Lagos seals 27 buildings in Lekki over illegal development

 

The Lagos State Government on Friday intensified its efforts to rid the State of illegal and unapproved building construction as it sealed 27 residential and commercial buildings in Lekki.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, while supervising the sealing of the erring structures, said the buildings, most of which were in use, were either built without planning permit or built without conforming to their approval order.

He emphasised that the area, being a physical development hub in the State, must not be allowed to be defaced with illegal developments, stressing that all physical developments in Lekki and other areas of the State must conform to the planning laws of the State.

Salako reiterated that it was by enforcing strict compliance to laws and regulations that the pervasive incidence of illegal and unapproved buildings could be stopped.

“It is by so doing that we could protect the Operative Development Plans of Lagos State and sustain an orderly, organised and livable environment,” he said.

Salako urged those buying or renting landed properties to ensure that such properties had planning permits and Certificate of Fitness for habitation in order to avoid their property being sealed.

The enforcement exercise is the continuation of the efforts commenced some weeks back to eliminate the menace of illegal buildings and sanitize the built environment of Lagos State.

- PM NEWS

Ortom threatens to jail herdsmen who establish vigilante group

 

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says herdsmen who create any vigilante group in the state will be jailed.

In July, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore said it will establish a vigilante security outfit across the country to protect herdsmen from cattle rustlers.

In a statement on Thursday through Terver Akase, his chief press secretary, Ortom said the state does not need a vigilante group from Miyetti Allah.

“No Fulani group will come to Benue state where I am the governor. You people know that it is a lie; they cannot come,” the governor said.

“No room for them to establish vigilante group in whatever kind. When I confronted them, they said they would not use the vigilante group of Nigeria. That one will not operate here.

“We have our own vigilante that operates here; we have community policing in which we are recruiting now and livestock guard that takes care of herdsmen in active support with security men.

“So, no single vigilante group of Miyetti Allah will come to Benue state to make any noise here. For us in Benue state, we believe in the rule of law and we will jail them.”

Earlier in the month, Ortom had asked the federal government to allow “responsible” Nigerians to be in possession of “sophisticated weapons” like AK-47.

He said if citizens are well armed, they can defend themselves when they are under attack by bandits.

- THECABLE

‘Frustrated’ man commits suicide in Port Harcourt

 A man identified as Chinedu Peter Ogwa has committed suicide in Wokoma Street in Mile Three Diobu area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital

The 45 years old Ogwa, who hailed from Ebonyi State, was reported to have dropped a written note for his family after taking a substance that was believed to be responsible for his death.

The wife of the victim, Chidinma Ogwa, who spoke to newsmen, said her husband recently developed a frustrated attitude after he complained how he had been abandoned by friends and relatives because of his current situation.

Chidinma, while recalling the last time she talked with her husband, said she never had any quarrel with him before he took his life.

“On Monday afternoon, he called me to ask what we were having for dinner, I told him not to bother that I’ve prepared dinner already that he should come home.

“By the time he returned, I was washing. So he stood by me and started talking about his intention to consume rat poison. I asked why he would harbour such an intention. He said he doesn’t know what was wrong with him that everything he does no longer yield any result. That his business is not going well.

“He said he had the rat poison in his pocket but after that conversation, he said he did not think he would take poison anymore.

“Days later as I returned from Bible Study with my children, we got into the house and decided to put on the generator. As my 12 years old daughter went to change over, she just screamed that ‘mummy come and see my daddy’. We got to see him where he was lying lifeless with foam in his mouth and he had defecated on his body. So I called out my neighbours who accompanied me to the police station.

“We later discovered a note he dropped for me. In that note, he wrote that me and his children should forgive him that he was frustrated because for 15 years since he started business he had been struggling. He also wrote the pin code for his phone and listed places I should go to recover some of the things he owned,” Chidinma said.

The incident has been reported at the Mile 1 Police Station while the Rivers State Police Command is yet to react to the development.

- DAILY POST

AIB recovers black box, says crashed helicopter flew in from Port Harcourt

 

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has recovered the black box of the helicopter that crashed into a residential building in the Ikeja area of Lagos state.

The AIB officials deployed to Salvation road, Opebi, where the accident occurred, recovered the device around 3pm on Friday.

The helicopter, a Bell 206, with registration number 5N BQW belongs to Quorum Aviation, an air transportation and logistics company, came in from Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital with two crew members and a passenger.

Tunji Oketunbi, general manager, public affairs of the AIB, said investigation has also commenced.

Two people were confirmed dead after the helicopter crashed into the residential building while another person who sustained injuries was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, for treatment.

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), who were drafted to the scene of the accident for rescue, are currently moving the wreckage away.

Ibrahim Farinloye, acting coordinator, Lagos territorial office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),  said the accident occurred while the helicopter was returning from training in Port Harcourt.

