One dead, another injured

Kendoo receives APC flag: The APC chairmanship candidate in Oshodi-Isolo LGA, Hon. Kehinde Oloyede Almaroof, received party flag from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the party's secretariat, Acme Road, Ikeja, yesterday, as the party hands over flags to all its candidates contesting at the forthcoming local government election.

Otunba Kehinde Oloyede Almoroof (right), Vice Chairmanship candidate, Modupe Badmus (left) and Oshodi-Isolo APC Acting Chairman, Hon Saheed Animashaun (middle) during the presentation of flags to all APC candidates at the Lagos State forthcoming local government election. The event was held at the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja Lagos, yesterday. Photos Amidu Arije.

By Our Reporters
 ...as truck crushes vehicles on Otedola bridge

A motorist simply identified as Mr. Lawal has reportedly lost his life while a truck driver was injured, yesterday, after a truck crushed two vehicles on Otedola bridge, Lagos State.

The incident occurred about noon. 

It was gathered that the yet-to-be identified injured truck driver was conveying the ill-fated 40-feet container when it crashed into two vehicles, which left the driver of one of the vehicles dead on the spot.

Vehicles involved were JJJ 28 FR and BDG 597 CY respectively and both were on motion when they were crushed by the truck.

Vanguard gathered that the injured victim was rushed to the Trauma Centre near Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, office by old Lagos-Ibadan Toll Gate for medical attention.

The relatives of the deceased were said to have been contacted on phone as they rushed to the scene to claim his remains for burial.

Rescue operation was jointly performed by FRSC, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA; Lagos State Emergency Management Authority,LASEMA; National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA,  Lagos Ambulance Services and other relevant agencies, which worked assiduously to conclude the operation by deploying light and heavy duty rescue equipment to evacuate all impediments from the road.

The incident was said to have caused gridlock on the expressway but the traffic team comprising both state and federal personnel were on ground to restore vehicular activities to the road.

Confirming the incident, Head, Public Affairs, LASEMA, Nosa Okunbor, said:  “We rescued the seriously injured truck driver at the Otedola bridge incident scene 

“The yet-to-be identified, injured truck driver was conveying the truck when the incident happened.  Upon arrival of the agency’s officials at the incident scene, it was observed that a 40 feet container with unknown registration number fell on two cars. 

“One adult male lost his life, while the driver of the containerised truck sustained serious injuries, and has been rushed to the Lagos Trauma Centre by FRSC Office near old Lagos-Ibadan Toll Gate."

2 policemen, scores of bandits killed in Niger

SCORES Scores of bandits and two policemen were killed, yesterday, when armed men stormed the Joint Security Camp located in Kundu village in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

The bandits were repelled by the Joint Security Forces. Few other policemen were injured in the attack.

The bandits were said to have arrived the Security Camp around  9 a.m., and engaged the joint security  agents in a gun battle, which lasted about two hours. 

The bandits were said to have suffered heavy casualty while the security agents lost two personnel while two others sustained injuries. 

Governor  Abubakar  Bello, who rushed to the village on getting the information, yesterday, for the immediate assessment  commended the joint security operatives  for their gallantry. 

The governor who was accompanied to the camp by the Brigade Commander, Ademola Adedoja; state Commissioner of Police, Adamu Usman, and other top government officials, commiserated with the security personnel and seized the opportunity to cheer them up and promised to review the security situation in the area to make it better for them to operate.

He said: “I am impressed with the response by the security agencies and my administration will assist the family members of the slain personnel since they died in active service,”  but did not reveal the nature of assistance.

The governor said no society was completely free of security challenges but assured that his government would o its best to reduce the rate of insecurity to the barest minimum. 

The governor was taken to the hideouts where the bandits operate from.

It will be recalled that armed bandits invaded the same Camp about a month ago. 

Governor Bello later had a closed door meeting with the Security Operatives but details of the meeting were not disclosed, though it may not be unconnected to fortifying security in the area and other areas in the state.

16 dead, 9 injured in auto accidents

SIXTEEN persons, including six children, were killed in three different road accidents in Osun State within two days.

Fourteen persons were killed in Ilesa-Akure express road accident on Saturday, while two person were reported dead on Gbongan-Osogbo road, yesterday.

Osun Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Mr Paul Okpe, in a statement by the command spokesperson, Agnes Ogungbemi, yesterday, said the Ilesa-Akure road accident occurred at Powerline area in Ipetu-Ijesa around 5:30p.m., on Saturday.

He said apart from the six children killed in the incident, four males and some females also died, while two others were injured.

Okpe added that an articulated vehicle (Howo-Sinotruck) with number plate, BAU 171 ZE, collided with a Toyota Siennawith number plate, KRD 842 GY.

