The duo was swept away at a canal linking Aburo and Iyana-Ipaja on Ige Road.

The News Agency of Nigeria correspondent, who visited the scene of the accident observed a huge crowd wearing sad faces due to the incident that occurred following the overflow of water from the canal.

It was gathered that two young boys sent by their parents to buy cooking gas at a gas station fell into a drainage that serves as a channel to the canal.

Three young men attempted rescuing the boys and succeeded in rescuing the older one, but one of the rescuers popularly known as Wasiu Stubborn was swept away while trying to rescue the other victim.

Speaking to NAN at the scene, Mr Solomon Agboghoroma, a Community Development Association leader in Oki Town, regretted the development, saying that the government had failed to construct a bridge to prevent such incidents.

Agboghoroma, who recounted the ordeal of landlords and residents of the area anytime it rained, said that there was the need to expand Aboru road and build a bridge at Cement Bus Stop to forestall recurrence of such tragedy.

“This rain started almost four or five days ago but the one of last night was one of the heaviest and it started around 2:15 a.m. and by 3:15 a.m., it came with full force and everywhere was flooded.

“Around 7:30 a.m. or 8:00 a.m., we learnt that an OPC member, who was a security guard in one of the gas stations here had been carried away by flood while trying to rescue two children who came to buy gas but fell into the drain.

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“The gas station had not opened because of the flood as the whole place including the canal had overflowed its banks.

“The children fell inside the gutter. This OPC boy went and rescued one but in the process of rescuing the second child, he and the boy fell into the canal and that was the end,” Agboghoroma said.

He blamed the government for the tragedy, saying that several petitions had been written to successive governments in the state from the time of former Governor Babatunde Fashola to the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

“People have been dying in situation like this here and all landlords have tried, including raising almost N4 million for dredging of the canal.

“The government knows what to do when it is ready because this canal contract was award sometime in 2011 or 2012. When we taxed ourselves, Fashola came and commended us and promised palliative measures and government takeover.

“The government should come and do the bridge as against this culvert that is here. This flat culvert cannot contain water. The government should widen this road and ensure the canal is dug for the peace and safety of residents,” he added.

Mr Suleiman Adedokun, an eyewitness and a shop owner beside the canal, told NAN that the rescuer, named “Wasiu Stubborn “, entered the drain to rescue the boy but the flood swept both of them away into the canal.

“Wasiu tried, succeeded in catching the second boy but his effort to come out of the drain proved futile as it was not easy for him due to the force of the water.

“It is the bad road and narrow culvert that caused these deaths because these two children that fell inside the drainage didn’t know it was there as water covered everywhere,” Adedokun said.

An officer of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps, who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity, said that the agency got the information around 9:00 am that flood carried away one Mr Wasiu a.k.a. Stubborn while trying to rescue two children.

He said that the LSNC had made efforts and called relevant agencies of government, who he said may arrive the scene anytime.

“We are trying to locate the parents of the children and also to contact the family of Wasiu,” the LNSC officer said.

(NAN)

A nine-year-old pupil on Wednesday narrated before an Ikeja Special Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Lagos how a 40-year-old policeman simply identified as Andy, lured her into his apartment and defiled her on numerous occasions.

The child made the revelation during the trial of Andy on one count of defilement, contrary to section 137 of the criminal law of Lagos state, 2015.

The child, who described herself as a primary five pupil of one of the schools in Lagos state, was led in evidence by Inumidun Solarin, the state prosecutor.

She said the defendant, who was her neighbour, had defiled her on various occasions and that on the last occasion, he had lured her into his apartment under the pretext of giving her N200 to buy milk for him.

The child told the court that Andy, after defiling her, had hid her under his bed when her elder sister was frantically searching for her.

“I know Brother Andy (the defendant). He is our neighbour, who lives at the backyard of our house. He is popularly known as ‘Officer’,’ she said.

“On that day, Brother Andy called me when I got back from school and sent me on an errand. He sent me to go and buy milk for him. Then he gave me N200.

“I bought the milk and when I returned, he asked me to bring it inside his room. He then said I should drop the milk on the table and sit down.

“When I sat down, he now told me to lie on the bed and remove my pant. He now put his penis in my bum bum. He put his penis at my front bum bum (she demonstrates by pointing at her vagina).

