THE NATION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012
53
CITYBEATS Police shot me twice, says guard presumed dead H
E lived to tell his story. A security guard, Nuhu Musa, who the Police claimed was found dead at a robbery scene last saturday, spoke yesterday on his ordeal. He told The Nation he was shot by policemen who thought he had died. The Police had rushed to the 2 chiloville Street, Ikota, Lekki, robbery scene, were Musa work as a guard. On arrival, the police team from Makoko Division reportedly shot Nuhu and two other persons – an employee of Access Bank identified as Femi Badejo and a yet-to-be-identified woman. The Police denied the shooting, saying Musa was found dead. The Nation learnt that the police are footing the bill of Mr. Badejo, who at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos Island. Musa, who has just come out of coma at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), said “I was first
08033054340, 08034699757 E-mail:- ynotcitybeats@gmail.com
Pupils evacuated as fallen tanker spills content
T
By Precious Igbonwelundu
shot from the back and when I fell, the policeman still shot my chest,” he said, “Initially, I thought it was the armed robbers who had returned but when I heard oga Femi (Badejo) telling the policemen that I am not an armed robber and that they should not shoot me, that was when I knew they are police.” His uncle, Askira Adamu, a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, (ASP) told The Nation. “But for the landlord and other tenants who contributed money and rushed him to the hospital, he would have died just like that.” Adamu expressed dissatisfaction with the police handling of the incident. He said: “I was at Abeokuta, Ogun State, in a meeting which the Lagos State Police Commissioner also attended. Immediately I heard the incident, I told the CP but till this moment, not one policeman has come to see him.
•Nuhu at the hospital... yesterday
“It is very disappointing that till now, the police have not thought it wise to come and see the condition of an innocent civilian whose life they almost wasted. Instead, they have been spreading rumour across that my son is dead while he is still alive. It means they want to dodge the issue. “The mistake has been done, one expects the Force to admit its error and even tag it a coincidence. I am also waiting for his father, who is my younger brother to come from Borno State, and then we will know what action to take.” Some residents who spoke to The Nation corroborated Musa . A resident, who spoke on con-
dition of anonymity, said he was not robbed since his apartment was upstairs. He said the robbers did not shoot anyone in the building, adding that it was the police that shot the victims. “Some of the tenants attacked the police for shooting them and they told us that they were shot because they were outside; they said assumed that they were armed robbers. “It will be disgraceful for the police to turn around and deny shooting Musa, while they accepted that they shot Badejo. We were all there when it happened and we shall testify against the police if need be,” he said.
Group donates hearing aid to physically challenged
A •The fake LASTMA men.... yesterday.
Two fake LASTMA officials charged with extortion
T
WO men, Bolaji Adigun, 37, and Hakeem Adebesin, 42, were yesterday arraigned before a Lagos Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ikeja for allegedly posing as officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). The fake LASTMA officers were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Olufemi Isaac on a four-count charge of conspiracy, false representation, forgery of traffic tickets, and criminal extortion. Adigun and Adebesin, who hail from Lagos and Ogun states, were arrested at Mile 12, Lagos, during an operation led by the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu said he received petitions from motorists who had fallen the imposters victim.
By Adebisi Onanuga and Miriam Ndikanwu
At the time of their arrest, Edu said the defendants had an inventory book which showed they had arrested about 13 vehicles for various offences. Under interrogation, the suspects presented identity cards to prove they are workers of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area of the state, but later claimed that they are consultants to the council, contracted to enforce traffic rules and regulations around the axis. Edu, while enjoining residents to disregard any enforcement agents in mufti, said LASTMA officials are always in uniform with name tags on their chest. Motorists, he said, had the right to challenge law enforcement agents
The prosecuting counsel, Babatunde Sumonu, told the Chief Magistrate that the defendants fraudulently used forged traffic tickets purportedly issued by the traffic section of LASTMA, with which they criminally extorted money from unsuspecting motorists. According to Sumonu, the offence committed is contrary to sections 411 (1), 78(b), and 364 (1), criminal law of Lagos State 2011 and is punishable under Section 363 (1) of the same law. The offence is also said to be punishable under Section 2 of the Illegal Collection of Dues in Public Place (Prohibition) Law 2003. The defendants pleaded not guilty and the prosecuting counsel told the court he was ready to call two witnesses.
CIVIL society organisation Women Protection Organisation (WOPO), will today in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Education donate 1,000 pieces of hearing aids to pupils with hearing disability in Lagos State. The donation which will take place at Campos Sports Complex, Ajele, Lagos Island, is the outcome of WOPO’s engagement with the Social Mobilization Units in two (2) Local Government Education Authority Epe and Lagos Island under Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) and Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) since 2010. A statement by one of the directors of the group Mrs Oluwatoyin Towobola said: Through our intervention with the communities, we discovered that some of the School children have challenges ranging from hearing impairment, sight problems to physical problems of movement. These hinder their ability to enjoy the benefit of free education, more so that their parents are poor and could hardly assist them with the aids required to function effectively.
