Acting IGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun on Sunday revealed that he had wanted to be the Lagos State Commissioner of Police two times in the course of his career, but was denied the opportunity.
The thanksgiving service was attended by Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.
Also, present at the occasion were top echelon of the police, including the DIG in charge of Research and Planning, Frank Mba; former DIG Operations, Leye Oyebade (retd.); Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2, Ari Mohammed Ali.
Speaking at the thanksgiving service, Egbetokun recalled the intriguing and challenging moments that have characterized his career in the police, including close shaves with death during encounters with armed robbers and other dangerous criminals.
While recalling that he had many encounters with armed, dangerous criminals as a young officer, IGP Egbetokun particularly pointed out an encounter in 1992, during which, he said he escaped being killed by the grace of God.
“I recall the incident of November 4, 1992, when I had to engage in a shootout with armed robbers. It was just the grace of God that I wasn’t killed that day.
“I remember twice that I wanted to be Commissioner of Police in Lagos State and those two times I was denied. But today, I thank God.”
Egbetokun however said he was not appointed acting IG by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because of his relationship with him.
Egbetokun said the President was not one who usually take sensitive decisions based on sentiments.
Rather, he said his appointment as acting IGP was another testimony to the greatness of God, as he was not expecting it.
Egbetokun said he was in the house of a friend watching television when the news of his appointment broke.
“I saw the breaking news. It can only be God. I know that this appointment is not because I am the most qualified or because I have a relationship with Mr. President,” said Egbetokun.
He also recalled that his best friend and lover to severed ties with him when he decided to join the police.
But he said he had to bail out the friend from police detention after he passed out from the Police Academy on October 12, 1991 and returned to Lagos on October 15.
The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a drug lord while giving a suspected recruited courier 93 cocaine wraps to swallow in a Lagos hotel. The agency also disclosed that it recovered 12.4 million pills of opioids, 6,921.5 kg.
The agency made this known in a statement posted on its official Twitter handle on Sunday and signed by its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The statement in part said, “It was a rude shock to find a notorious drug kingpin who specialises in sponsoring young Nigerians to traffick Class A drugs to Europe especially Italy, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, stormed his hotel room in Okota area of Lagos late on Friday 21st July when he was preparing a recruited courier to swallow 93 pellets of cocaine meant for distribution in Italy.
“The 48-year-old drug kingpin, Charles Uwagbale, had recruited Uju Dominic, 35, from his base in Italy with a deal to come to Nigeria, ingest 100 pellets of cocaine on Friday 21st July and return to Italy on Saturday 22nd July. True to plan, upon the arrival in Nigeria, the mule was lodged in Golden Heaven Hotel located at Enoma Street off Ago-Palace Way, Okota, Isolo, Lagos where Uwagbale brought 93 wraps of the Class A drug for him to swallow at about 23:45 pm Friday night.
“They were in the process when NDLEA operatives who have been on their trail following credible intelligence stormed their hotel room, arrested both and recovered the drug exhibits with a total weight of 1.427 kilograms.
“Operatives of the Lagos State Command of the Agency who made the arrest and seizure had on Thursday 20th July raided Akala in Mushin area of the state where they recovered 37.5kg cannabis from the home of a fleeing suspect.
The Ondo State Police Command said it has arrested a driver who crushed a policeman to death at a checkpoint along the Benin-Owo Expressway at the Ifon area of Ose Local Government Area of the state on Sunday.
According to the police, the driver whose identity was yet to be revealed allegedly hit the cop who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, and was arrested by the men of the Nigeria Army at Sobe in Edo State.
The command denied an earlier report that the cop was killed by some suspected kidnappers on the expressway.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the death of the police officer, declared that it was a case of hit and run, not kidnapping.
She said, “A suspected vehicle, while the police were trying to stop the driver, he didn’t stop. So, our officers were alerted on the highway but on getting to a particular place around ifon, the driver swerved and hit an ASP and the officer died immediately.
“The driver, was, however, pursued and fortunately for us he (driver) was arrested by the military men at Sobe in Edo State”
A 53-second viral video showed the scene of the incident and the deceased lying on the road. He was also seen with a head injury while his colleagues carried his lifeless body into a police van parked on the road.
I went to Òkehò few days ago to carry out some community development assignments in Okeho, Ilero, Isemi, Ìgànná and Otu. But, I didn’t go with my car because it was not economical given the many places I had in mind to touch which I wasn’t able to even estimate how many litres of fuel it will cost me at a glance before I embarked on the journey vis-a-vis the current cost of fuel.