“After that, he asked me to hide under the bed when my elder sister came calling my name.

“One of our neighbours, Chioma, even entered his room to buy recharge card for him, though she didn’t see me, I saw her from under the bed.

“And because my elder sister was shouting my name and looking for me, officer told me to pretend like nothing happened and that I should pass through the backyard gate.”

The child said when she was found by her sister, she lied and said that she was at her friend’s house and that her sister had insisted that she took her to the friend’s house.

“I started begging her not to beat me, and I told her that I was inside officer’s room. My sister beat me and reported to my father who was very angry,” she said.

“When my mummy came back from the market where she sells abacha (African salad), my sister reported me again.

“This time, my mummy threatened to kill me if I don’t tell her what happened. I became afraid and told her the truth.

“Immediately, my mummy called all her brothers and they came to our house the following morning and took us to Amukoko Police Station to report.

“It was after we made a report at the station that the Police came and arrested Brother Andy.”

The witness said she was referred by authorities to the Mirabel Centre (a Sexual Assault Referral Centre) where the doctors revealed that she had been sexually abused on several occasions.

The prosecutor asked, “How many times has he done such to you (sexual intercourse)?”

“Many times. I can’t really count,” the child responded.

While being cross-examined by M.L. Ezomo, the defence counsel, the child said the reason why she did not report the abuse was because the policeman had threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

She also added: “No other person touched me except Brother Andy.”

According to the prosecution, the policeman allegedly defiled the nine-year-old child on June 6 at Amukoko area of Lagos.

Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos 2015 prescribes a life sentence for anyone found guilty of defilement.

The matter has been adjourned till October 30.

Barely two weeks after 19 girls were rescued from a baby factory in Lagos State, another set of pregnant girls have been found by policemen attached to the Isolo Police Division.

The seven victims had reportedly escaped from another baby factory in the Isolo area and were fleeing when the attention of the police was called to them, according to a report by The Punch.

It was learnt that the girls, aged between 13 and 27, had fled where they were camped after they discovered that their babies would be sold.

Stranded and lost, they loitered at Cele bus stop, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway around 1am on Wednesday.

Our correspondent learnt that the Isolo Divisional Police Officer led a team to area and took them into custody.

The pregnant girls reportedly had a two-year-old girl with them.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, who confirmed the development, said the seven girls claimed that they were tricked to Lagos.

“They said they were about 20 in the facility and they were brought from different places, including Imo, Abia and Rivers states. Five of them came from Imo State.

“They were all brought under different guises, mostly employment. Some of them were promised help.

“The 13-year-old among them said she was raped in her village and she became pregnant. When she was confused on how to handle the situation, somebody offered to help her and that was how she was brought to Lagos, not knowing that she was deceived.

“When they all discovered that it was a baby factory and their babies would be sold, they wanted to go, but the madam held them hostage. However on their own, they ploted their escape and eventually fled last night,” he added.

Elkana appealed to Lagos residents to be on the lookout for the 13 other pregnant girls, saying they could be stranded and might be captured again by the owner of the baby factory.

The state command had on September 19 rescued 19 pregnant girls from four different locations in the state.

Two suspects were arrested as the principal suspect, identified as Madam Oluchi, escaped.

The police spokesman noted that since the style and mode of operation of the new case were similar to the earlier one, there could be a link between them.

Elkana said the suspects in custody would be interrogated to see if there was any link between them.

The police in Lagos on Sunday said they have uncovered a suspected baby factory and rescued 19 pregnant girls.

The police stated that they acted on an intelligence report and swooped on the operators at their base on 14 Adisa Street, Ayanwale area of Ikotun.

The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, said two suspects had been arrested.

However, the principal suspect, identified as Madam Oluchi, a mother of five, from Mbano, Imo State, was said to have escaped.

According to the police spokesman, the suspects bring the girls from the South-East to Lagos where they are impregnated.

He said the babies were sold based on their sex; while male babies were sold for N500,000, the girls were sold for N300,000.

Elkana said, “On September 19,2019, at 4pm, while acting on the strength of information from a reliable source, detectives from the Isheri Osun Police Station, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Chike Ibe, stormed a building at 14 Adisa Street, Ayanwale area, Ikotun, Lagos, suspected to be used for child trafficking.

