Workers in the 20 local governments in the state, under the aegis of NULGE, had given the state government a 21-day ultimatum to settle the arrears owed them or risk an indefinite industrial action.

NULGE Caretaker Committee Chairman, Benedict Akinleye, however, told journalists on Friday in Abeokuta during a press conference on the union’s forthcoming Award/Gala Night, that the amount was part of the first tranche released by the government for the payment of the workers’ arrears.

Akinleye said the union had reached an agreement with the state government on the modalities for offsetting the accumulated debt, which he said, was due to the failure to remit pension deduction from the workers’ pay.

He commended the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration for releasing the N200m as first installment to effect the payment of debt owed by the past administration.

The union leader, however, appealed to the state government to fulfill its promise to support the councils with the payment of the second installment so that the LG chairmen could sustain the payment of workers’ salary by the 26th of every month.

The Chairman of the Planning Committee of NULGE Award/Gala Night, Mr. Tola Osunlaja, expressed regret that only senior and top management staff in many organisations were usually considered for awards, while the junior and unskilled workers were not reckoned with at all.

-Punch

The Director of the orphanage, identified simply as Mr. Atunde was arrested last Wednesday by Zone 2 Police Command for allegedly having sex with two minors.

Atunde was accused of having sex with two of the minors (names withheld), after one of them showed up at her school, unable to walk properly, with blood dripping down her legs.

The 13-year-old claimed Atunde forced her to have sex with him.

The school authorities immediately notified Project Alert on Violence Against Women, a non-governmental organisation, which in turn notified the Zone 2 through a petition.

PUNCH Metro gathered on Saturday that the orphanage had been visited by officials of the ministry.

The Commissioner of Women Affairs, Mrs. Elizabeth Sonubi, told PUNCH Metro on the telephone that the ministry had convened a meeting of orphanages in the state.

She said, “We would like to know if they are registered and when the registration was done. As for Light of Hope Orphanage, we have begun investigation. Our officials have visited the place but I will need a complete report before making any statement.

“I am aware that the accused has already been arrested. We need to take proactive measures so that the other children in the orphanage don’t suffer. For now though, we are still investigating.”

Currently, about 22 children live at the orphanage, most of whom are minors.

As at press time, it was unclear if Atunde had regained his freedom from police custody. Sources told PUNCH Metro that as of Friday last week, Atunde was still trying to perfect his bail conditions.

A source said, “I know he was still trying to fulfill his bail conditions as of Friday last week. However, I cannot say if he was successful in doing that or not.”

There was no response from the Zone Two Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Balogun. He did not reply the calls or text messages sent to his phone.

Via Punch

The incident sparked a riot as students of the institution took to the streets in anger at the killing of their colleagues by the unidentified lecturer. He was said to be driving the Pathfinder jeep that crushed the two undergraduates.

The unidentified lecturer said to be attached to the institution’s Department of Water Resources Management reportedly fled the scene immediately the accident occurred to escape being mobbed by the angry students.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said the driver of the jeep lost control of the vehicle before it rammed into the students, who were walking by the side of the road, killing them on the spot.

Other FUNAAB students allegedly set the SUV ablaze after the driver had escaped and barricaded the roads leading to the university campus.

The students also defied pleas by the policemen deployed in the area not to take the laws into their hands.

FUNAAB Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kola Adepoju who confimed the killing of the two students, said the university had declared Monday, March 18, 2013 as a lecture-free day to mourn the dead students.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident on the telephone.

He said the bodies of the victims had been deposited at a mortuary.

Meanwhile, a truck carrying granite on Thursday night crashed into 15 vehicles at Ota, Ogun State.

The truck is believed to have lost its brakes, after which the driver slammed into the vehicles.

None of the occupants of the vehicles was injured in the multiple crash.

Via Punchm

The recruitment drive by the Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, it was gathered, was a prelude to attacks they were planning to launch in the zone.

The idea is to establish cells within the South-West to coordinate attacks within the zone by identifying fundamentalists in the area.

A security source, who disclosed this, said the plan to move to the South-West, particularly Lagos, was hinged on the economic importance of the zone.

Investigations showed that the groups reasoned that attacks on the South-West would not only affect the country’s economy, but could also precipitate ethnic clashes across the country.

It was learnt that major towns the groups planned to attack included Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan and Osogbo.

