metro

Proprietor, Lagos LG disagree over demolition of 30-year-old school building

Published

3 days ago

October 1, 2024

Proprietor, Lagos LG disagree over demolition of 30-year-old school building

LAGOS—The management of a school, Edwards Private School in Agege, Lagos State, and the Agege Local Government Area, are currently locked in a heated argument over the demolition of the school’s 30-year-old three-storey building.

While the school insists that it is the rightful owner of the building and the land where it is located and accused the council authority of illegal demolition, the council however defended its decision to demolish the building due to lack of title to the property.

Vanguard reporter who witnessed the demolition of the school building at the weekend sighted a “confiscation notice on the school fence.

Some residents and old students of the school, sighted at the scene, lamented the action of the council, stating that the school had been beneficial to a lot of indigent Agege residents for many decades.

The school’s books, files, and other properties were scattered within the premises as the staff were denied the opportunity of removing them before the demolition.

Vanguard reporter who covered the demolition was also harrassed and assaulted by the council officials.

A staff of the school simply identified as Mrs Adetoro told our reporter that the school had an approved building plan, court judgment, a Registered Conveyance and governor’s consent, together with a government letter of excision/release of the land (amongst others) to the original land owners, from where it derived its Title/Conveyance.

She also said the titles were duly registered with the Lagos State Government after obtaining the governor’s consent some 30 years ago.

READ ALSO:

Mrs Adetoro also stated that the school had paid various levies, taxes and rates to Agege Local Government Area since 1992.

She also showed our reporter a copy of the school’s registered title, building approval number and other school approval documents and a copy of the letter the school owners wrote to the Agege Local Government Chairman and acknowledged in his office a day before the demolition.

Our reporter gathered that the council chairman, Ganiyu Egunjobi, had claimed that the half-plot of land where the school was built, is part of the extension to the Proposed New Agege Model Market, Old Ogba Road, Agege.

Egunjobi was also said to have claimed that the council got its title from the Lagos State government.

LG reacts

When contacted, Egunjobi confirmed that his council was responsible for the demolition. He said “The question is, is the school a public school?; it’s a private school. We had asked them to provide the land title but they don’t have valid papers of ownership.”

Lagos govt keeps mum

Meanwhile, a source at the Lagos State Ministry of Local Government Affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ministry cannot meddle in the case because of LG autonomy. The source said: “We have a Local Government Monitoring Department that deals with such matters.

“My suggestion to the owner of the school is to write a petition to the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government for intervention and further action.”

Proprietor, Lagos LG disagree over demolition of 30-year-old school building

Vanguard

Related Topics:demolition Lagos LG Proprietor school building

Up Next

Ooni of Ife: People mocked me when my marriage broke down

Don't Miss

N200 bribe: Police inspector reportedly stabs man to death

metro

$13m fraud: FBI seeks EFCC help to arrest Nigerian suspects

Published

3 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Trends Admin

$13m fraud: FBI seeks EFCC help to arrest Nigerian suspects

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been tasked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America to locate and apprehend two Nigerians, Babatunde Shodiya and Yinka Jamiu, who were listed as wanted for allegedly using a fraudulent website to extort American medical facilities in Minnesota of $13m.

A grand jury in the U.S. District Court for Minnesota arraigned them on September 25 for their involvement in a fraud conspiracy that deceived many healthcare providers between October 2020 and 2024.

According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, Shodiya and Jamiu allegedly used falsified websites and email addresses to manipulate payment transfers on Optum Pay, a popular payment system among Minnesota’s healthcare providers under the guise of being owned by Fairview Health.

Using these fictitious email addresses, the fraud team sent emails to Fairview Health staff, deceiving them into supplying login information.

They created a counterfeit website, fairviewhospitals.org, and pretended to be key hospital personnel, including the CEO, executive vice president, and a business analyst.

READ ALSO:

In addition to the wire fraud allegations, Shodiya is charged with aggravated identity theft for pretending to be Fairview executives.