“Nineteen pregnant girls, aged 15 and 28, were rescued. Four kids were also rescued. They were recovered from four different locations.

“They include: 32 Owosho Street, Governor Road, Ikotun; 29 Olugbeyohun Street, Olakunle Bus Stop Abaranja; 4/6 Anomo Street, Abaranja and the address mentioned above. The pregnant women were brought from Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Abia and Imo states.

“Two suspects, namely Happiness Ukwuoma ‘f’ 40 years old, and Sherifat Ipeya ‘f’ 54 years old, were arrested in connection with the case.

“The suspects did not receive formal medical training but operate as nurses. The suspects are natives of Imo and Epe, Lagos states, respectively. The young women were mostly abducted by the suspects for the purpose of getting them pregnant and selling the babies to potential buyers.

“The girls were tricked with employment as domestic staff in Lagos.

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu, has visited the scene and ordered the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department to take over the case.”

Elkana said the command was working with other agencies and stakeholders in rehabilitating and resettling the pregnant girls and the babies.

He noted that investigation was ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court.

A newly released report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Lagos as the world’s most dangerous city.

The report, named Safe Cities Index, ranked 60 cities across the world based on digital security, health, infrastructure and personal security.

Tokyo, Japan’s capital city, was ranked the world’s safest city. Singapore, Osaka, Amsterdam and Sydney occupy the second to fifth spots on the ranking.

“Urban management will play a fundamental role in defining the quality of life of most human beings in the coming years. A key element of this will be the ability of cities to provide security for their residents, businesses and visitors,” the report read.

“A look at the top five cities in each pillar—digital, health, infrastructure and personal security—yields a similar message. In each area, leading cities got the basics right, be it easy access to high-quality healthcare, dedicated cyber-security teams, community-based police patrolling or disaster continuity planning.”

Lagos occupied the 56th spot on the digital security ranking and placed 58th on the infrastructure security ranking.

Nigeria’s most populous city ranked the least on the health and personal security tables.

Some of the items which cities were ranked on are:

Digital security: Privacy policy, citizen awareness of digital threats, public-private partnerships, level of technology employed, dedicated cyber-security teams, percentage of computers infected, percentage with internet access.

Infrastructure security: Enforcement of transport safety, pedestrian friendliness, disaster management/business continuity plan, road network, power network, rail network, the percentage living in slums, air transport facilities.

Health security: Environmental policies, access to healthcare, number of beds per 1,000 population, number of doctors per 1,000 population, access to safe and quality food, quality of health services, air quality, water quality, emergency services in the city.

Personal security: Level of police engagement, community-based patrolling, available street-level crime data, use of data-driven techniques for crime, the prevalence of petty crime, gender safety (female homicide), level of corruption, rate of drug use.

The cities who did not factor in disaster risk in their city-level urban plan were listed as Cairo, Riyadh, Lagos, Bogota, Caracas, Baku.

The report also estimated that more than half of Lagos’ population live in slums; a development that Alioune Badiane, president of the Urban-Think Tank Africa (TUTTA), says is due to poor or insufficient planning.

“The main driver of insecurity is the extent of informal settlements. This arises not from a growing population per se, he adds, but poor or insufficient planning. It is not acceptable,” he said.

“We have a lot to do, but the number one priority is improved urban planning and better city management.”

This is the first time Lagos is featuring on the index.

Men identified as members of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS) of the Nigeria police force have shot dead a man in Ilupeju area of Lagos state.

A witness said that incident happened on Ajisegiri street in Ilupeju in Odiolowo Ojuwoye local council development area of Lagos.

The victim was simply identified as Francis, while residents said he had gone about his daily job of cleaning when he was killed.

“The guy was in the area to sweep the compounds of his customers,” a witness said.

“The Ajisegiri area is notorious because of these boys who come there to smoke, and the area has always been raided by police. But this morning none of the boys was there, just this man going about his business. He was shot and he died almost immediately.”

The Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, announced the arrest of one Promise Oguegbu for allegedly killing an accountant, Rasaki Balogun, and his mistress, Muyibat Alabi, in the Ejigbo area of the state.

Balogun’s wife, Akorede, who discovered the corpses of her husband and Alabi at his second home, reported the incident to the police.

It was gathered that police investigation led to Oguegbu, who was arrested.