Investigations showed that the planned attacks would include planting of bombs at public buildings, on roads and outright suicide bombings.

Besides Northerners living in the South-West, the groups, it was gathered, were also zeroing in on people from the zone as their potential members.

A highly placed security source told one of our correspondents that the terror organisations had hitherto found it difficult to penetrate South-West.

He said that they were targeting people from the zone with the hope that such people would assist them in establishing cells in the area. The security source told one of our correspondents that, “There is no doubt terror groups have their eyes on the South-West. Their plan is to spread their activities to the zone, which has a high Muslim population.

“People they are planning to recruit include Northerners living in the South-West as well as Yoruba that have the same religious belief with them. It is part of their plan to spread Jihad to Africa.”

It was gathered that the attacks were part of measures by the groups to protest Nigeria’s intervention in the Malian crisis.

The breakaway faction of Boko Haram, ANSARUL, had on January 19, 2013 claimed responsibility for an attack on Nigerian soldiers going to Mali.

The soldiers were attacked near Okenne, Kogi State.

In a terse statement posted by an online publication, Dessert Herald, on January 20, a leader of JAMBS, Abu Usamatal Ansary, warned Nigeria and other Africans to be ready for “more difficulties” as they embarked on restoring peace to Mali.

The statement had read, “We, members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis-Sudan, are gladly informing the general public, especially those in black Africa, that with the aid and guidance of Allah, we, on January 19, 2013 at Itape, Ekehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, successfully executed our first attempt in attacking the Nigerian troops that were aiming to demolish the Islamic Empire of Mali.

“We are equipped and waiting for any slightest attempt of Nigerian Army moving towards the Islamic Empire of Mali. And we are warning African countries to stop helping Western countries in fighting against Islam and Muslims; if not, we are sternly assuring them, particularly the Nigerian government, to be prepared and be ready to face difficulties from JAMBS anywhere and anytime. May Allah help us and grant our wishes.”

On Thursday, an operative of the State Security Service told one of our correspondents that the service was aware of the present move by the terror networks to penetrate the South-West.

The source said that the SSS and other security operatives had anticipated the high possibility of those behind the acts of terror to move beyond the northern parts of the country.

It was stated that a consciousness of that fact played a role in the recent bursting of a terror cell being sponsored by Iranians.

But another security source said there was a growing discomfort among security personnel that the arrangement put in place by the police authorities favoured the move to penetrate other parts of the country.

It was stated that the collapse of road blocks across the country in this era of terror was a security miscalculation as the decision would encourage the movement of arms and ammunition and other weapons from one part of the country to the other.

The security source stated that those behind the acts of terror could have easily taken advantage of the loose security situation in the South-West to launch similar attacks in the zone from the Sabo settlements being inhabited chiefly by northern Muslims.

Top police personalities confirmed that police authorities were aware of the plot.

However, the Force Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, was evasive as he refused to comment on what he described as a sensitive security issue.

Ex Ogun Gov.

By DAUD OLATUNJI,Abeokuta
Erstwhile Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Friday, urged the Ogun State High Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta to stay its proceeding on count 1-13 concerning criminal charges on alleged abuse of land administration filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Daniel, through his lead counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipintan disclosed that he had filed an appeal against the ruling of the Presiding judge, Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje which rejected his plea to quash.

Justice Mabekoje had struck out the application filed by Daniel which urged the court to quash count 1-13 on the ground that, the state government had maligned him by publishing the report of a panel of enquiry on land matters.

At yesterday’s proceeding which had been for the continued hearing of the 38 count charge filed against Daniel by the anti-graft commission since 2011,Daniel’s counsel said he had just filed a motion of stay of action against the court .

According to Osipintan,”the last time we were in court, there was a ruling whether to quash the count 1-13 or not,this issue has been decided by a panel .

”His lordship ruled against us, and based on advice and instructions we have appealed against the ruling, if the appeal succeds, they will not try count 1-13 but,if it is not, the trial will contnue.But, the law is that where you have raised such an appeal ,then, the court should stay the action.

” It is a routine application. It is definitely not delay tactics on our own side, we are ready for the prosecution, we are ever ready.

Reacting to Daniel’s application,the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs said it was an attempt to waste time.

” The filing of the application itself abnition, is an attempt to delay,but, let us canvass the argument before the court, we don’t want to be acussed of disrespecting the authority of the appeal court, that is why we did not press so hard today,but, let us see the papers they filed before the court of appeal.

