Pandemonium engulfed Ekololu, a community in the Surulere area of Lagos, on Monday night when the back tyres of a tanker transporting fuel to a Conoil filling station burst into flames near the station.
A correspondent who resides in the area reports that the explosion of the tyres and the ensuing billows of smoke made residents living near the filling station to flee for safety.
Observations revealed that staff from the filling station hurried out with fire extinguishers to combat the fire, which erupted around 9:00 p.m., just a few meters from the station’s entrance.
Emergency responders, including Federal and State Fire Services, as well as the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), swiftly arrived at the scene following distress calls from the community.
Upon arrival, the emergency teams assessed the unregistered truck carrying the petrol and raised concerns about safety measures while questioning the driver and filling station management.
They provided guidance and oversaw the safe discharge of the fuel using a long hose to transfer the petroleum product from the stranded tanker into the filling station’s reservoirs.
The Station Manager of the Conoil filling station, Mr Kunle Oniya, informed the emergency responders that the station possessed 20 fire extinguishers, which were promptly utilised to contain the fire and prevent its spread.
The incident led to a traffic gridlock, with vehicles unable to move in the area for nearly an hour.
Some residents shared their experiences of the ordeal.
A resident, Malam Shehu, recounted abandoning his dinner upon witnessing the fiery explosion.
He expressed gratitude that the fire was contained before causing further damage.
Another resident, simply known as Iya Abigail, described hearing people shouting while she was playing games, prompting her to flee in confusion wearing her nightclothes.
She prayed for continued safety in the community.
An elderly resident, who preferred anonymity, urged filling stations in the area to prioritise safety and the welfare of residents.
She noted that filling stations typically had insurance against fire and other disasters and suggested extending such coverage to vulnerable buildings in their host communities.
Recalling the chaotic events, she said that she heard the sound of an emergency whistle to alert the neighbourhood before hastily evacuating her home.
“I was watching TV and when the incidence occurred, I had to blow the emergency whistle to alert the neighborhood but I quickly dressed up before running out of the house,” she said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC), Candidate, Mr Fuad Laguda, winner of the Surulere Federal Constituency I by-election in Lagos State.
Recalls that Laguda had in the build-up to the election, said he would succeed Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, who after winning in the 2023 general election, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu as his Chief of Staff.
Declaring the winner at INEC Office at 9.04.p.m., the Returning Officer for the Surulere Federal Constituency I by-election, Prof. Adebayo Oladipo of the University of Lagos, said that Laguda polled 11, 203 votes to defeat other candidates that contested in the election.
According to him, the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Jerry Afemighie, came a distant second with 278 votes while the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Adeola Adebanjo polled 240 to come a distant third.
He said that African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 40 votes, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), polled six votes, Allied People’s Movement (APM) scored seven votes while Action People’s Party (APP) got four votes.
Oladipo added that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored two votes; Young Progressives Party(YPP) nine votes; Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), four votes; while the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) got eight votes.
The returning officer said the total number of registered voters in the constituency was 140,377 while the total number of accredited voters was 11,943.
According to him, the total valid vote cast is 11,801, the total rejected vote is 138 while the total votes is 11, 939.
Oladipo declared: “I, Prof. Simeon Adebayo Oladipo, hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2024 Surulere I Federal Constituency by-election held on the third Day of February, 2024.
“The election was contested.
“That Laguda Kayode Fuad of APC having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected.”
Agents of various political parties that contested in the election signed the election results one after the other.
The declaration was carried out under heavy security presence.
Twelve candidates of different political parties scrambled for 121,111 votes of registered voters with Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the election.
The seat became vacant due to the resignation of the former occupant, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, who after winning, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu as his Chief of Staff.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State has published the notice of the Surulere Federal Constituency I bye-election as required by law.
Mrs Adenike Oriowo, INEC Public Affairs Officer in Lagos State, told NAN on Friday that the notice was pasted on Thursday at the commission’s headquarters in Sabo-Yaba for public viewing.
“The notice has also been posted at the commission’s Surulere Local Government Area Office.
“Section 28 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that this should be done not later than 14 days before the election,” Oriowo added.
She said that INEC had commenced implementation of activities and timetable for the elections.
The spokesperson added that INEC’s preparations were on top gear to ensure strict adherence to relevant laws and guidelines for the poll.
According to her, the commission will not fail to deliver a credible bye-election in the constituency.
Recall that INEC has fixed Feb. 3, 2024 for the conduct of re-run and by-elections in nine states, including Surulere Federal Constituency in Lagos State.