While speaking with journalists during a parade by the state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, on Tuesday, the 25-year-old Oguegbu, however, accused Akorede of killing her husband and his mistress.

Oguegbu, one of Balogun’s tenants, stated that he saw when Akorede poured a substance into Balogun and Alabi’s mouths, adding that she pleaded with him (Oguegbu) not to expose her and bribed him with her husband’s car.

The suspect said, “I just came back from South Korea. On Tuesday, June 18, 2019, my landlord’s wife (Akorede) came around and called me to assist her with something. I asked her what it was and she said I should join her in the main building.

“When I got there, I saw a huge man in the sitting room, the man ordered me to tie the landlord girlfriend’s hands. My landlord and his girlfriend were shouting for help, but there was nothing I could do because I was afraid.

“I did not kill my landlord; it was my landlord’s wife who poured something into his mouth and that of his girlfriend. I saw her (Akorede) doing it. She gave me the key to her husband’s car and said I should not expose her. I did not report to the police because I was scared.

“The police arrested the woman (Akorede) and the man who was with her, but I don’t know where they are at the moment. I am not the one to carry their cross; they are not innocent of this crime. The police should also bring them to answer to the crime.”

When confronted with Oguegbu’s claims, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the matter was still being investigated.

Similarly, the command has arrested one Bidemi Mojuba for allegedly stabbing a commercial sex worker, identified simply as Christy, to death in the Amuwo Odofin area of the state.

Mojuba, who was also paraded by the CP on Tuesday, confessed that he committed the crime under the influence of hard drugs.

He stated that he felt the urge to have sex on the day of the incident after taking hard drugs, adding that he visited a club to pick Christy in order to satisfy his sexual urge.

When they got to his place of residence at No. 55 Cooperation Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Mojuba said they were about to have sex when Christy demanded to be paid before rendering her service.

The suspect, who insisted that he would pay the deceased after the sex, said her insistence on getting paid in advance led to a disagreement and in the process, he picked up a knife with which he stabbed her to death.

A footage in possession of our correspondent revealed how Mojuba was tortured by residents of the area, who caught him after he had perpetrated the crime.

At first, Mojuba was seen confessing to killing Christy because she resisted his sexual advances; he later said he committed the crime for ritual purposes.

While speaking to journalists during the parade, the suspect said he took drugs to enhance his sexual performance, adding that Christy was his regular customer.

The 26-year-old said, “On the day of the incident, I took lots of hard drugs and I needed a lady to be with at home; so, I went to a club to pick Christy and we went home together. We were about to make love when she demanded money, but I told her that I was not a stranger to her and said I would pay her after we were through.

“We started quarrelling from the bedroom and came to the sitting room, but before I knew what was happening, I went into the kitchen, picked up a knife and stabbed her multiple times in different parts of her body. It was after the incident that I realised what I had done. It was unfortunate; I had taken the drugs before I went to pick her because I wanted to enjoy the sex.

“I feel guilty about what happened; she was a nice person to me, but I don’t know what came over the two of us. I did not kill her for ritual purposes; I only admitted to killing her for ritual purposes because of the serious beating the residents subjected me to.”

Muazu said Mojuba would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigation.

At least  eight hospitalised victims of the pipeline fire incident in the Ijegun area of Lagos State have reportedly succumbed to death as a result of the severe burns they suffered.

The inferno resulted from an explosion at a vandalised point of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s product pipeline in the Ijegun area of the Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area on Thursday, which led to the death of two persons, while scores of residents were injured and properties worth several millions of naira destroyed.

Despite frantic efforts by doctors to save the victims, PUNCH reported  that a mechanic, Murphy Afolabi; his wife, Rashidat; their three-year-old son, Ridwan; and their daughter, Opeyemi; as well as Idayat Mondiu; her daughter, identified simply as Iya Jumoke, all gave up the ghost.

A couple, identified simply as Daddy and Mummy Warris, were also said to have passed away where they were being treated three days after the fuel spillage and the attendant fire.

Footage in the possession of our correspondent showed how some of the hospitalised victims were writhing in pain as they were being bandaged from head to toe due to the severity of the burns they suffered.

The spillage occurred when some yet-to-be identified vandals were ambushed by security agents, while scooping fuel from a punctured NNPC pipeline.