Tenant gets 50-hour community service for battery
A
FTER seven years of trial, a 63-year-old man, Oladimeji Aderibigbe, has been sentenced to 50 hours of community service by an Isolo Magistrate’s Court in Lagos. Aderibigbe was found guilty of maliciously damaging the property of his landlady, Mrs Adewunmi Ishola. He was arraigned in 2005 before Magistrate M.O. Ajayi, for allegedly damaging a wall and door frames valued N6,700. The charge reads: “that you
By Abosede Alimi
Aderibigbe on August 1, 2005, at about 8pm, at 31, Maye Street, Yaba, maliciously damaged an erected wall and door frames valued at N6, 700, property of Adewunmi Ishola, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 451 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos, 1996.” Aderibigbe pleaded not guilty and was granted bail. He told the court that he rented the two-bedroom apart-
ment from the complainant’s father in 1970 and that there was no restriction on his movement. However, after the death of the landlord, Aderibigbe said the complainant erected a burglar proof that blocked the entrance to his apartment and told him to use another entrance. “I was not comfortable with the development and decided to remove the gate, only for her to arrest me and I was lat-
er charged to court,” Aderibigbe said. Delivering judgment, Magistrate Ajayi said: “Having gone through trial and with the facts and evidence before this honourable court, I hereby find the defendant guilty as charged. “He is hereby sentenced to 50 hours of community service at Isolo Local Government Area, and he is also ordered to write an apology letter to the registry.”
HERE was panic in Anthony Village, Lagos, yesterday when a fallen full tanker’s spilled content spread into a private school. Pupils of Green Springs School, were immediately evacuated. A cement laden truck had hit the tanker which fell and spilled its content. The Nation learnt that the 33,000 litre capacity tanker, which was coming from Oshodi, was descending the curvy Access Road, linking Ikorodu Road at Anthony, when the incident occurred. Lagos State Fire Service Director Mr Rasak Fadipe said the situation was quickly brought under control, with the movement of two fire fighting vehicles to the scene to avert any disaster. “We got a call about the incident and immediately we deployed two vehicles from our Anthony and Isolo stations to the scene, to ensure that there was no outbreak of fire,” he said. He said the fire fighters made a blanket on the spillage with chemical foam compound,
By Miriam Ndikanwu
adding that the spilled content spread into a nearby canal which was also blanketed with the chemical to reduce the impact and prevent fire outbreak. News of the fallen tanker was spread to the nearby mechanic village and residents living close to the canal to ensure that there was no spark from their end. “We followed the spillage with the foam compound down to the canal to blanket it as well and there after went round the area to discuss with the mechanics of the danger involved, and that there should not be any naked light or spark that will lead to a major disaster,” he added. Fadipe said besides talk with the residents, the government went on air to alert motorist plying that route not to speed. “We cordoned off the entire area and our men were on ground to ensure that motorists were not on high speed. And officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority later towed the tanker to their yard in Oshodi,” he said.
Why PCRC was created by ex-IGP
T
HE Police C o m m u n i t y Relations Committee (PCRC) was established to foster good relationship between law enforcement agents and the public, and enhance community policing, its initiator and former Inspector-General of Police Etim Inyang has said. Inyang, who spoke in Lagos when Rivers State PCRC Chairman Mr. Austen Yong, donated copies of a book on the committee to him, said policing would be impossible if policemen
distanced themselves from the public. He said participatory policing, where the public works in tandem with the police, will engender mutual confidence and exchange of information, to facilitate arrest of suspects, quick gathering of evidence and prosecution. Inyang urged the PCRC to live up to its name by assisting the police protect lives and property, avoid abuse of their position, merely to secure bail for suspects or intervening in just any arrest.
GUS 9: Onyinye ‘dumps’ Paschal
H
ead Warrior, Onyinye picked Nuhu as her partner over Paschal when she had the opportunity of selecting a partner in the day’s challenge. Perhaps,she had forgotten that she and Paschal emerged winners when they were paired in the ‘Raise Your Flag’ and ‘Ladder of Pain’ tasks earlier in the competition. Onyinye’s choice meant Paschal and James had to team up for the challenge. Tagged Wounded Warriour, the Council of Elders decided to simulate a rescue mission in the challenge. A member of the team would act as the wounded warrior while the other would be the carrier. The carrier was to carry the wounded warrior on his back. The latter’s feet were not to touch the ground at any point during the game.
With the aid of a compass and coordinates, they were to make their way over a beam, and search for two clues vital to the search for the Gatekeeper’s Fortune. Paschal was his team’s wounded warrior while James was the carrier. Nuhu carried Onyinye throughout the challenge. Both teams found two clues each, but the James and Paschal team finished first and won the challenge. James went from bearer of Stump of Shame to Head Warrior. Chidi Mokeme, the anchor man, asked both teams to make sense of the clues when they get back to their camp. The show continues tonight on AIT, African Magic World (DSTV), Real Star (Star Times), AKBC, Uyo and ITV (Benin) at 10pm.