So, I relied on Okada as a means of transportation to go to all the places I went because there are no taxis, Uber or public cab in most towns in Òkèògùn due to the poor and unviable economic condition of our region in favour of such business.
In fact, I had to do my inter-town itineraries with the same mode of transportation because it used to take long hours before the commuter vehicles are filled up with passengers in nearly all motor parks.
Now, my rough estimation has confirmed that it must have been almost 30 years ago that I went from Òkehò to Ìgànná through Ìfò-erè/Akọ̀kọ̀ axis because of many years of abandonment of that road due to the terrible state of that road which kept deteriorating over the years.
Without any attempt at exaggerating the condition, all I can say is that it worse than a death-trap. It is not only that it is impassable to any car no matter how rugged it is, it is also because it has cut off many communities from the mainstream of socio-political and economic developmental activities as this same road is the road that connects Nigeria with all the Ecowas countries like Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana and others on that axis.
Intermittently, the few trucks that have been managing to pass through this road have become so accustomed or, let me say, so addicted to the road that they might experience serious convulsion if they don’t pass through the road per day.
In the word of our people, such few vehicles that are still crawling on this road fall within the category of vehicles they often describe as “ọwọ́ èèbó ti kúrò lára rẹ̀” which can be interpreted to mean that the repair of a given vehicle is no longer within the maintenance purview or jurisdiction of the original manufacturer, but a special indigenous mechatronic repairers due to several mismanagement.
So, when I passed through the road to fulfill an important appointment that I didn’t want to miss with a community leader for 7.00am early in the morning of Saturday July 22, 2023, I kept wondering why people still refer to to Ìfò-erè/Akọkọ̀ jungle as a road leading to any town because it was obvious there is no road, not because “men are at work”, but because “men are not at work”!
Well, may be, for want of words, those who are regarding Òkehò-Ìgànná as a road are trying to make faith pronouncement that they believe that, one day very soon, either the government of Ọ̀yọ́ State or the federal government would be gripped with compassion and moved with a bowel of mercy on the many communities and people of this axis Nigeria who have entered a serious lamentation mode like the Biblical Jeremiah.
But, on a very serious note and if truth must be spoken, it is evidently glaring that there is no road from Ìsàlẹ̀ Alúbọ area of Òkehò to Ìgànná, an ancient town which, today, is the headquarter of Ìgànná Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
Furthermore, it is good to add that the few trucks that still pass through that road which I mentioned above are going there to carry farm produce because that axis is also where the majority of the farm settlements of Òkehò people reside. No wonder food items are costlier in Òkehò than the neighboring towns because there are no supplies of farm produce direct from farmers to retail buyers like in other towns. Instead, Òkehò traders often go to buy food items from other neigbouring markets to resell in their markets.
Finally, time has been far-spent and many generations of people have come and gone while the new ones of yesterday have also become old and are passing away, there have been sunsets and sunrises and people are counting tick tick tick every moment, everyday, every week, every month, year and decade, Òkehò-Ìgànná has remained the same. Now, on behalf of the good people of Òkehò, Ẹlẹ́kòkan, Ẹ̀bì, Ìṣerin, Ìgànná, Ìwéré’lé, Ìtasá, Ìdìkó’lé, Ìdìkó-àgọ́, Ìjìó, Ayégun and all the farm settlements that I don’t remember to mention, I plead again that government should do all within its power to fix this road within the shortest possible time to open up the great human, natural and material potentials of this part of Nigeria.
The University College Hospital, Ibadan has debunked the recent news publication that it has commenced recruitment exercise.
UCH made the clarification today in a statement signed and sent to ODUDUWA NEWS by its Public Relations Officer, Funmi Adetuyibi as read in part:
“The attention of the management of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, has been drawn to a purported advertisement for employment published through an unauthorised website on behalf of the hospital.
“We wish to state in unambiguous terms that the hospital has neither placed any advertisement for employment nor engaged the services of ANY AGENCY for the purpose of recruitment for jobs on behalf of the hospital.
“The general public is hereby advised to ignore the advertisement. Any one dealing with the purported advertisers does so at their own risk. The hospital will not be liable for any consequences arising from this unauthorised advertisement.
“The UCH has recognised formal channels for placement of advertisements through national dailies and its website”.
Aftermath of the heavy downpour today in Lagos have caused two young boys Gbolahan and Yinka Atolagbe age Seven and Nine respectively to lost their lives in Alao Street, Ikorodu Area of Lagos State, Nigeria.