The vandals, in an attempt to escape from the scene, were said to have left the punctured point open as fuel spilled all over the area, including the drainage channel connecting Irede Street and the canal on the Catholic Church Street.

While an account had it that the vandals set the spilled fuel on fire in order to escape arrest, another stated that a motorist, who had attempted to start his engine in the area, caused the explosion.

Mondiu’s family of 12, Afolabi’s family of seven and the Warris’ family of four, among others, were said to be asleep in their various homes around the canal on the Catholic Church Street when the incident occurred and were burnt by the raging inferno.

They were all hospitalised at the Gbagada General Hospital and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, while the surviving members of the families were said to be battling to survive the tragedy.

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The Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, while speaking to journalists at the scene of the incident, assured Lagosians that Governor Babajide Sanwolo-Olu was closely monitoring the situation, adding that the injured victims were receiving treatment in hospitals.

But the families of the hospitalised victims, while lamenting the loss of their loved ones, refuted Oke-Osanyintolu’s claim, saying the government had abandoned the victims in hospitals.

A member of the Afolabi family, Qausarat, who appealed to Sanwo-Olu to come to the aid of the victims, said she had lost four members of her family.

She said amidst tears, “I lost my younger brother, Ridwan, on Friday; my daddy’s wife, Rashidat, on Saturday; and before I received your call, someone at the hospital informed me that my father died today (Sunday). My sister, Opeyemi, has also died. This is getting too much; I am not sure I can continue to bear all these losses as I still have four siblings in critical conditions.

“Ever since they were admitted in hospital, we have been the ones sourcing for the money to treat them; they have not received any free treatment and this means that the government has abandoned my family.

“Even Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has not done anything for us. We want Sanwo-Olu to urgently come to our aid so that adequate treatment can be given to my four siblings, Amudat, Opeyemi, Fatiu and Mariam, because I don’t want to lose them.”

Mondiu’s brother, Kehinde, while mourning the death of his brother’s wife, daughter and grandchild, also accussed the government of abandoning the vicitms in hospital.

He stated, “Our family members have been donating money for the treatment of my brother’s family. In fact, whenever I get to hospital, the doctors would have prescribed drugs to buy for their treatment and the money for the drugs is prohibitive.

“If you see my brother and his wife and some of their children, they are bandaged from head to toe. We are surprised that the government has abandoned us; we want the government to intervene so that they can be treated properly.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that residents of the Catholic Church Street and environs had been contributing money to support the medical treatment of the victims of the fire incident.

A landlady, Habibat Ojoolowo, said she had mobilised women in the area to contribute money for the treatment of the hospitalised victims.

“When the doctors at the general hospitals were not attending to our neighbours properly and most of them were dying due to poor treatment, we had to mobilise support for them through donations so that they could be treated properly,” Ojoolowo stated.

The Oba of Ijegun, Nureni Akinremi, also appealed for government’s intervention to ensure that the victims were adequately treated to avoid further loss of life.

“My people in hospitals are highly in need of government’s financial support and I also seize this opportunity to thank the firefighters for their quick response to the fire incident,” Akinremi said.

The Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, said the government was on top of the situation, adding that the victims were not abandoned.

Ogunbanwo said, “Presently, the government is picking the medical bills of the victims; some of them have high degrees of burns and in spite of that, the government is still responsible for their care.

The Chief Executive Officer of LASEMA said he had been to the hospitals today (Sunday) to check on some of the victims.

“Some of these families may not know that the medical treatment has various stages, but if they see their family members suffering, they may be reacting and start making some wild allegations. The burns unit in Gbagada and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja are specialists’ hospitals capable of taking proper care of the victims. They (victims) cannot be abandoned.”

When contacted, Oke-Osanyintolu said he had done an on-the-spot clinical ward round to ensure that the victims received adequate medical care, adding that he had yet to get reports from the medical directors on the death of any of the victims.

Oke-Osanyintolu stated, “I am just leaving the Gbagada General Hospital and as I speak to you, the medical workers are giving all of the victims adequate medical treatment. I have posted some of the doctors working with me to the Gbagada General Hospital and LASUTH to assist in the treatment, because some of the victims sustained 80 per cent to 90 per cent burns.

