TheNewsGuru

Tag: Residents

  • COVID-19: Policeman caught on camera counting N40k bribe from resident arrested during lockdown in Lagos [VIDEO]

    COVID-19: Policeman caught on camera counting N40k bribe from resident arrested during lockdown in Lagos [VIDEO]

    A video of a policeman caught on camera counting a N40,000 bribe he collected from a motorist has surfaced online. The policeman attached to the Ago Palace Divisional Police Station, identified as Taloju Martins, was seen counting the N40,000:00 bribe money he collected from a resident of the area.

    According to the video uploaded on Twitter by popular Nigerian rapper Ruggedman, the officer arrested some residents of the area who had gone to stock up food and other household items on Friday morning. He seized their car keys and delayed them till 5 pm. However, when there seems to be no respite coming their way, the residents started going in him to meet the officer who later demanded N50,000 each from them.

    According to the resident who later negotiate and parted away with N40,000:00, the officer insisted that the DPO would get her share of the bribe money, hence the insistence on N50,000 or nothing.

    Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command was yet to issue any statement as at the time of filing this report.

    Watch full video below:

    https://twitter.com/RuggedyBaba/status/1249012582624747525?s=20

  • Lockdown: Hungry residents demand food in protest, 20 arrested

    Lockdown: Hungry residents demand food in protest, 20 arrested

    Residents of a slum area in the Philippine capital on Wednesday staged a protest to demand relief goods amid a month-long coronavirus lockdown that has left many of them without work.

    The protest forced the police to break the picket up and arrest 20 of the protesters.

    The residents of the district of San Roque in the suburban Manila city of Quezon assembled along a highway near their shantyhouses, claiming they have not been given any food packs and other relief supplies since the lockdown began more than two weeks ago.

    Village security officers and police urged the residents to go back to their homes, but they refused, a police report said.

    Police broke the picket up and arrested 20 of the protesters, the report added.

    Jocy Lopez, 47, who led the group of residents, said they were forced to stage the protest because their families were going hungry.

    “We are here to call for help because of hunger.

    “We have not been given food, rice, groceries or cash.

    “We have no work. Who do we turn to?,” she said before she was arrested.

    Activist groups condemned the arrest and urged the government to fast-track the release of cash assistance promised under a 200-billion-peso (4-billion-dollar) social protection programme to help poor families and those who lost work amid the lockdown.

    “Using excessive force and detention will not quell the empty stomachs of Filipinos who up to this day remain denied of the promised … cash aid for the poor,” warned women’s rights group Gabriela.

  • COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu rolls out economic stimulus for residents

    Few days after the Lagos State Government issued a stay-at-home directive to residents, in order to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled economic stimulus package for the indigent and the most vulnerable in the society.

    The stimulus, which comes in food packs, to be distributed to every local government in the State is aimed at cushioning the effect of the fourteen days stay-at-home directive.

    Speaking after an on-the-spot assessment of one of the State-owned food banks, located inside the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Agege, Sanwo-Olu said the economic stimulus will reduce the burden of the temporary economic downturn on the citizens caused by the outbreak of COVID-19.

    The Governor said the food packs, which were put together by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives will reach the most vulnerable communities and households across Lagos, saying that the indigents who rely on daily wages will be given priority.

    He said: ‘‘We are here for an on-the-spot assessment, of our readiness, to see how we can fast track some of our stimulus package for our citizens. We are all aware that this is a trying time for our citizens and since the partial drop in economic activities, our government deemed it necessary to reach out to the vulnerable ones in the society. These people are those that fall below the pyramid, the aged and the physically challenged who need to move from one part of the city to another for them to have a living. We felt that as a government, the least we can do is to identify them and give them these stimulus packages immediately.’’

    The Governor stated that the package will touch at least 200,000 thousand households in the first phase, saying the food packs are produced for a size of six people per household and would last for at least fourteen days.

    “We have packaged dry food stimulus for about two hundred thousand families in the first instance for a household of husband, wife and about four children. We would be giving bags of rice, bags of beans, garri, bread, dry pepper and we are trying to see if we can add water and some elements of vitamin C. Each ration, we believe is going to be able to last them at least minimum 14 days just so our advocacy around stay at home, stay with your loved ones will be respected.

    “This is a catalytic initiative of our administration with the hope that well-meaning corporate organisations and private individuals can step up to complement the efforts of the government’’ Sanwo-Olu said.

