Author: oduduwanews

Lagos State Government, through its Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, on Tuesday signed a Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with Ikeja Electric and Sahara Power Group to increase power supply and provide uninterrupted power to residents of the State.

The agreement between Lagos State Government and the energy firms signed will also include distribution of free prepaid meters to low income areas, with the pilot phase of 20,000 meters to be distributed in Alimosho Local Government Area of the State.

Speaking during the signing of the agreement at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olalere Odusote, said the aim of the agreement is to increase power supply to at least 22 hours daily, from about eight to 12 hours daily.

The Commissioner said the implementation would start immediately, adding that Lagos State Government has identified a number of feeders that can provide power in 20,000 low income areas with plans to replicate the initiative across the state.

He said: “This Memoranda of Agreement is to ensure the provision of uninterrupted power to residents, especially the low income areas. It is also part of efforts to solve the problem of metering and infrastructure deficit to ensure these areas get power supply which is also measurable.

“The 20,000 meters have been procured by the state government and would be distributed free to low income areas in Alimosho Local Government Area as the pilot phase. Our intention is to replicate this gesture in other areas of the state once the pilot phase is successfully executed.

“We have identified a number of feeders that can provide power in these communities and implementation would start immediately.”

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC), Folake Soetan expressed the firm’s readiness to support Lagos State Government in ensuring uninterrupted power supply to residents of the State.

In his address, the Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Anthony Youdeowei, said his company will be transparent in its dealings with the Lagos State Government and Ikeja Electric to provide power supply for Lagosians.

One of the hotels invaded by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday in Ogun State has accused the agency of harassing their guests.

Idowu Mosope, the hotel’s compliance officer, told journalists in Abeokuta on Tuesday the operatives of the commission threatened their staff at gunpoint.

Mr Mosope said the operatives, numbering about 25 and fully armed, stormed the hotel in “a commando-like manner,” went to the hotel’s front office and threatened workers, at gunpoint, to lead them to the CCTV.

He also said the operatives went to the hotel’s server room and seized their gadgets and DVR.

“After that, they collected hotel master cards, they did not allow our staff to lead them, they were opening the rooms one after the other with the master cards,” he added.

The operatives of the anti-graft agency had stormed some hotels in Abeokuta in the early hours of Monday and arrested 56 lodgers who they claimed were suspected internet fraudsters.

The EFCC in a statement on Tuesday accused hotel owners of providing an enabling environment for internet fraudsters and blocking their operatives from arresting them.

Mr Mosope said some of their lodgers lamented that “the EFCC operatives forcefully entered their rooms and met many of them naked,” adding that the guests had threatened to press charges against the hotel over the invasion.

He said the operatives went away with three guests who arrived in Nigeria from Dubai.

He also faulted how the EFCC operatives carried out their operations, adding that they stormed the hotel at 3 a.m.

“They invaded the privacy of these guests without allowing our staff to guide them in line with the international standard and hotel practices. That was not what they told us during the training,” he said.

“They did not knock. they did not spend more than 20 minutes here, it is like they are tracing somebody. If they had told us, we would have shown them and other guests would not have known. They opened all the rooms and some guests were naked. They were scared.

“Now, the guests want to sue the hotel and not the EFCC. They said why did we allow their privacy to be intruded on? Why did we give them master cards? We did not say they should not work. Our boss hates anything like internet fraud. We don’t take them (fraudsters) in.”

Mr Mosope said the EFCC operatives entered all the 15 rooms in the hotel before taking away the three guests.

“The guest came in on Saturday with his pregnant wife from Dubai and two of his friends. We collected his profile when he came and kept it.

“On his luggage, we called the police because the EFCC did not take his luggage away and his wife left the second day. We called the police and they came to document it before we packed the load so that anytime he comes, we can hand over this luggage to him.

“They should have come with a warrant of arrest of somebody they are tracing, we are partners in progress.

“They have told us that we should cooperate and we are cooperating. Anybody they are tracking should show us so that other people will not be affected. This has given us a bad image. Our reputation has gone bad. This is demarketing on its own.”

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, on Tuesday, arrested three herdsmen and 180 cows for flouting the state government’s anti-open grazing law.

The State Commander of the Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this in Akure, the state capital, said the herders and cows were arrested around Oke Ala Area of Akure.