“When we talk about burns, it comes with different kinds of complications. I have made arrangements for some of the drugs that they don’t have in the hospitals and I will be moving advance ambulances there on Monday (today).

“I have done an on-the-spot clinical ward round and also spoke with relatives like Mr Gabadin, whose driver was a victim, and I have assured them that they should not panic. I cannot say anyone has died until I receive comprehensive medical reports from the medical directors.”

Fire broke out in the Ijegun area of Lagos State on Thursday after suspected hoodlums vandalised pipelines belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

Although the details of the incident are still sketchy, our correspondent gathered that some of the hoodlums were caught up in the explosion and were feared dead.

An eyewitness, Babajide Lawal, said the noise of the explosion woke the residents, adding that casualties have been recorded.

Lawal said, “There is fire incident at Ijegun Last Bus Stop, in fact, no one can move near the place because the whole area is burning. What woke us up was the sound of the explosion and when we came out to observe what happened, we saw the fire burning everywhere.”

Firefighters from the National Emergency Management Agency and the Lagos State Fire Service were said to have responded to the incident.

The spokesperson for NEMA, South West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, in a release said the agency had alerted the NNPC management to the development.

“NEMA has also called on the safety unit of the corporation to immediately shut down further supplies through pipeline in order to suffocate the fire.

“It is noted that vandals are responsible for the incident and some of them are affected in the inferno.

“Security agencies have cordoned off the area to restrict access of undesirable elements. People should remain calm,” he added.

An official of the Lagos State Fire Service, Amodu Shakiru, said firefighters were still battling the fire, adding that he could not make any comment yet.

Residents of Ipodo community in Ikeja area of Lagos State woke up to receive unusual visitors in the neighborhood on Saturday.

A battalion of military personnel from the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army swarmed the neighbourhood in early hours for environmental sanitation, cleaning streets of filth.

Led by the Commander of 9 Brigade in Ikeja, Brigadier-General Nasir Mohammed Jega, the troops moved to the area with sanitation materials, including shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows, to carry the exercise organised in commemoration of the Nigerian Army Day.

The startled residents watched in awe as the soldiers dropped their riffles and swept the streets, clearing the drainages of PET bottles and used sachets.

The sanitation started from Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way to Olowu Street and ended Oriyomi Street.

The exercise was also held simultaneously in Ikoyi and Ojo areas of the state, where the troops engaged in cleaning exercise.

On the choice of sanitation as part of activities marking the Day, Brig-Gen. Jega said the military leadership in Lagos was excited by the environmental approach of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu

administration, pointing out that the exercise became a necessity to encourage Lagos residents on the need to promote cleanliness.

He said: “Nigerian Army believes in the cleanliness and we promote green activities as community service, because healthy environment brings about higher productivity. We are also doing this in support of the environmental initiative of the Lagos State Governor.

“We chose Ipodo community in Ikeja for this exercise since it is close to our 9 Brigade Cantonment.
“The sanitation is also to promote cordial relationship between the Nigerian Army and civilians living in communities around our formations. This is a directive from the Chief of Army Staff,” he said.

Brig-Gen. Jega said the Army also organised a free medical outreach to mark the Day adding that the celebration will also feature thanksgiving services at the church and mosque, before it would be wrapped up by a parade on the final day.

Residents hailed the soldiers for the exercise, describing it as “uncommon service from men in uniform”.
A resident of Olowu Street, Mr. Ogbonna Onwuzurike, said the gesture of the soldiers would prod residents into action to keep the area clean.

“We are excited that military officers are taking steps to improve their relationship with civilians. This is one of the ways to show that soldiers are friendly. I couldn’t have imagined soldiers would engage in this kind of activity, much less coming to clean up our drainages.

“This gesture would encourage residents and owners of businesses on this street to dedicate time for sanitation. “Before the soldiers came, used plastic bottles and nylon had blocked the drainages. Now that the gutters have been cleared, we can sleep with our eyes closed.”

The Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers has said its members would comply with the Lagos State Government traffic laws.

NURTW chairman, Mr. Tajudeen Agbede, said this on Wednesday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

Agbede, however, pleaded for time to educate his members on the traffic laws operational in the state.

NAN reports that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu signed his first Executive Order on indiscriminate refuse dumping, traffic management and public works a day after his inauguration.

He reiterated the need for residents to obey rules contained in the executive order.