He said: “We received a distressed call at 5:45p.m., on Saturday evening about an accident on Ipetu-Ijesa-Ilesa Highway, involving two vehicles.

“Our men arrived at the location at 5:50 pm and met dead bodies at the scene. We evacuated the deceased to the nearest morgue at the Wesley Hospital in Ilesa. We also took the four injured persons to the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the incident, yesterday, involved a Previa mini bus with number plate, GNN 57 XD, and occurred around Niger Cat dockyard, Gbongan at 12.40 p.m.

Okpe, who blamed the incident on loss of concentration by the driver, said two persons died while five others were injured.

He added that the injured victims were taken to private hospitals while the dead victims were deposited at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Ile-Ife, OAUTH, morgue.

Also, two persons were injured in a dual auto accident involving a DAF truck with number plate, KNT 24 XP, and a C180 Mercedes Benz with number plate, BM 307 AKD around 2.09 p.m. at Eleweran area, Old Ede road, Ife.

Ethiope East women protest herdsmen’s killings

HUNDREDS of women from Okpara community in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, have protested in communities in Agbon kingdom against incessant killings, maiming, kidnapping and raping of farmers by suspected herdsmen.

Addressing the protesters, Chairman, Ethiope East LGA, Victor Ofobrukueta, assured them of safety of lives and property.

Ofobrukueta, who appealed to the protesters for calm, said: “Government is sharing in your pains on how your mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are being maimed and killed in your farmlands,” adding that the situation would be taken care of.

He assured them that all their complaints and demands would be conveyed to the state government for possible solution and steps to averts recurrence of such incident in their farmlands.

The council boss promised to meet with stakeholders on the likely steps to be taken, assuring the women “Of government’s readiness to put in place a joint surveillance and security team to end the brutality being suffered by the people in the hands of the suspected herdsmen.”

He expressed confidence in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and other Southern governors for their decisions, saying that with the open grazing law, which has passed second reading in Delta State House of Assembly under the leadership of Sheriff Oborevwori, their evil operations would soon come to an end.

Nude pictures: Police file 4-count charge against house wife 

THE Inspector-General of Police has filed a four-count charge against an Abuja house wife, Mrs Chinyere Igwegbe, for allegedly blackmailing and supplying false information against a former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim.

The defendant in the charge before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, is accused of raising false allegations against Ohakim in a petition she wrote to the Police.

The said petition led to the arraignment of the former governor before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Police had relied on the petition and charged Ohakim alongside one Chinedu Okpareke over an allegation that they threatened to publicise a nude photograph of Mrs Igwegbe.

However, in a twist of event, Police said its investigations revealed that allegations contained in the petition were false.

It, therefore, lodged a counter charge against the petitioner.

Count one of the charge, signed by Matthew Omosun, a prosecutor in the legal section of the Force Headquarters, Abuja, read: “That you Chinyere Igwegbe (f) of 7b Emeida Estate Apo, Abuja, FCT, on or about August 14, 2020, within the jurisdiction of this court did furnish police authorities with false information and via allegations in a petition by your solicitors, Agala and Agala Chambers to a public servant against (1) Dr  Ohakim (2) Okpareke, on allegations of criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, defamation of character, attempted kidnapping and threat to life punishable with imprisonment, which could not be substantiated and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code laws of Northern Nigeria."

In count two, the police accused her of furnishing the police authorities with false information via allegations in a petition against Dr Ohakim “on the false allegations that you paid  Ohakim N500 million for the purchase of a land in Lagos during the 2019 election, an allegation which could not be substantiated.” 

The offences, according to the prosecution, are punishable under sections 140, of the Penal Code laws of the Northern Nigeria and section 26 (3) of the Violence Against Persons (prohibition) Act, 2015.

4 cultists arrested during supremacy battle

FOUR members of two cult groups were, arrested by men of the Ogun State Police command during supremacy battle between Aye and Eiye confraternities in Atan Ota, Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. 

The suspects, according to a statement by the command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, include Olusegun Owoola, Gbenga Akinkade, Jinadu Waliu and Sanni Hammed.

They were arrested following a distress call received by the DPO Atan Ota Division, Abolade Oladigbolu at  4a.m., on Saturday that the two groups were on the rampage at Hotel Road area, Atan Ota, and that there were sporadic gunshots in the area. 

Oyeyemi said:  “Upon the distress call, the DPO mobilised his men to the scene where they met the two groups in a shootout.  The policemen then engaged the hoodlums and subsequently subdued them, at the end of which four of them were apprehended.”

Items recovered from them include one locally made pistol, three live cartridges, two knives, iron rod and assorted charms. 

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti cultists section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation.

Culled from Vanguard