TheNewsGuru

Tag: Train Crash

  • Tukur Mamu arraigned in court for alleged terrorism, train attack

    Tukur Mamu arraigned in court for alleged terrorism, train attack

     

    A Kaduna-based Islamic scholar Tukur Mohammed Mamu was arraigned by the Federal High Court in Abuja  on a 10-count charge of terrorism.

    Mamu whose court case is being fueled by the federal government faced a ten count charge bordering on Terrorism.

    He has been in the custody of the Department of the State Service, DSS, since last year, he was docked before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo for offences relating to a violent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train in which several persons were abducted.

    In the charges, the Federal Government accused Mamu of aiding and abetting Boko Haram terrorism attacks against innocent Nigerians.

    Among others, he was accused of collecting sums of money in various currencies on behalf of Boko Haram terrorists from the families of victims of the train attack.

    Specifically, Mamu was said to have collected $420,000 from the families of the attack victims and another N21 million from another set of families.

    Similarly, he was accused of concealing the terrorism funds in his Kaduna residence in violation of provisions of the Terrorism Prevention, Prohibition Act.

    However, Mamu denied all the charges when read to him in the open court.

    Though the Federal Government asked for a date to commence his trial, Mamu’s lawyer, Mohammed Ndanusa, moved a motion requesting bail for his client.

    Among others, Ndanusa told the court that his client was suffering ailments that required urgent surgical operation.

    The Federal Government vehemently opposed the request on the ground that medical doctors at the DSS hospital could treat all ailments claimed by the accused.

    However, after taking arguments for and against the bail request, Justice Ekwo reserved ruling till a date that would be communicated to the parties.

    He ordered that Mamu remains in the custody of the DSS pending the ruling on the bail application.

    Mamu, who was moved to the court by a retinue of armed security operatives, was taken away to the DSS custody immediately after the arraignment.

  • LAGOS BUS-TRAIN CRASH: “If not for this cashless policy, my daughter would not have followed that bus”-Father of deceased cries out

    LAGOS BUS-TRAIN CRASH: “If not for this cashless policy, my daughter would not have followed that bus”-Father of deceased cries out

    Femi Aina, father of Oreoluwa, deceased of Thursday accident when a Lagos State Government (LASG) staff bus collided with a train in the PWD area of the state, has said “if not for this cashless nonsense policy” his daughter, a National Youth Service Corps member (NYSC), would not have followed the bus.

    In his words: “If not for this cashless nonsense policy, she would not have followed that bus. But she did not have cash, so she had to follow the bus. She had just N200. They just kill people anyhow in this country.”

    Aina, in an interview, pointed out that his late daughter was preparing for master’s in UK.

    The deceased’s father explained that he was in Abuja watching television around 9 am when he saw the incident. An hour after that, he got a call that his daughter was involved in it.

    LAGOS BUS-TRAIN CRASH: "If not for this cashless policy, my daughter would not have followed that bus"-Father of deceased cries out

    “Then I immediately called my younger brother and sister in Lagos. I later received two more calls in another 10 minutes and by then, she was already in the ICU (intensive care unit). They were attending to her and at the same time calling me from there.

    Oreoluwa was very dear to me. She was a gift from God to me and that is what her name implies. She feared God and she was hard-working

    “I even heard some of the staff members praying for her. So, I rushed to the airport to get any available flight back to Lagos but when my plane was ready to take off by 4 pm, I was told that she had passed away,” he said.

    According to him, the last time he communicated with her was on Wednesday when his younger brother’s wife celebrated her birthday.

    “She recorded the birthday and sent it to us. We all laughed at the video and the following morning (Thursday) she sent a WhatsApp message to me saying, “Daddy how was your night? Hope you slept well,” and I replied, “All is well” and there was no response after then. I even thought she did not respond because she ran out of data, not knowing that she was already involved in an accident,” he added.

    Speaking about Oreoluwa, 28, (deceased) he said: “Oreoluwa was very dear to me. She was a gift from God to me and that is what her name implies. She feared God and she was hard-working.

    LAGOS BUS-TRAIN CRASH: "If not for this cashless policy, my daughter would not have followed that bus"-Father of deceased cries out

    “I used to tell her that she took the job like she was already a staff member of the state government. She was a very nice girl with visions and ambitions. She was preparing to go to the United Kingdom for her Master’s programme after her youth service ends in May, but unfortunately, all her plans had been dashed.

    “She happened to be the first grandchild of my parents and she stayed with my mum here in Lagos because our dad passed away last year, so she had always been with her grandmother. She was dear to everyone around including church, school and at work. Her death is a great loss.”

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that late Oreoluwa studied Pure and Applied Chemistry at Osun State University. Until her death, she was undergoing her one year NYSC service with the state government and aimed at getting a meritorious award.

  • Many feared dead as train crashes into bus in Lagos

    Many feared dead as train crashes into bus in Lagos

    A collision between a Marcopolo Lagos State Government staff bus Ikeja Thursday morning train has caused tension and a heavy gridlock in the area.

    Although details are still sketchy, TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that the accident occurred at Adekunle Fajuyi way GRA Ikeja, and the bus was dragged all the way to Shogunle.

    An eyewitness said that the bus must have tried to enter Ikeja GRA via Works Road joining Lagos Abeokuta Expressway and Ikeja when the accident occurred.

    A twitter handle, @Gidi_Traffic which gives updates on traffic situation in Lagos state wrote: “A significant number of casualties are anticipated following a collision involving a train and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle”.

    Rescue efforts are currently ongoing. In one of the photos from the scene, a man wearing a yellow top could be seen lying under the weight of a large rock as passersby tried to push the rock. It is not clear if the man is still alive.

    Another accident involving a bus and car in the area has also been reported.  It is not immediately clear if the two events are connected but at least one person is feared dead.

    More details later!

  • Over 200 passengers injured in South African train crash

    Over 200 train passengers were injured after two trains collided in Germiston town east of Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.

    Lillian Mofokeng, the spokeswoman of the Metrorail Company, told Anadolu Agency that 226 commuters had been injured in the accident.

    “The incident happened at approximately 7.45 a.m. local time (0545GMT) when two Metrorail commuter trains collided at Geldenhuis station,” Mofokeng said.

    The cause of the incident has yet to be ascertained.

    “A board of inquiry will be instituted to determine the root cause of the accident,” the spokeswoman added.

    Train accidents have become common in South Africa in the past years. Last week, 19 people were killed after a train derailed and collided with a truck in Kroonstad city in the Free State province, 190 kilometers (118 miles) from Johannesburg.