The governor also charged the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority to arrest motorists who flout traffic laws and ensure they are punished accordingly, irrespective of their statuses.

Agbede said, “We are law-abiding citizens but we want to plead with the government to give us time to call our members to order.

“We are in support of the government of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, but we plead that the government should always carry the unions along while making traffic laws.

“We also believe that any law the government makes is in the interest of its citizens.”

He also implored all NURTW members to always obey all the traffic laws put in place by the state government.

He also advised them to always ensure that their vehicle particulars are valid and they should have genuine driving licences.

He said that these were the certificates they needed to be on the road.

Agbede added, “Commuters intending to board commercial motorcycles must always demand crash helmets before boarding.

“They must also refuse the riders from carrying more than one passenger during a trip.”
(NAN)

The family of Favour Ekemedili, a Senior Secondary School 1 pupil of the Cedar College, Baruwa, in the Ipaja area of Lagos State, has been thrown into mourning after she allegedly died of drinking a beverage said to be laced with an insecticide, Sniper, on the school premises.

PUNCH Metro reports that Favour was in the classroom receiving lectures with her classmates when she allegedly took the beverage.

Immediately after consuming the beverage, it was learnt that she started complaining of severe stomach ache and was rushed to the school’s sickbay for urgent medical treatment.

While the nurse on duty was examining her to ascertain the cause of the discomfort, our correspondent gathered that Favour’s classmates, who saw when she took the beverage, were said to have showed the school management the leftover.

The beverage, after being examined, was discovered to be laced with Sniperand this prompted the school management to rush her to the General Hospital.

The Principal of the school, Samuel Adeliyi, said the management discovered that the beverage that Favour took was the cause of her stomach ache, because her classmates saw when she consumed it.

While commiserating with the bereaved family, the principal said the school management had paid a condolence visit to the family.

Adeliyi said, “On that faithful day, the first period was over and the teacher had left the class for the next teacher to come in. While they were waiting for the next teacher to come in, the girl (Favour) stood up, brought out the drink from her bag, went to the window and started drinking it.

“As she was drinking it, she poured some quantity through the window. Her classmate even challenged her for pouring the beverage away, but she didn’t answer them and as the next teacher entered the class, she threw the bottle away through the window.

“Three minutes later, she started complaining of stomach ache and she fell down. The classmates quickly rushed her to the sickbay and while she was being attended to by the nurse, her classmates, who went in search of the bottle, brought it to the sickbay to show the nurse what she took. When they smelled the content, they realised that the drink was Sniper. So, the nurse realised that the case was beyond the capacity of the sickbay and rushed her to the hospital that the school uses.”

When contacted, the deceased’s mother, Nkem, blamed the school management for not properly monitoring her daughter while in their care.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babjide Sanwo-Olu, has declared a state of emergency on environmental sanitation and traffic management matters in the state.

Sanwo-Olu declared this while signing the first executive order of refuse management, traffic management and public works on Thursday at the Lagos House, Alausa.

This, according to the Governor, will start the process of restoring stability and a culture of accountability in which all the citizens become active stakeholders in bringing about the necessary changes.

“As from the date of this order, there shall be zero tolerance for environmental abuse, including illegal and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, construction on drainage points and setbacks,” he said.

According to him, all LASTMA officials shall effectively carry out their functions by ensuring strict enforcement and compliance with all extant traffic rules and regulations.

He said the LASTMA officials would immediately begin work on a shift basis in which road and traffic management operations would be on till 11 pm on a daily basis.

Sanwo-Olu said that the Lagos State Public Works Corporation would immediately commence the identification and repairs of all potholes and bad roads within the state.

He also said provisions of the order would extend to all enforcement agencies in the state, in maintaining law and order for the collective good of the citizens.

“I expect the fullest level of compliance with this order and will look to the various heads of ministries, departments and agencies to give full force and effect to the orders therein contained and to take responsibility for any failure,” he said.

(NAN)

A four-year-old has been reported killed by The Nation newspaper as another building collapsed in Lagos on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, the building collapsed on Agarawu Street, Lagos Island, where several buildings have collapsed in recent times.

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday began construction of road at Ojodu-Berger area of the state, promising to compensate residents whose properties will be affected.