Adeleye said: “We arrested about 180 cows. They are in our custody as we speak. We intend to release them to the owners after complying with the regulations as contained in the anti-open grazing law.

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“We have also detained the three herders arrested with the cows. Their boss has been invited and is around now, so we are dealing with the boss now.”

Adeleye frowned over the activities of the herders despite the state government ban and signing of the anti-open grazing law.

“We have a number of herders here with us and we are making them comply with the enacted law which stipulates a penalty for defaulting herders.

“The position of the law is that, if they choose to go to court, we would implement the law as it was stated, which stipulates the minimum of N100,000 fine or three years imprisonment.

“In most cases, you would see them pleading that such a thing would not happen again. We have also implored the leadership of Miyetti Allah to educate their members that the anti-open grazing law of Ondo State is fully in place.”

The Amotekun boss further explained that the state government would take a stronger step in sanctioning second-time violators after checking records.

“When it is done the second time, the person would go to court to face the full weight of the law.”

It will be recalled that the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu recently signed the anti-open grazing bill into law and the Amotekun Corps has since been enforcing the law.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has warned hotel owners across the country to be wary of allowing internet fraudsters to congregate or hibernate around their facilities. The Commission gave the warning on Tuesday September 14, 2021 on the heels of an operation by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the agency that led to the arrest of 56 suspected internet fraudsters in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The suspects include: Garfar Olamide Taiwo, Fadimaye Habeeb, Badmus Idris, Samuel Victor, Seun Fuad, Alli Isaac, Oyeleke Mubarak, Bolu Soetan, Koleosho Eniola, Saheed Abidemi, Olaewe Tosin, Ayedun Idowu, Oniyitan Ayomide, Akinlabi Precious, Gbadebo Sultan, Adeyemi Habeeb, Balogun Hassan, Sulaimon Ayub Damilare, Akinsola Usman,

Others are; Ajibola Femi Sodiya, Ridwan Alani, Olusesi Lanre, Eniatimo Oludare, Taiwo Opeyemi, Akindele Kabiru Johnson Hammed, Idowu Gabriel, Adekanmi Adejumo, Peter Babatunde, Okeowo Sunday, Abudu Habeeb, Sabair Rasaq, Ademuyiwa Basit, Toriola Opeyemi, Babayode Abiola, Agbaje Habeeb, Sorinola Oluwatobiloba, Abiodun Elegbede, Kayode Daniel ,Lawal Alabi, Oyewole Korede, Aberuagba Gafar, Adekunle Emmanuel, Okunade Azeez, and Ojediran Sodiq.

They were apprehended at their hideouts which happened to be popular hotels in the ancient city. The operation which was based on verified intelligence backed by weeks of surveillance was nearly frustrated by the hotel owners who employed various antics, including shutting down power supply, to enable some of the suspects to escape arrest.

Despite the lack of cooperation by the hotel owners, the operatives demonstrated professionalism in ensuring that no one was hurt nor property damaged during the operations, contrary to the narrative in a section of the media.

Nevertheless, the action of the hoteliers amounts to deliberate sabotage and obstruction of law enforcement officers, an offence punishable by Section 38 (2) (b) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004.

The Commission has observed a worrying pattern of cold complicity by hospitality entrepreneurs who appear to be hands-in-gloves with suspected fraudsters by housing them over long spells and making internet facilities available to them.

While the argument is being made in certain quarters that hoteliers as business people have no means of determining who a fraudster is before allowing them to lodge in their facilities that position runs counter to the law.

Section 3 of the Advance Fee Fraud And Other Related Offences Act, 2006 provides for a prison term of between five and 15 years without option of fine for any person who permits his premises to be used for any offence under the Act.

EFCC will therefore not tolerate situations where hotel owners or managers not only permit fraudsters to use their facilities but also deliberately shield them from arrest by frustrating law enforcement on such premises.

If the hoteliers are not enablers of the alleged crimes, as some have demonstrated by offering information to the Commission, they are under obligation to cooperate with law enforcement officers carrying out their lawful duties. To act otherwise would tantamount to willingly becoming enablers to fraud.

Meanwhile, ten exotic cars, dozens of mobile phones, laptops and several incriminating documents were recovered from the suspected fraudsters arrested in Abeokuta.

They will be arraigned in court as soon as the investigation is concluded.