According to the time-table for the poll, conduct of party primary elections including resolution of disputes that may arise from the primary elections has been fixed to hold between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9.
The public campaigns by political parties will commence on Jan. 18 and end on Feb. 1.
The Surulere seat became vacant due to the resignation of the former occupant, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, who after winning, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu as his Chief of Staff.
The Chief of Staff to President Nola Tinubu, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has endorsed Mr Fuad Laguda, a former chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Surulere Local Government, to succeed him at the House of Representatives.
Gbajabiamila, the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, endorsed Laguda at an empowerment programme he organised for residents of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to reports, no fewer than 50 vehicles were distributed to beneficiaries at the programme.
The Chief of Staff said he was backing Laguda out of all APC aspirants for the forthcoming Surulere 1 Federal Constituency re-run election because he believed the former APC chairman would represent the constituency well if elected.
“In the next few weeks, the House of Representatives re-run election will hold in this constituency. The people of this great constituency will elect someone to succeed me at the House of Representatives.
“All the people that have indicated interest to secure the ticket of the party are my brothers: they are all part of my political family.
“However, the vacant seat can only be occupied by just one person. It is only one person that can represent the constituency and we are going to be choosing that person in the next few weeks.
“Personally, Fuad Laguda is my choice and I have endorsed him and let me also add that the governor has also endorsed him so have all the elders of the party.
“In fact, the overall leader of the party, you already know the person I am talking about has endorsed him.
“I did not just endorse Laguda for nothing. I was in the House of representatives for over 20 years, so I know what it takes to be a legislator and I know what it requires to be there and achieve results.
“We need someone to carry on with all the great things we achieved for Surulere and I don’t have any doubts in my mind that Fuad Laguda is capable and will do well if elected,” he said.
He urged residents to vote for APC in the re-run election to continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
The chief of staff said he organised the empowerment to impact lives in Surulere and to show appreciation to the people for their support over the years.
He said his current position as the chief of staff would not stop him from connecting with the people at all times.
Speaking, Mr Cornelius Ojelabi, APC Chairman in Lagos State, thanked Gbajabiamila for organising the empowerment programme.
He said the programme showed that the chief of staff cared so much about the people of Surulere.
“So when you are voting in the re-run election, vote the candidate of APC. Remember all the great things Gbajabiamila has done in Surulere and vote for the continuation of democratic dividends,” he said.
Minister of Sports Development, Sen. John Enoh, on Thursday could not hide his emotion over the sorry state of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, saying, “I weep for this place, I earnestly weep.”
TheMinister was on a facility tour of the stadium to have a first hand information on the iconic sports centre built in 1973.
According to reports, it took the minister almost three hours to go round every facility in the stadium; from the entrance to the mainbowl, the hostel, boxing, wrestling, para and athletics gyms.
The minister also visited the tennis court, swimming pool arena, media room where a programme was ongoing, indoor sports hall, table tennis hall, among others.
Enoh, after the inspection, addressed the press at the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) Boardroom where he expressed his reservations and decried the parlous state of the 55-seater capacity stadium.
“Today, I am here at National Stadium, Surulere. The facility, I weep for; I earnestly weep for this place.
“I have gone round and have seen different sports and I have had the chance to watch a live game of basketball at the indoor sports hall sponsored by an individual.
“I made a brief comment and said that private sector is the way to grow sports, while government only needs to give direction.
“This country is greatly indebted to personalities like Alhaji Aliko Dangote for using his personal funds to fix MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, and Sir Kessington Adebutu’s efforts to fix National Stadium, Surulere,” he said.
Enoh added: “I can imagine how it would have been if I found this place in a mess without the electronic scoreboard, tartan track and the field of the stadium not fixed.
“The state of the stadium would have been worse, and I could have wept more. This facility is the one used for the All African Games in 1973, but it has gone through a lot.
“This state of the stadium shouldn’t be a symbol of our sport, especially in a city referred to as ‘Sport City.’
“I am glad that the process towards the eventual concessioning of this facility has gone far, and if that is what is going to take this facility back to its lost glory, I will endorse it 100 per cent.
“I was also told about the botched maintenance of MKO Abiola Stadium agreement with Julius Berger and if we are not careful, and do something quickly, Abuja Stadium will suffer the same fate with Lagos.”
Enoh said the reason for having a stand alone ministry of sports by President Bola Tinubu was to give the sector the attention it required as a base for social inclusion.