    The Commissioner of Agriculture, Prince Gbolahan Lawal earlier said the Government would be working with the existing database of the state – using the Lagos State Social register and 4000 community development association register in 377 wards.

    He said the economic stimulus is part of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s initiatives tailored towards ensuring that food security is sustained in Lagos.

  • Lagos Explosion: Sanwo-Olu orders distribution of masks to residents

    Hours after the fire explosion at the Abule Ado area of Lagos, the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has advised residents in the affected area to make safety their priority, urging them to maintain a safe distance from the scene of the explosion and fire as the site is still live.

    The Governor also instructed the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to immediately release personal safety equipment such as face and nose protection masks to be distributed to first responders, residents of the affected area and all safety workers at the ground zero. The safety equipment had been delivered.

    Recall that an explosion rocked the Western part of the State in the early hours of Sunday morning, leading to fire incident with attendant effects on the atmosphere.

    Safety agencies in the State were immediately mobilised to the scene of the incident to contain the fire and keep the residents safe.

    The perimeter of the fire incident is under control.

    A statement by the Governor’s chief press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile said the Governor sent the protective equipment to the affected site to prevent any form of medical hazard such as respiratory infections by the residents who may unknowingly inhale toxic substances from the explosion.

    The Governor noted that in a situation like this, there would be a lot of unhealthy substances, gas particulate matters that can affect people’s lungs.

    Sanwo-Olu however reiterated the need for the residents to maintain a safe distance as practicable to avoid breathing in polluted air.

    Meanwhile, combined safety teams of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA); the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA); the State Safety Commission; the Lagos State Fire Service; the Lagos State Ambulance Services(LASAMBUS), as well as the Nigerian Civil Defence (NSCDC), the Nigerian Navy and the military are among the State and Federal agencies that swiftly moved to the scene of the incident to ensure the safety of residents.

  • Residents lament losses in Lagos pipeline explosion[PHOTOS/VIDEOS]

    Residents lament losses in Lagos pipeline explosion[PHOTOS/VIDEOS]

    Residents in Abule Ado have lamented over the loss of lives and properties following an explosion that occurred at about 9.00am on Sunday

    The explosion has thrown residents of the area into a state of panic and chaos, TheNewsGuru reports.

    A resident in that area told TheNewsGuru that he was on his way to church when the explosion occurred.

     

    Another resident identified as Kola said he thought rapture had taken pace when he heard the sound of the explosion.

    “I thought rapture had taken place when I heard the sound. It’s indeed a terrible Sunday. This reminds me of the Ikeja explosion that occurred in lagos years ago”, he told TheNewsGuru.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9wg4oEjhq1/

    Our correspondent who visited the scene of the sad occurrence gathered that a hotel was affected by the explosion, a church was affected and also the Bethlehem Girls College in the area was affected by the blast.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9whL6djAmY/

    Members of the Lagos State Fire Service were trying to put out the inferno as at the time of filing this report.

     

  • [VIDEO] BREAKING: Angry residents boo Buhari in Maiduguri

    President Muhammdu Buhari was booed on Wednesday by residents of Maiduguri during his sympathy visit to the area.

    According to reports, residents of the metropolis, who came out early, lined up on both sides of the road along the airport way, expressed their disapproval by booing Buhari’s convoy, shouting in Hausa, ‘Ba ma so’ roughly means: ‘we don’t like it.’ They were apparently referring to his visit.

    Buhari landed in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to pay a sympathy visit to the government and people of the State, following the recent horrific incident in which Boko Haram terrorists killed several travellers.

    President Buhari left Abuja last Friday to attend the Thirty-third (33rd) Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa.

    President Buhari, in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, commiserated with family of victims of attacks in Maiduguri, assured them that his administration will continually frustrate the devilish operations of Boko Haram, and bring it to an end. The President said his administration is ever determined to frustrate their goal to hold Nigeria to ransom.

    “The commitment of this administration to protect the lives of Nigerians will not be derailed by the cowardly and indiscriminate violence against innocent people by Boko Haram terrorists,’’ he said, while reacting to recent attacks in Maiduguri.

    The President Buhari, who also condoled with the government of the state, warned “that terrorists are clearly on a back foot and their days are numbered’’. “As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed.