Bencity Times gathered that, a single storey (Hotel fence) at 38, community road collapsed and fell on a three bed room bungalow where the boys resides.
Further investigation revealed that the said building fence was weakened by poor drainage resulting in its collapse on the house at No 25 Alao street.
The deceased has been büried according to Islamic rite.
Following long hours of rainfall on Saturday morning, some parts of Ikire town, the headquarters of Irewole local government area of Osun State have been submerged.
Properties worth millions of Naira were also destroyed as a result of the flood that accompanied the heavy downpour.
Residents disclosed to newsmen that the rain started early on Saturday morning around 8am and lasted until afternoon.
Parts of the town affected included Oja-Ale, Atoto, Fulani, Mateba, UNIOSUN Road, Campus area and the popular Naira and Kobo junction along the Ife-Ibadan expressway.
A student of the Osun State University, UNIOSUN, Onigbinde Michael who spoke to newsmen in a phone conversation on Saturday said shops, residential houses, farmlands, and livestock were badly affected and that he could not quantify the level of loss.
“More than 100 residents have been affected. In the affected areas of Ikire, you will observe residents scooping water out of their houses and shops.
“Some of them are even trapped in their building with no help in sight. Some even came out and saved some trapped victims from drowning.
“The case is pathetic.”
Reacting to the flood incident in Ikire on Saturday, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke directed the Commissioner for Environment to fast-track flood prevention measures.
In a statement signed by his Spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed on Saturday, Adeleke expressed sympathy over the flood disaster.
The governor revealed that the flood wreaked havoc on the western part of the state and assured the people that his administration will address the root cause of the flood, forestall future occurrences and fast-track the state’s flood prevention plan.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin has revealed that he has directed personnel of the Ministry to quickly find a temporary solution to combat the flood.
The National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) has called on President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, prevail on the management of various federal universities in the country to jettison their plans to increase school fees and levies being paid by the students.
The students’ body warned that should this call be ignored and schools hike their fees and want to enforce implementation, the students would embark on nationwide protest and remain on the streets till their demand is met.
NANS made this call in a statement made available by its Public Relations Officer, Mr Giwa Temitope on Saturday.
According to NANS, the increment of school fees by UNILAG, Akoka, as announced on Friday, and the planned increment by other federal universities across the country and even for the federal government colleges, have shown that the current administration is insensitive to the plights of most Nigerians, who are going through difficult times.
The association said, “It is most ridiculous that government will be introducing fees increment without thinking of rescuing the over 133 million Nigerians out of multi-dimensional poverty they are in.
“To us, increment in school fees will complicate the poverty conditions of most parents and students and also increase the number of out-of-school children in the country.
“Before now, some students couldn’t afford the fees and various other levies and because of that, dropped out of school and what would now happen to students, who are sponsoring themselves and their parents, who have more than one child in school?
“Our demand therefore is clear and simple and that is to tell all schools with the decision to increase their fees to suspend such plan and those that have already announced theirs to reverse it with immediate effect.
“Otherwise, we will embark on an all-round protest that will last till the Federal Government reverses the policy.”
Six persons were said to have died after drinking local gin allegedly served by a friend in Ogbogbo community, Ijebu-North East Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The incident, it was gathered, occurred on Tuesday, at a joint where seven friends had gathered for merry-making.
It was learnt that all the six persons who drank the alcohol died, except the man who supplied the drink from his house and did not drink from it.
Locals disclosed that the six dead persons and the suspect had earlier engaged in an argument, which was later settled.
To reconcile with his friends, the suspect reportedly donated the local gin, a bottle of which he reportedly went home to fetch.
ODUDUWA NEWS learnt that a few hours after they had the friends had departed to their various destinations, news filtered in that two of the friends died while four others were hospitalised.
The source added that “the other four persons died the following day. Six people have been confirmed dead. The whereabouts of the man who brought the alcohol is yet to be known.”
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Omolola Odutola confirmed the incident.
“I just confirmed something like that occurred, but the families said they are not pressing charges and prefer to bury their dead,” she stated.
Ibadan based Prankster, Abdullahi Maruff Adisa popularly called TrinityGuy has been released on Bail after spending almost 4 weeks in Agodi Prison over viral skit video with a minor.
Trinityguy was ordered to be sent to Agodi Prison on 26th of June by Iyaganku Magistrate Court, Ibadan Oyo State.
Although Trinityguy’s legal battles are far from over, his release on bail will give him the opportunity to attend his Court Case from home.