“I thank God that President Tinubu provided for the Ministry of Sports, so that matters affecting the sector can be discussed more directly and specifically.
“I have come to this job with a passion that characterised my person and I think what this ministry needs is leadership. Perhaps, I don’t necessarily need to be a sportsman to be a minister in charge of sports.
“What I need is passion and commitment to provide leadership and I have no doubt that I am going to get support from the president because he personally insisted that I be made minister of sport.
“There must a purpose for my being in sports because there is no sector that can galvanise the grassroots of this country more than sports, and as a platform for social inclusion for the downtrodden,” he said.
The Labour Party members and supporters in Surulere 1 constituency area of Lagos state have cried out after being attacked by political thugs suspected to be sponsored by an opposition party in the state.
According to a video obtained by TheNewsGuru.com, a woman was seen crying and shouting at the top of her voice saying that the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) sponsored the thugs.
She claimed that they were going for a rally to campaign for their candidate in the State House of Assembly election, Olumide Aworo Abiodun but got waylaid by thugs who attacked them with bottles and other items injuring many people in the process.
The video also shows how an eatery in the Bode Thomas area of Surulere where the Labour Party supporters were assembling was vandalized and properties completely damaged.
The chairs, Plasma TV , and other items were destroyed while the thugs made away with other valuables worth millions of naira.
Also captured in the video is the trunk ferrying the Disc Jpckey and his crew and how it was damaged, the wind shield shattered and the computer system carted away.
The gubernatorial and State Assembly elections is meant to hold on the 18th of March 2023 across all the states of the federation.
A Lagos State electorate, Jennifer Efidi, who was attacked by thugs on February 25, at the Nuru/Oniwo Ward, Polling Unit 065, in Surulere while waiting to vote, has narrated her ordeal.
She stated that while going out on that day, she never thought she would come back defaced as she did.
According to Jennifer, while she was waiting for her turn to vote, she saw a group of “strange-looking boys” who were observing her and other voters in the queue, before walking down the street.
As she waited to vote while pressing her phone, Efidi said she felt a “huge impact” on her face and heard a gunshot, as people began running helter-skelter.
When she held her face, she noticed that blood was dripping down her hand as she managed to stand up and cry for help.
She narrated how she managed to find a courageous person who held her and applied pressure on the wound and tried to stabilize her.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that in a video that went viral on social media, the miscreants in Surulere frantically warned the electorates unwilling to support their presidential candidate to exit the polling unit.
However, courageous Jennifer insisted that she must cast her vote for her preferred candidate, against all odds.
“They can only disfigure my face, they can’t stop me from voting,” she said.
There were videos of her face being stitched after the attacks and pictures of her returning to exercise her vote.
Watch the video below
This is happening right now at Fehintola Giwa Street Aguda, Surulere, Lagos state. They are asking people who won’t vote APC should go home.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has banned the operations of commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada, in Ikeja, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, and Apapa.
The Governor gave out the directive at a meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) at the State House in Alausa.
The fresh Okada ban followed the February 2020 restriction placed on the activities of commercial motorcycles.
Sanwo-Olu said the Government took the decision in line with the State’s Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 to immediately address the chaos and menace created by the operations of Okada in the listed areas.
He told the police to enforce the order without compromise.
He said, “After a critical review of our restriction on Okada activities in the first six Local Government Areas where we restricted them on February 1, 2020, we have seen that the menace has not abated. We are now directing a total ban on Okada activities across the highways and bridges within these six Local Government and their Local Council Development Areas, effective from June 1, 2022.
“This is a phased ban we are embarking on this period, and we expect that within the short while when this ban will be enforced, Okada riders in other places where their activities are yet to be banned can find something else to do. We have given the notice now and we expect all commercial motorcycles plying the routes in the listed councils and areas to vacate the highways before enforcement begins. The enforcement will be total.”
The ban is coming days after Okada riders killed a young man in the Lekki area of Lagos State over N100 balance.
It was learnt that the victim, who was a sound engineer, was lynched and burnt to death after a misunderstanding ensued over the N100 balance with one of the commercial motorcyclists.
David Imoh
Acording to Grace, widow of the 37-year-old sound engineer, who was killed by motorcyclists in Lagos State, David Imoh, her husband was killed while trying to settle a fight between two friends and his killers.
In an interview, Grace said her husband was wrongly labelled as a ritualist and Yahoo Boy before being lynched to death.
