metro
Updated: How excavator man working on street drain caused Lagos mosque collapse (+ photos)
Updated: How excavator man working on street drain caused Lagos mosque collapse (+ photos)
An excavator operator working on a reconstruction of a street drain was responsible for the collapse on Sunday afternoon of a Lagos mosque, a storey-building, residents of the area have said.
Some of the residents in conjunction with rescue teams from the state were feverishly still working as of 5pm Sunday to bring out some of those trapped under the rubble.
Some trapped persons including children were earlier rescued and those injured rushed to hospitals.
The central mosque caved in after the afternoon prayer along Yusuf/Sotinoye Junction in the Papa Ajao area of Mushin.
The Lagos Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed five persons were rescued, and one dead body recovered from the totally collapsed mosque.
Chairman of the mosque, Qasim Keshinro Babatunde, said he was in the mosque when the incident happened.
He said he had complained that the space excavated was unnecessarily wide and deep and too close to the building.
“It was like a canal not a drain,” he said.
Babatunde was quoted by Muslim News as saying one person, a minor, died.
He added, “Over 20 worshippers who sustained various degrees of injuries are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals in both private and government-owned hospitals.”
An elder and resident of Yusuf Street who identified himself simply as Mr Adeyinka told Newstrends that some worshippers were still in the mosque including Islamic school pupils after the afternoon prayer when the bulldozer man digging the trench for the drain hit the building ground.
He said, “The mosque was too close to the expanded drain; it’s obviously too large. The drain was being expanded on Yusuf Street towards Ladipo Market Road.
“As the man was working in front of the mosque, I think the claw of the bulldozer had been hitting the edge of the foundation and the last strike brought the entire mosque down.
“It was after Zuhur salat (afternoon prayer) and many of the worshippers had just left the mosque, with a few people left and students of the Madrasat (Islamic school) in the upper floor.”
Another resident, Taiye Oseni, said, “Some of those trapped were brought out lifeless; many were injured and promptly rushed to nearby hospitals.
“The digging was too close to the mosque. They have asked everyone to leave the building when the work reached the spot if they knew they won’t any space at all for the structure to rest on.”
Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Femi Osanyintolu, in a statement listed the emergency responders at the scene as the LASEMA response team, the police, the Lagos State Ambulance Service, and the Lagos State Fire Service.
The PS in an updated statement later said, “Upon arrival at the scene at 01:40pm, a storey building (mosque) was found to have collapsed and preliminary investigation carried out upon arrival at the scene revealed that an excavator clearing the road recklessly hit a mosque (a storey building) by the road side which resulted in the mosque collapsing as prayer was about to commence. Four victims were immediately rushed to the hospital.
“A total of 10 people were trapped beneath the rubble. Search and Rescue of the victims trapped under the rubbles under the supervision of the PS was conducted with the aid of the Agency’s heavy duty equipment crane, Hiab and an excavator.
“One adult was retrieved dead while the others received pre-hospital care on the scene from the Agency’s Pre Hospital Care Unit. One with serious injuries was transferred to hospital.”
metro
Updated: One feared dead, seven rescued in Lagos two-storey building collapse
Updated: One feared dead, seven rescued in Lagos two-storey building collapse
A child was feared dead in a two-storey that collapsed Wednesday on Cameroon Street in the Mushin area of Lagos State.
Seven other residents were also rescued from the collapsed building by sympathisers.
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The building collapsed following torrential downpours in many parts of Lagos.
A statement by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said upon arrival of his rescue team at the scene of the incident, it was discovered that the building was newly constructed.
According to him, the seven rescued persons, consisting of three females and four males, have been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The agency also said its rescue team had searched the rubble, confirming that there was no victim underneath the collapsed building.
It added that the area had been cordoned off and that clearing operations were still ongoing in the area as of 12.30pm on Wednesday.
metro
Abductors demand N900m ransom to release Hausa musician’s mother
Abductors demand N900m ransom to release Hausa musician’s mother
A group of bandits who kidnapped Hajiya Hauwa’u Adamu, the mother of renowned Hausa musician Dauda Adamu (known as Rarara), are demanding a ransom of N900 million for her release.
Last week, the Katsina State Police Command confirmed the arrest of two suspects connected to the abduction.
A family source revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N1 billion.
The source was quoted by Daily Trust as saying: “They called the family with a phone of a woman the bandits collected when they came to pick up Hajiya. They demanded N1bn but after a brief discussion with a member of the family, they reduced the amount to N900million.
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“At first, they demanded to seal the deal with Rarara himself because he felt sick following the abduction of his mother. They agreed to strike the deal with a member of the family. They confirmed to the family that Hajiya is in good condition and that she would be released as soon as the money is paid.
“The discussion between the bandits and family was very brief and since then they have not called again. But I believe the negotiation is still on. So, the family is still waiting for the bandits’ call to continue with negotiation.
“We learnt that after they gained access into her bedroom, they woke up all the women that were sleeping together with her and started comparing their faces with the photograph.”
Abductors demand N900m ransom to release Hausa musician’s mother
metro
Couple jailed 11 years for sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl in Lagos
Couple jailed 11 years for sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl in Lagos
The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Monday, arraigned and sentenced on an amended charge, a couple, Ezimora Okechukwu, a 49-year-old, to seven years and three years consecutively for indecent handling and sexual assault, and his wife, Ezimora Obioma, to one year of community service for concealing the act of sexual assault done to their housemaid.
According to the prosecution counsel, the offences committed by the couple contravene Section 135 (1), 163 and 415 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.
The court heard that the incident occurred on July 17, 2022, in the house of the convicts, in the Abule-Osun area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim, a 15-year-old housemaid at the time of the incident, was indecently handled, touched and sexually assaulted by Okechukwu. The victim reported the heinous act to Obioma who concealed the incident and did not report it to the authorities.
Their amended charge read, “Felony contrary to Section 135(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Did you, Ezimora Okechukwu, on July 17, 2022, at No 9, Block 19, Divine Height Street, Abule Osun, Lagos State, indecently handle a victim, a 15-year-old, by caressing her breast?”
“Sexual assault contrary to Section 163 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State. Did you Ezimora Okechukwu sexually assault the victim?”
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“Accessory after the fact of felony contrary to Section 415 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State. Did you Ezimora Obioma, fail to notify police when the victim age 15 years, reported to you that one Ezimora Okechukwu had sexual intercourse with her.”
Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges.
PUNCH Metro reports that the first defendant’s charge, which was, “Defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015, was reduced after he applied for a plea bargain through his counsel. He and his wife were then granted a lesser charge and sentence.
The prosecution counsel attested to this saying, “The Honourable Attorney General considered the request on the grounds that the defendants showed remorse for their actions, were first-time offenders with no previous convictions and the impact of the conviction on the second defendant and her four young children.”
He further stated, “The Attorney General then accepted that the 2nd defendant be sentenced to a conditional discharge of one-year community service.”
Delivering his judgment, Justice Ramon Oshodi held that the act committed by the couple was heinous.
“The first defendant stands accused of a heinous act, the defilement of a vulnerable housemaid who found shelter under his roof. The second defendant, rather than being a protector or seeking justice, the second defendant is said to have become an accomplice in silence and an accessory, she stands accused of disregarding the victim’s right by concealing the alleged crime even after the occurrence. These allegations paint a picture of the horror of abuse of power and moral failure challenging our society’s most fundamental principle of care and trust,” he held.
He then sentenced the first defendant, Okechukwu, to seven years for indecent handling and three years for sexually assaulting the victim, both sentences would run concurrently, and also sentenced Obioma to one year of community service.
Couple jailed 11 years for sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl in Lagos
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