Justice Mabekoje however, adjourned the case to March 1 to enable the defence counsel file the necessary papers in support of the application.

Via Vanguard

A middle aged man, Mr Owolabi Ismail, died on Sunday evening at Oke-Sokori area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the quarter final match between Nigeria and Ivory Coast, in the ongoing Nations Cup in South Africa.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Ismail slumped in the early minutes of the match, as a result of anoxia, the excessive intake of carbondioxide which was persistent for a longer period of time.

It was also gathered that the deceased joined other football fans to cheer the Super Eagles to victory in the knockout stage of the competition at Promise Stadium, located at Lanlepe compound, Oke-Sokori, in Abeokuta.

Owolabi, an engineer with the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Federal Ministry of Works, Abeokuta, was reported to have been rushed to a nearby hospital, Success Medical Hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Odede Kolawole, told newsmen that the deceased was brought in dead to the clinic and that efforts to revive him was unsuccessful.

He said “immediately the man was brought, he was brought in dead. From what I learnt, I was told by a close friend that he had a fatal accident about two months ago and he was treated and managed.

“It supposed to be an heart attack, because the way I saw him, he looked weak, he doesn’t look agile and healthy, he looked like someone who has been sick for a very long period of time, someone who is managing his life and now facing a lot of crowd with shortage of oxygen in that area. We call it anoxia, excessive intake of carbondioxide persistently for a longer period of time, it was late before he was brought here.”

Via Tribune

A senior police officer attached to the Ogun State Police Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told our correspondent on Sunday that the government had yet to hand over Aladeojobi to them.

He said, “It is amazing that Ogun State government has yet to hand her (Aladeojobi) over to us despite the fact that we had an understanding that they would release her to us after they might have concluded their inquiry into the incident.

“We (the police) are threading softly because the woman in question is a civil servant and that is why we followed due process again and wrote a strongly worded letter to officials of the state government to release her. They have yet to respond and this development is frustrating our investigation.”

However, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, denied the allegation that the state government was impeding police investigation.

Odubela, who confirmed that the police wrote them on the issue, said the government had replied the letter.

Odubela said, “The government is not in any way hindering the work of the police. The police actually wrote us on this issue and we responded accordingly. The government has finished its inquiry into the incident and decisions have already being made.

“The phase we are now is to implement the decisions we made which involves rehabilitating the affected pupils, meeting with the Parent-Teacher Association of the school and the other recommendations. In fact we have put the incident behind us. If the police want her (Aladeojobi), they know where to get her.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said he would not give an official comment on the issue until police concluded its investigation.

He said, “The police are working with all stakeholders involved in the incident and investigation is still ongoing. The public will be duly informed of the outcome of our findings and decisions when concluded.

Aladeojobi was said to have on December 10, 2012, carried out virginity test on a group of 10 pupils.

During the test, it was alleged that Aladeojobi, the school’s nurse, Mrs. M.B. Makinde, and another nurse whose name could not be ascertained, dipped their fingers into the pupils’ private parts.

But the matter got out of hand when one of the pupils started bleeding after she had been ‘tested’.

-Punch

Note: Story contains graphic photo some may find offensive.

Over 50 suspected vandals were, yesterday, feared dead in an explosion that rocked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,NNPC, pipeline at Arepo village, Owode, Ogun State.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the explosion came following a fire which was sparked off by some vandals who stormed the creeks by boat to siphon fuel from the NNPC pipeline.

Arepo was the scene of the killing of three NNPC officials by vandals last year. One of the survivors of yesterday’s incident was said to have participated in the officials murder. He was arrested by the police alongside a doctor who, according to a reports, was taking him to hospital for treatment. The doctor claimed he had only responded to distress calls. There were fears, last night, that damage to the pipeline could worsen petrol scarcity as it supplies the product from Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos to other South-West states.

An eyewitness account stated that the explosion came after an argument erupted between two of the vandals who were struggling to siphon fuel from the pipeline and it resulted into a heated argument that made one of them who was armed with a rifle to shoot indiscriminately into the air.

The pipeline fire at Arepo yesterday.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that bullets from the rifle hit the ruptured pipeline and led to an explosion.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit, who have been on patrol of the area, responded to the explosion.

