metro
Police, hoodlums demolish 50 Lagos buildings, victims protest
LANDLORDS and residents of Oluwa Palace community, in the Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, have accused policemen of the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences Enforcement Unit and hoodlums of demolishing their houses and rendering them homeless.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the hoodlums alongside the policemen stormed the community with bulldozers and destroyed over 50 structures, including houses, shops, among other property worth millions of naira.
The residents, while lamenting over the invasion, said they were not issued a notice for the demolition, adding that people who lost their property had been traumatised over the development.
A resident in the community, Olawale Yusuf, said his uncle’s property was part of the demolished property, adding that over N300m was expended on the property.
He said, “The property has 72 rooms and it belongs to my uncle. We have spent over N300m on it. We still have some property inside and could not bring them out during the demolition.
“We have not been able to bring the property out after the demolition. My uncle is not in good condition right now. We made our verification before building on this land.”
A property owner, Monday Ajanubor, said he was on a sick bed during the demolition exercise, adding that he was making plans to move into his new house when the demolition occurred.
READ ALSO:
- IPOB, Asari Dokubo renews war
- World leaders pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II
- FG releases names of Nigerians killed in Northern Cyprus as Turkey reacts
- Ese Oruru: Appeal Court Affirms Yunusa’s Conviction, Reduces 26 Years’ Sentence
He said, “Because my rent was about to expire, I was doing everything possible to ensure that I move into my new house on this land. I sold my cars to put the house in order. Now they called me to say that the house I spent all my life savings on has been demolished.”
The head of the community, Nurudeen Oluwa, said the court had issued a warrant of possession to his family following a legal tussle between the family and the state government over the land.
He said, “We took the state government to court in 2009 when it attempted to take over the land. We knew then that there was no way to lawfully challenge the government other than going to court.
“In 2018, the court delivered judgment in our favour, and the judgment was registered at Alausa. Before we moved into the land, they gave us a certificate of warrant of possession. We have been living here since 2018, and members of the family also built their houses here, until the invasion on Thursday.”
The family’s lawyer, Ademola Olowoyeye, said the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Lands Bureau, Bode Agoro, had frustrated the efforts of the family to enjoy the benefits of the court order.
He said, “Agoro directed the ministry of physical planning not to accept the registration of building permits, including the making of the fence. Several applications have been lying at the LASBCA office which they refused to treat.
“We wrote to the Attorney General of the state to ensure that the judgment was duly obeyed. He constituted a committee and made Bode Agoro the chairman of the committee. From the first day that we had those meetings, Agoro never betrayed his bias against the Oluwa family.
“When we asked him what he wanted, he said he would give the family 58 hectares out of 300 hectares and we felt that was not right. The last time we held a meeting was November last year, and because of his attitude, my client felt we should sue him and the Attorney General.”
A copy of the judgement delivered on January 15, 2018, was made available to our correspondent.
Contacted, the state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, said, “I am not aware of the incident. If you can get me the court order, I will look into it and get back to you”
The spokesperson for the taskforce, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, when contacted, said the claims of the protesters were untrue.
He said, “We were at Abijo to give an executive back up to the land grabbers’ commission and not to demolish houses. This was contained in our press release.”
metro
Bandits kill nine civilian JTF members, kidnap three in Sokoto
Bandits kill nine civilian JTF members, kidnap three in Sokoto
At least nine Civilian Joint Task Force members fighting bandits in Sokoto State have been reportedly killed in an ambush, while an unspecified number sustained varying degrees of injury.
It was gathered that three CJTF members were also taken away by the bandits.
A source told our correspondent that the incident occurred last Sunday in Isa Local Government Area of the state.
READ ALSO:
- Yahaya Bello govt spending third term in office through Ododo – Clark
- Yahaya Bello govt spending third term in office through Ododo – Clark
- IPOB declares sit-at-home May 30 to honour Biafra heroes
The CJTF source added that Isa LGA is a stronghold of bandits and very dangerous for security operatives.
“We lost nine members in an ambush in Isa LGA, many others were wounded and three others were abducted in the attack after our members received a distress call to support security operatives.