Here are pictures from the scene of the accident.

- THECABLE

Aggrieved northern lawyers exit NBA, form new association — after el-Rufai snub

 

Some aggrieved northern members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have pulled out of the group; alleging that the legal body is biased.

The lawyers say they have constituted a new group called New Nigerian Bar Association (NNBA).

This is a fallout of the controversy that ensued after the NBA withdrew its invitation to Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna state governor, following a petition against the governor.

Some lawyers had kicked against the choice of the governor, saying the invitation is a “reward for misrule” and alleged that el-Rufai has abused the rights of Nigerians on several occasions.

Another group of lawyers had also called on the NBA to withdraw its invitations to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, as speakers for its annual conference — but the request was turned down.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) described the NBA’s action as a declaration of war.

In a statement, the new association said recent developments within NBA have generated increased concern which necessitated their withdrawal from the association.

It said the incidents have “exposed the inability of the NBA to manage and contain the heterogeneity of its members as well as their various interests”.

“Its penal powers has been deployed discriminatively on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism,” the statement read.

“As a body of lawyers who have undergone training towards ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights and liberties, the NBA is supposed to live above sentiments, regionalism and discrimination on any basis and of any kind. Therefore, the NBA cannot afford to be seen not to be upholding the rights and freedom of its own members if at all, it should be seen to be practising what it preaches.

“The New Nigerian Bar Association have been watching the activities of the NBA, an association we all looked forward to joining with high hopes before being called to the Nigerian Bar, forcing idiosyncrasies of few on the majority of its members, especially in recent times.

“No wonder, NBA NEC, which is the highest decision-making organ of the association failed to uphold the fundamental principles of fair hearing which in itself, is the fundamental aspect of Rule of Law, on the allegations against the Executive Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai as were contained in a petition by Chidi Odinkalu Esq. a long time foe of His Excellency and a lawyer of eastern extraction, but the NBA failed to extend the same treatment to Southern invitees who were also petitioned and are also alleged to have committed similar or more human rights abuses than those alleged against Mallam El-Rufai.”

The new association said NBA mandatory membership is against the provisions of the constitution which recognises freedom of membership of every association, as provided in section 40.

The lawyers said their interests are no longer taken into consideration in major decisions of the NBA hence the formation of the new association.

“A cursory chronicle of the membership composition of major organs of the NBA would reveal lopsided representation despite having large numbers of lawyers from all parts of the country and especially northern Nigeria who have diligently paid their bar practising fees and have distinguished themselves in the legal profession,” it read.

“The New Nigerian Bar Association feel that lawyers, as professionals like doctors and accountants should have more than one association regulated by the general council of the bar.

“The legal practitioners’ act (LPA) which regulates the legal profession in Nigeria did not establish the NBA. In fact, the NBA was established as an incorporated trustee by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

“It is no longer gainsaying that a group of lawyers can freely join any lawful association for the protection of their rights and interests as lawyers and citizens of Nigeria pursuant to the above-cited section 40 of the constitution.

“Even section 1 of the LPA, which seemingly conscripted all lawyers in Nigeria to mandatory membership of NBA is, for all intents and purposes, at loggerheads with Section 40 of the constitution which makes the former null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

- THECABLE

Osimhen nets hat-trick in Napoli debut

 

Victor Osimhen grabbed a hat-trick in the first eight minutes as a Napoli player, as they beat L’Aquila 11-0 in a friendly match.

The Serie A club began preseason with a mini-tournament against L’Aquila and Castel di Sangro.

The first game against Castel di Sangro ended 10-0.

Napoli head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, switched up things for the second friendly, starting Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne behind Osimhen.

Insigne scored a hat-trick two, while Mertens and Lozano netted twice each.

Osimhen moved to the Italian club this summer from Lille.

- DAILY POST

Identities of Lagos helicopter crash victims reveals

 

The identities of victims of the helicopter crash in a residential part of Opebi in Lagos State on Friday afternoon have been revealed.

A statement released by Quorum Company, owners of the helicopter, said the three victims were crew members.

The company said that the light helicopter with registration Number 5N-BQW was flying from Port-Harcourt to Lagos before it crashed.

It also stated that nobody in the building was hurt or injured in the unfortunate incident.

“As soon as we received news of the accident, we promptly informed the aviation authorities, Accident Investigation Bureau AIB and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“However, prior reports revealed that of the three souls on board, two of the crew members lost their lives whilst the third one is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.

“We have been made to understand that nobody in the building, nor in the vicinity was injured for which we are grateful.

“Also, in accordance with aviation regulations, the AIB has taken over the investigation process.

“We hereby ask members of the public to await the outcome of the investigation.

“We also express our heartfelt condolences to the families of the crew who lost their loved ones in this tragic and unfortunate accident,” the statement said.

- DAILY POST