Luger said, “As part of the scheme, Babatunde and Jamiu created a fake ‘spoofed’ internet domain designed to appear as though it was controlled by Fairview Health.”

“In total, Babatunde and Ahmed fraudulently directed more than $13m in payments intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota-based healthcare companies to accounts controlled by Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators.”

However, the U.S. security agency has confirmed that the suspects are Nigerian citizens who also reside in Nigeria and have called on Nigeria’s EFCC to seek their assistance.

“The U.S. officials reached out to us and informed us that the suspects are believed to be hiding in Nigeria

“We have a duty to honour this request in line with our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. in addressing cross-border crimes,” an EFCC officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, said.

Once the EFCC successfully hunts down Mr Shodiya and Mr Jamiu, they will be taken to the U.S. to face trial while also compromising all assets linked to the profits of the crime to the American authorities.

$13m fraud: FBI seeks EFCC help to arrest Nigerian suspects

metro

Horror as man stabs father to death in Lagos

Published

3 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Trends Admin

Horror as man stabs father to death in Lagos

A 25-year-old man, Chibunnma Chimelie, has been taken into custody by the Lagos State Police for allegedly stabbing his 68-year-old father to death.

The tragic incident took place on Thursday at around 10:00 p.m. in the Isolo area of Lagos, according to the state’s police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the report.

Hundeyin shared that the incident was brought to light when the suspect’s brother filed a complaint at the Aswani Police Divisional Station.

“The complainant stated that he received a call from a neighbour, informing him that his father was having a serious altercation with the suspect, who also lived in the same house,” said Hundeyin.

READ ALSO:

Upon arriving at the scene, the complainant found his father lying in a pool of blood, unresponsive.

The police swiftly responded to the situation and arrested the suspect at the scene. Investigators found a blood-stained knife near the body, which has been taken as evidence.

“A team of investigators arrived at the location, documented the scene, and transported the victim to General Hospital, Isolo, where doctors later confirmed his death,” Hundeyin explained.

The victim’s body has since been taken to the General Hospital Mortuary, while the suspect has reportedly confessed to the crime. Authorities are continuing their investigation to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the tragic event.

Horror as man stabs father to death in Lagos

metro

Amotekun foils 5 kidnap attempts in Ondo, rescues 9 victims

Published

3 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Trends Admin

Ondo State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye

Amotekun foils 5 kidnap attempts in Ondo, rescues 9 victims

Operatives of Amotekun have foiled five kidnap attempts and rescued nine kidnap victims across the state within one week. Mr Adetunji Adeleye, state Commander of Amotekun Corps, made the disclosure on Friday in Akure while parading 20 suspected criminals arrested for crimes like cultism, house breaking, motorcycle theft, among others.

Adeleye, who said that the arrests were made within a week under review through the Amotekun Rangers, reiterated the corps commitment to ensuring the safety and security of residents in the state.

He said that the Amotekun rangers had been active in combing the forests across Ondo state, particularly in known flashpoints, to keep kidnappers at bay.

According to the commander, the suspected kidnapper, 28-year-old Usman Abubakar, who was arrested in Igbo Oba, Owo, confirmed collecting N2 million from a victim.

READ ALSO:

“Abubakar told us how they shared the N2 million, and he also told us how to get to the root of their godfathers.

“The Amotekun Rangers launched by Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State had, recently, penetrated the forest substantially within the week under review.

“We were able to resist five kidnapping attempts and we were also able to rescue nine victims. That is to say that the kidnap attempts failed.

“Moreover, the notorious portion of Elegbeka area has been bombarded, and we are glad to say that the Amotekun Rangers had infiltrated the entire forest to guarantee safety of commuters,” he said.

Adeleye, therefore, reassured the public that the rangers would continue to infiltrate the entire forest to ensure the safety of commuters and safeguard lives and properties.