“They didn’t just beat him, they stabbed and burnt him to death,” the mother of two broke down in tears. He was burnt as if he is a robber. They have taken my world away from me because of N100. This is not good,” she added.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) two suspects have been arrested in connection with Imoh’s death
The late Imoh, who was popularly called Dave Sound, had an aged mother, a five-year-old boy and another One-year and five-month-old baby.
She identified the two other friends of her late husband involved in the fight as band members of D’Banj and Phyno.
The widow said, “My husband went to work on May 10, I was called on May 13 by one of his friends that we lost him. He said his family should come to the Maroko police station. So my relatives and his own went there. The police told them that my husband and his friend climbed the Aboki (Hausa man)’s bike, and they had an argument over N100.
“In the process, one of the Okada guys was hit and he fell down so they started beating them up. My husband was beaten and they were shouting that he is a ritualist and a Yahoo Boy. After being beaten, he was burnt to death.”
Grace, however, explained that the narrative by one of Imoh’s friends made her realise that her late husband was invited to settle the dispute over the N100 balance when he was killed.
She continued, “But on Twitter, a colleague of his put up a video on what happened. She said my husband was setting up in a bar. Being a sound engineer he works with Church of God Mission Garden City, Lekki during the day. He also works with Legacy 360 Band in the evening when there is a show.
“My husband was not part of those who mounted the bike. Two guys (band members) took the bike and when they arrived at the venue, an argument happened between the two guys and the motorcyclist.
“They gave the motorcyclist N500 and were to get a balance of N100 but the bike man said he didn’t have change. They told him to take N300 but he refused and a fight broke out.
“My husband was invited to intervene in the issue. David intervened because of N100 and was killed. He came outside trying to intervene but when they saw that the motorcyclists were overpowering them, they had to run back inside the bar but the bar manager pushed them out. He denied knowing them, David tried hiding but a Hausa lady exposed him.”
Grace, who is a civil servant and a Post Graduate Diploma holder, called on the Lagos State Government to ensure justice in the matter.
“All because he wanted to help settle a dispute, he was killed. They have taken away my world. Please Lagos Government, Governor Sanwo-Olu, my Head of Service, Muri Okunola, and others help me, I cry for justice and for the welfare of my children. Please come to my rescue. I’m helpless,” she said.
“How do I take care of these kids. I wanted to pursue my Master’s and get my COREN certification as an engineer. Those were his plans for me. My husband is the only one helping me. How will my children go to school?”
Minister of Youth & Sports Development Sunday Dare has restated the commitment of the Federal Government to restore life back to the Surulere National Stadium in Lagos.
Recall that same was done with the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
Dare said yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is committed to bringing back the lost glory of the sports arena, adding the ongoing rehabilitation was part of his Public-Private Partnership model on infrastructures across the country.
The Adopt-a-Sports-facility initiative under the model brought back the National Stadium in Abuja which has been fully revived after 11 years of neglect.
Dare said: “Lagos National Stadium is a place many of our football legends made us proud in the past and it is sad that over 19 years, it has been abandoned.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila on Monday boasted that the looting and vandalisation that took place at Surulere area of Lagos and its environs were not perpetrated by bonafide breeds of the area.
The Speaker said this after inspecting the damaged public and private properties in Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State where he is representing.
Gbajabiamila, whose visit came after the looting spree that took place in Surulere, following reactions to the shooting of the #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate, addressed the residents at Shitta Roundabout, Surulere, and visited the affected shops and the Bode Thomas Police Station.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, said he addressed the residents and he assured them that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force had been totally disbanded.
The statement was titled, ‘#EndSARS Aftermath: Gbajabiamila visits sites of damaged properties in Surulere, Lagos…Commends police for restoring law and order…Constituents recount ordeals.’
Gbajabiamila said, “You have all spoken and the government heard you loud and clear. While in Abuja where you sent me to represent you, I heard all your complaints. All that happened in Lekki is what we have all seen and it is being investigated. But you see, the social media has its good and bad until it is fully unravelled that we can know the next step to take.
“On the issue of #EndSARS, you should all know that I am there for you as your representative. It is all you want we are going to do. #EndSARS cannot come up again, because there is no more SARS.
“You see all that happened at Adeniran Ogunsanya and Bode Thomas, I can boast that it was not carried out by children from Surulere; we all know they (the attackers and looters) came from outside Surulere, because I know my people.”
He commended the officers of the Nigerian Police Force for restoring law and order in the area.