    The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our armed forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of humanity,’’ President Buhari said. Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday night killed 30 passengers from dozens of travellers that were forced to pass the night in Auno, a community 25 kilometres away from Maiduguri.

    Some of the victims, including a mother and an infant, were reportedly burnt beyond recognition by a fire from a petrol tanker set ablaze by the terrorists. Witnesses said the terrorists, suspected to be loyal to Abubakar Shekau, also abducted 22 people and burnt 18 vehicles and properties worth millions of naira. Besides attacking the travellers, the insurgents also burnt shops and residential houses, witnesses said. The onslaught on Auno reportedly took place at around 9.50 pm when hundreds of travellers who were stopped by soldiers manning the road around 4.45 pm on Sunday were asleep.

     

  • Baby Factories: Lagos sends strong cautious messages to residents

    Baby Factories: Lagos sends strong cautious messages to residents

    In the wake of the recent discovery of baby factories by security agencies within the State, the Lagos State Government has appealed to residents to be security conscious and report any suspicious activities within their neighbourhood.

    This was contained in an official statement issued by the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu in his office on Monday.

    According to the Commissioner, the task of building a civil society is a collective responsibility, as such every Lagosian must rise up in ensuring that those who would want to tarnish the image of the state through unscrupulous activities must be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.

    “As citizens of a progressive society, it must be our utmost duty to protect the civility of our locality by reaching out to relevant authorities each time we perceive any infraction on the peace and safety of the state,” he disclosed.

    He pointed out that since the baby factories operates within neighborhoods, sincere co-operation between residents and security agencies is expedient in tackling this menace.

    Speaking further, Mr. Dawodu said such inhumane business cannot be allowed to thrive in a society where the peace and tranquility of people is the ultimate desire of government, stressing that such operation has a negative impact on our collective decency.

    While commending the security agencies in the state for their resilience and swift responses towards making the state habitable for all, the Commissioner assured them that the government will not renege on its promise in supporting them for optimal performance.

    Olusegun implored parents and guardians to live up to their God-given role of caring for and protecting their children and wards so they do not become vulnerable to social abuses, adding that the State Government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development will continue to promote ideal environment to safeguard the rights of Lagosians.

    He, therefore, warned all who still operate illegal orphanages and baby factories to stay off the state or face the full wrath of the law.

  • VIDEO: See the gory state of what used to be the Benin- Warri expressway. You will be shocked

    Road users at the Benin-Warri Express axis have expressed their displeasure over the sorry state of the road and its attendant consequential effect on their daily routines.

    TNG reports that the Benin-Warri Express Road is part of the East West that links Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.

    According to the road users, a journey of 45 minutes to one hour (Benin to Warri) now takes over six to 12 hours due to the deplorable state of the road.

    A angry road user who spoke to TNG in confidence said: “The federal government has refused to listen to the cry of the people and government of Delta State there to urgently fix the road. Attempt by the state government to fix it was rebuffed by the the federal ministry of works led by Raji Fashola. The deplorable state of the road has brought further hardships to people who ply it daily to make ends meet. The government should do something urgently. ”

    However, reports reaching TNG has it that the state government has commenced palliative work to help to cushion the hardship now daily visited on the people.

    Watch video below:

     

  • Residents, traders protest indiscriminate location of gas stations in Ondo

    Residents, traders protest indiscriminate location of gas stations in Ondo

    Residents and traders in Akure took to the streets on Saturday to protest what they called indiscriminate location of gas stations in their neighbourhood.

    The protesting residents and traders, mainly from Ireakari and Temidire quarters at the popular Roadblock area of Akure, alleged that petrol dealers attempted to erect two more gas stations near an existing one.

    They said that the step could lead to fire incident capable of consuming the entire neighborhood.

    According to one of the protesters, Mr Abayomi Ajijola-Ajofe, a youth leader, the protest was triggered by a midnight inferno, which occurred behind the proposed site of a new gas station, 24 hours ago.

    “We are protesting because we don’t want any more gas stations in our area, we have one already and that is okay.

    “We fear fire incident that could consume our houses if another one is located here. We are concerned about our safety, the one we have already is okay.

    “Therefore, we the youths will take unpleasant actions against the dealers of the proposed gas stations if they continue with the construction.

    “We learnt that one government agency has given them license or permission to operate, we will not take that. They should withdraw the licence now or else, we will make this area unpleasant for them,” Ajijola-Ajofe said.