“We received the sad news two days ago. Since the beginning of this year, when we were asked by the state government to deploy our members to support the troops in the fight against banditry in the North-West.”
Recall that this was the second time bandits would ambush CJTF men in Sokoto State in two months.
Bandits kill nine civilian JTF members, kidnap three in Sokoto
metro
IPOB declares sit-at-home May 30 to honour Biafra heroes
IPOB declares sit-at-home May 30 to honour Biafra heroes
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared Thursday May 30 as sit-at-home day in South East to honour those who fought in the civil war.
In a statement issued by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, said: “The sit-at-home is an annual event held on May 30th to remember the men and women who died during the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970.
“IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi OkwuChukwu Kanu, urged all Biafrans, friends of Biafra, and residents in Biafra Land to observe the sit-at-home and reflect on the sacrifices made by the fallen heroes.
READ ALSO:
- ‘Unfounded accusation’ – Obi slams Umahi over instigation of Igbo against Tinubu claim
- Court sends tenant to prison for setting landlord’s house on fire
- Alleged mastermind of Abuja-Kaduna train attack, Moniker Mandi, arrested
“All schools, government offices, private offices, banks, transport unions, market unions, and private individuals are expected to shut down operations on May 30th, except for medical personnel and emergency workers.”
IPOB also called on Christians and traditional worshipers to use the day to pray for the fallen heroes and for Biafra’s independence from Nigeria.
The group warned residents to avoid loitering and stay indoors from 6 am to 6 pm to avoid any confrontation with security forces.
“IPOB members in diaspora are encouraged to organize peaceful rallies and seminars to raise awareness about the Biafran struggle and the ongoing genocide against the Biafran people.
By honoring the heroes and heroines of the Biafran struggle, IPOB hopes to keep their memory alive and continue the fight for Biafra’s freedom and independence, ” the statement added.
IPOB declares sit-at-home May 30 to honour Biafra heroes
metro
Court sends tenant to prison for setting landlord’s house on fire
Court sends tenant to prison for setting landlord’s house on fire
One Dickson Peter has been remanded in a correctional facility for allegedly setting his landlord’s house on fire.
An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan, ordered the remand of the accused on Thursday.
According to NAN, the police charged 35-year-old peter with two counts of felony and arson.
The Magistrate, Mr M. Mudashiru, who did not take the defendant’s plea due to want in jurisdiction, ordered that he should be remanded in Abolongo Correctional facility, Oyo Town.
READ ALSO:
- Alleged mastermind of Abuja-Kaduna train attack, Moniker Mandi, arrested
- Woman kills three children over cheating husband
- NDIC jacks up deposit insurance cover from N500,000 to N5m
Mudashiru said the remand is pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP.
He adjourned the matter until July 23, for mention.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Femi Oluwadare informed the court that Peter on April 18, at about 12:30a.m, was alleged to have unlawfully set fire to the House of his Landlord, Cepas Okeme and destroyed properties worth N6.5 million.
Oluwadare said after he set the building on fire, it also spread to the next property belonging to Bose Ali ‘ F’ and also destroyed property worth N3.5 million.
He said the offence contravened the provisions of section 443 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000
Court sends tenant to prison for setting landlord’s house on fire
Bandits kill nine civilian JTF members, kidnap three in Sokoto
Yahaya Bello govt spending third term in office through Ododo – Clark
IPOB declares sit-at-home May 30 to honour Biafra heroes
-
metro2 days agoLabour Day: Nigerian workers are dedicated, resilient, says NURTW leader
-
Auto1 day agoAppeal court takes over NURTW case as NIC withdraws
-
News2 days agoLabour-FG face-off imminent as NLC rejects new salary increase
-
News2 days agoFG approves salary increase for civil servants, military, police
-
International2 days agoBinance founder bags jail term in US
-
metro3 days agoWoman arrested in Ogun after husband commits suicide
-
metro20 hours agoSecurity forces, vigilantes arrest kidnapper terrorising communities in Kogi
-
News2 days agoFG set to repatriate 20,000 Nigerians from Chad, Cameroon