According to the government, the expansion of the two-lane road to six-lane was going to bring inconveniences to people but appealed to concerned stakeholders to cooperate for the successful execution of the project.

Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, while speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting for the construction of Kosoko Road, Ojodu Berger in Ojodu Local Council Development Area, called for understanding of the residents and other property owners whose property might be affected by the project.

He said the project was part of moves of the current administration to ensure regional integration and implementation of policies that would fast-track the southwest integration.

Ogunleye said the concept of regional integration was very crucial to the state government, saying that the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration believed in developing the border roads to actualize the southwest regional integration agenda.

The commissioner stated that property owners were bound to undergo some inconveniences during the construction of the roads, he assured the stakeholders of enhanced value of their property when the project was completed.

He promised that the administration would adequately compensate those affected by the regeneration of Ojodu Berger as well as other developmental projects carried out by the government irrespective of the time left for the administration to handover.

According to him, the Sanwo-Olu administration would continue to work on the infrastructural development.

“Please we want you to cooperate with our team who will soon begin to mark your houses. First team will come to do the enumeration, other will come for the marking and another team will come for the removal,” he said.

Ogunleye allayed fear over denial of payment, urging the residents and affected property owner to bring any document to prove their ownership of the affected property.

“Bring whatever documents to you have to prove ownership of the house. As long there is evidence to prove that the property is yours, you will be duly compensated.”

Also speaking, the Iya-loja of the demolished market, Alhaja Abibat Adegbola said though most Lagosians and residents were happy with the regeneration of Ojodu Berger by the outgoing administration, she lamented that hundreds of marketers were being rendered jobless and wrecked by the demolition of the market.

A 17-year-old girl identified as Rachel was on Thursday rescued from a suspected ritualists’ den at Ijanikin where she was whisked to by a gang of three men.

The girl, a make-up apprentice, was said to have been hypnotised and abducted on Wednesday morning while on an errand along Ibasa Road, Alasia, Ijanikin, a Lagos suburb.

Her abductors were said to have taken her to a secluded place on Dan Ajaiyi Street, Ijanikin where they allegedly perfected plans to kill her.

She reportedly miraculously regained consciousness and screamed “Blood of Jesus.”

Her scream was said to have caught the attention of neighbours who invaded the house after the suspected ritualists had fled through the bush.

A resident, Chika Ugochukwu, said the suspected ritualists packed into the neighbourhood last year, adding that people hardly bothered about their activities since their home was isolated from others.

Another neighbour, Tochukwu, said the suspects allegedly touched the girl with a charm which made her followed them unconsciously.

“The suspects were already preparing the girl to be used when some neighbours heard her scream.

“The shrine where they took her to is behind an isolated house on Dan Ajaiyi Street. The suspects fled when they knew that the game was up,” he said.

The Lagos Government has warned consumers about the health risk of some cow hide, popularly called ponmo, being offered for sale in the state.

A Press release signed by Director, Public Affairs, Adeola Salako, said government arrested three persons connected with the sale of “toxic ponmo” in Ojo and Iba council areas, while the suspicious meat was also confiscated in large quantity.

“The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed this in his office today (Sunday) while reviewing report of preliminary investigation and enforcement carried out on the sale of the toxic ponmo in the areas, stated that the three persons involved have been charged to court, while samples of the confiscated ponmo had been sent to the NAFDAC laboratory for suitability test analysis for human consumption,” the release further stated.

Idris, while explaining what brought about the action, stated that the attention of the state government was drawn to the activities of traders who deal in the sale of the poisonous cow skin at odd hours in different locations in Ojo and Iba local government areas of the state.

“Preliminary investigations and suspect-tracing revealed that the traders were very active in the early hours between the hours of 4.00am and 6.00am at various locations such as Volkswagen bus stop, Iyana Iba, and Afolabi Ege markets, all within Ojo local government and Iba local council areas of the state.

“Furthermore, a company said to be located at Ije-Ododo area of Iba LCDA was indicted as the source of supply of this toxic ponmo and has subsequently been put under surveillance,” Idris said.

The commissioner called on the public to be vigilant and report any suspected activities and sale of unwholesome foods and food products to environmental health officers in their nearest local government or to the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Agriculture.

He also advised the public against purchase and consumption of foods whose sources are doubtful or are perceived to be hazardous to human health.