It was in the course of the response that they made the arrests.
Those arrested included the survivor identified as Sunday Reuben and the doctor.

The source alleged that the doctor was trying to smuggle the survivor to his private clinic for treatment. The survivor, with severe burns, told Sunday Vanguard that there were more than 50 of them stealing petrol from the ruptured pipeline when the explosion took place, pleading for the rescue of his colleagues “blown away by the force of the blast and dying in the creeks.”

His claim could not be confirmed as the fire was still burning at press time thus hindering access to the place.

My story-survivor
He narrated the story of how he came to be involved in yesterday’s incident: “I was in my house when Suleiman my friend called me that there was a job at Arepo creeks. He asked me to look for a canoe and come with as many gallons as I could carry. Shortly after I arrived I saw people fighting before I heard a gunshot.

The next thing was an explosion, I was lucky that I wasn’t close to the pipeline. It was the heat of the fire that affected me. I managed to run to my boat where my mother was waiting. There were so many of us both men and women. We are more than 50 persons over there and most of us are still inside that fire. Most of them are still in the creeks dying, please help them. Iya Olabode called a doctor who was about taking me to the hospital when we were arrested by the police.”

The doctor said he acted on his oath to protect life. He explained that Iya Olabode, his customer called him to attend to a patient in her house at Abule Oba, Ikorodu area of Lagos.

“I am a family doctor to Iya Olabode for the past three years. So when she called me that there is an emergency, I quickly rushed to her house where I saw Reuben badly burnt. I advised her that we should take the man to my clinic for better treatment. We were on our way when the police accosted us.”

He further claimed that he never remembered to ask the patient how he sustained the burns.

“I forgot to ask him because I was in a hurry to save his life. I never knew that he could be a vandal because Iya Olabode is a good and respectable business woman. I am terribly sorry; I was only trying to save life.”

Confirming the arrests, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Friday Ibadin, who is in charge of the Task Force, said that the explosion started at about 2am yesterday.

“Shortly after the explosion, policemen led by Sector Commander, Lagos, DSP Onaghise Osayande, cordoned off the area to reduce casualties while they awaited the arrival of fire fighters to quench the fire. It was in the process that they stumbled into a jeep carrying one of the survivors and a medical doctor who was on his way to hospital. In the course of interrogation, we discovered that the survivor was one of those who participated in the killing of the NNPC officials last year.

One of the surviving vandals
“The taskforce arrested six suspected vandals who were alleged to have participated in the incident that led to the killing of three Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) staff at Arepo Village, Owode in Ogun State”.

Looming petrol scarcity
Meanwhile, a source close to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ogun State, which deployed its men to the scene of pipeline explosion, hinted that the NNPC had been asked to stop further supply of petrol to the pipeline to reduce the inferno.

Experts said the interruption of supply was bound to worsen fuel scarcity of petrol in the south west states.
Confirming the incident,the Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in the state, Olanrewaju Kareem, in a press statement, in Abeokuta, said there was an explosion at “the NNPC pipeline on waterways at journalists Estate, Arepo in the state”.

He said, “the fire was noted yesterday by our surveillance team posted to monitor the situation around the place.

“The fire might have been caused by vandals activities as we received an earlier call by the same surveillance team of suspicious movement around the waterways.

“Our combat team were on their way at about 8:15 am when the out-break occurred, the team was instructed to move in by commandant Aboluwoye Akinwande for possible arrests.

“However, no arrest was made as the vandals made their escape through Majidun side of the water ways.

The Corps Commandant, Aboluwoye Akinwande, was there early this morning to have on the spot assessment of the situation.

“He immediately called on NNPC to stop supply through the route. In due course, NNPC has made us to know that the fire will come down gradually”.

–

Daniel is facing 38 counts of stealing, fraudulent conversion of public lands and diversion of funds, among others in the court.

The former governor’s lead counsel, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), had last October requested the court to strike out the 13 charges which he said bordered on alleged illegal land acquisition.

Another counsel for Daniel, Tayo Oyetibo, (SAN), had last December prayed the court to strike out the charges, saying the continued hearing of the allegations against his client would amount to injustice.

He argued among others that a commission of enquiry set up by the state government had already found Daniel guilty and that the findings had been made public.

Oyetibo had argued that the state government by setting up a commission of inquiry, issuing a White Paper on its findings and giving it wide publicity, had put the court, presided over by Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje, in a very difficult situation.