    The chairman of Temidire landlords, Mr Ibrahim Adeuyi, called on the Ondo State Government and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to withdraw the certificate of allocation of gas stations in the area.

    Adeuyi, who noted that a plank market was located behind the proposed gas station, pointed out that locating gas stations in residential areas would be prone to fire incidents.

    A trader, Mr Kazeem Jinadu, said residents would resist any attempt by the petrol dealers to induce officials of the DPR or that of the state government to approve such new gas stations at the Roadblock axis of the town.

    Mrs Jumoke Akinsele, a plank trader among the protesters, said that nobody would be safe again if new gas or filling stations were allowed to be located in the area.

    “We plank sellers here appealed to our baba (father), Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to stop the location of another gas station beside a filling station and a house that was on fire yesterday.

    “Most of us are widows, this is where we get money to feed our children and send them to school, we don’t want fire to consume our markets,” she said.

    Mrs Eunice Akeju, another plank seller who also spoke with journalists, said it was unacceptable to have three gas stations in a such an area.

    “We discovered recently that another gas station is about to be located around us here, we are protesting against this. We have a gas station, we also have petrol stations there, and that is why we are saying that we don’t want another one here because of our safety,” Akeju said.

    The residents said they had written a petition to the state government and the DPR not to allow another gas station in the area again.

    Meanwhile, one of the victims of fire incident, Mrs Monisola Adewumi, pleaded with the state government to come to her aid as she took loan to set up her business.

    Adewumi, who was crying profusely, appealed to well meaning individuals to assist her and other victims of the inferno.

    An eyewitness also told newsmen that the fire which started in the night, gutted five rooms and shops with three big deep freezers, four big generators and other electronic appliances worth millions of naira.

    The Newd Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that last week, the Federal Government, through officials of the DPR, in conjunction with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, started clamping down on illegal “roadside dealers” of cooking gas, originally known as Liquefied Petroleum Gas, to prevent fires.

  • [Special Report] Election deferral: Lagos residents lament loss

    Many Nigerians were shocked last Saturday when they woke up to the news that the general elections had been postponed.

    TheNewGuru recalls that the Independent National Electoral in the early hours of the day when the presidential, Senate and House of Representatives membership elections were to hold, announced the postponement of the exercise by one week – a postponement from February 16 to February 23.

    An array of Lagos residents told TheNewsGuru on Wednesday that the election postponement had destabilized them because it has clashed with their earlier schedules and made them lose money.

    A photographer and digital media expert, Odunola Abayomi said she was supposed to have a couple of photo shoots, but the botched election affected the shoots, adding that it has also affected her income.

    “I was supposed to have a couple of photo shoots on the 26th of February but had to postpone some to the next Saturday because of the election. Now with the election postponement, those photo shoots will be affected; it has inadvertently affected my anticipated financial gains for these couple of weeks. We hope and pray that there won’t be a re-occurrence”.

    Lamenting also, Mr Wale Sarumi, a sound engineer said it affected him immensely. He added that he was supposed to render his service at a wedding ceremony but the unexpected postponement affected his pay.

    “It affected me because I was meant to render my service at a wedding ceremony. I had already budgeted how I intended to spend the money. We were also meant to have a job on the 23rd of February now the election postponement has affected it. It has also affected a loan I am meant to pay. It’s a sad situation”, he told TheNewsGuru.

     

    On her part, Chichi Amadi Moses, a boutique owner lamented the disruption and it’s effect on her business and her customers.

    “Most of my customers travelled with the intention to go and vote. They couldn’t stay in Lagos to patronize us. It affected my sales drastically. INEC ought to have informed us few days before the election. The decision was just too sudden”.

    Also, Mr Abiodun Oyetunji of AGS 247 Logistics said the postponement affected the goods that were meant to be transported to other states across Nigeria.

    “It affected our logistics business in the sense that the goods that were meant to be transported to other states across Nigeria on Saturday had to be postponed for Monday. The postponement disrupted our plans, shipment days disrupted, customer’s goods not arriving early etc. It’s an avoidable postponement. We hope such won’t repeat itself come next Saturday”.

    TheNewsGuru reports that in 2011, INEC postponed the general elections by two days due to the late arrival of electoral materials in some parts of the country.

    On April 2, 2011, voting had started in some areas before the then Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced cancellation and postponement of the exercise citing non-availability of materials to conduct the polls in some places.