But ruling on Daniel’s application on Tuesday, Mabekoje said the Commission of Inquiry, which was set up based on the Commission of Inquiry Law of Ogun State, 2006, could not be equated with a tribunal or court of law.

According to the judge, the commission findings could not be regarded as a conviction or judgment.

Mabekoje also ruled that Daniel’s position that continued hearing of land fraud charges would amount to double jeopardy was misconceived “because the accused person has not been tried or convicted by any law court.”

On the argument that the charges were an abuse of court process, the judge declared that it was an improper use of judicial process.

According to him, what the court would determine was the criminality or otherwise of charges.

He added that the setting up of a commission of inquiry by the state government was done in pursuant of an existing law of the state and that it did not amount to an abuse of court process.

Mabekoje held that the state government could not be said to have acted in contempt of the court, stressing that the commission was set up before the information was filed before the court.

The judge also ruled that it would be wrong to argue that Daniel had been found guilty in the instant case since the matter had not been adjudicated upon by any competent court of law.

He said, “Since the applicant has also made an attempt at a court of coordinate jurisdiction to quash the findings of the Commission of Inquiry, it is my view that the findings and the said publication have no effect on this court.

“The issues dealt with by the commission are different from the live case before this court and there is no justifiable evidence to support the argument that the publication is capable of causing double jeopardy on the applicant.

“There is no basis to the orders sought by the applicant and it will be unjust and unreasonable to grant the application. I therefore make an order dismissing the application.”
-Punch

An early morning jail break in Sagamu, Ogun state yesterday led to the escape of 20 inmates of the prison. During the melee that trailed the jailbreak, many of the inmates as well as prison officials were seriously injured. Saturday Sun gathered that many inmates were killed during the jailbreak which caught the authorities unaware.

During the revolt, many dangerous weapons including missiles were freely used prompting the authorities to draft in members of the armed squad to quel the riot. A large hole was dug on the prison wall through which they escaped after a stimulated revolt by the prisoners. As a result of the development, many of the prison officials who were suspected to have connived with some inmates were already being interrogated by the police.

The Controller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Mr. Zakari Ohinoyi Ibrahim, who confirmed the jailbreak after an unscheduled visit, told journalists that four of the runaway prisoners had been re-arrested and brought back to the prison. He also disclosed that an investigation team had been constituted to ascertain the remote causes of the jailbreak.

His words: “The essence of the visit is a follow-up to the seriousness we attach to the issue of security because security is one of our major mandates in the prisons and this administration has said it over and over again that we would not tolerate any breach of security, especially when it points at any form of negligence. “If it goes beyond administrative negligence with criminality, we’ll bring in the police and other sister agencies responsible so that we prove that we’ll not tolerate any lack of commitment to job, especially the one that touches on security.

“So, we have some issues here and that’s why I’m here. The issue is that there have been some escapes here. So, I came personally and even before coming I’ve sent a high-powered team here and I’m following up to ensure that the right thing is done and that any staff found culpable would face the full wrath of the law which will include dismissal and prosecution. “What I can tell you now, because full investigation is on, is we have about 20 escapees and some of them have been arrested now and full investigation is on.

About four of them have been arrested. But what you must just go with now is that any staff that is found culpable would be dealt with accordingly.” He refused to confirm casualty figure, saying: “Don’t worry, I’ve told you investigation is on and you should also know that when there is an incident like this, there should be full investigation. Investigations are on. I’ve addressed the staff and I’ve told them we would not give room for half commitment. “The commitment has to be full, total and even with the situation we have in the country now, we would not want anybody who would unnecessarily want to embarrass us because if you are not ready, you move. There is no choice.

You either remain and go by the law and work hard with full commitment. We are fully committed to this job and we want to work as a team but if you want to distract us or bring things that would embarrass us, we’ll tell you to go. But it will be better for those who don’t want to stay to go than for us to push them out because we are serious. Security is not something that we’ll play with at all.” According to him, the launched investigations would assist the authorities to determine a lot of things.

“External influence? Investigations would prove that. In terms of the structure, you can see the wall is solid and on top we have fence wire. Everything is okay but we are talking about the human beings now, the human factor and I’m telling you that if investigation indicts any person that has not done his job the way he’s supposed to do it, it can lead to dismissal and even prosecution and the person may change uniform”, he stated.