His father, Pastor Joshua Ogbonna told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Lagos that suspected kidnappers allegedly took his son and used him to buy two bags of rice valued at N180,000 from a food stuff seller.

He said on Friday, March 1, at about 9.00 a.m., his son was asked to buy moin-moin (bean-pudding) for family breakfast and did not return home.

According to him, when the boy went to the place to buy the moin-moin, the seller told him it was not ready, but collected the money and told him to return when it is ready.

He said some minutes later, his boy went back to the woman to collect the moin-moin, but the boy never returned.

“We were looking for him everywhere, we went to the place he was supposed to buy the moin-moin and asked the lady selling.

“She explained that the boy was there earlier but the moin-moin was not ready, and that she collected N1000 from him and asked him to come back later.

“She explained that when he came back, he came with a man and the lady thought the man was his father, the man collected the moin-moin from her and they both left.

“She said the man was putting on white top and black trousers, dark in complexion. I told her we have been looking for him, and thereafter, we went to New Oko-Oba Police Division at Abule-Egba, to make entry, so that they can help me look for my child,” he said.

Ogbonna further explained that while they were still at the station, around 5.00 p.m., he received a call from another police officer, who said he was calling from Red House Police Station, Iju Ishaga.

Ogbonna said that the officer told him his son was with them and he should come to the station.

He said he went there with three policemen from New Oko-Oba Police Division, where they told the officer that there was a report of a missing child.

“The police officer, who called me said, this is not a case of a missing child, but theft.”

The officer said the child stole two bags of rice. I asked, how can a 12-year old boy steal two bags of rice, I told the officer that we live in Abule-Egba.

The police showed me a footage of two men and the boy, who went to the rice seller. The police man said that the men bought two bags of rice for N180,000.

“The officer said one of the men claimed that they had a church event and needed to buy rice. The man claimed he was the father of the boy.

“He asked the boy to wait at the rice shop, while he went home to get the money, he left with the two bags of rice in company of the other man,” he explained.

Ogbonna said the officer explained that when the man did not come back with the money, the rice seller asked the boy the “whereabouts of his father who brought him there.”

“My boy told the rice seller that he didn’t know the man nor where he lived, they started beating him, calling him thief, while he was being beaten, a man came to his rescue.

“They told him all that happened. They went to the police station with my boy to report the case, that was when they called me. The Police said there is a CCTV Camera that captured them when they were coming to carry the rice.

“They didn’t show me where they were carrying the rice. The rice sellers insisted that I must pay for the rice, I told them, I can’t pay for two bags, I will pay for one bag for my son to be released to me.

“I paid N90,000 for one bag of rice. After that, Police said I must bail my child, I told them it was not possible. They insisted, then I told them, I will leave my child with them if they refuse to release him to me.

“I later paid N5,000 to bail my son,” he said.

READ ALSO: Value culture that gives you identity, NYSC boss charges ‘corpers’

Ogbonna said he left the Red House Police Station for Oko-Oba Police Division to close the case of missing child with N10,000 payment.

He said his son later told him how he met the man on his way to buy the moin-moin.

According to his son, while going to buy the moin-moin, a man stopped him, and requested him to hold his phone for him that he wanted to use water to wash his legs.

He said his son explained that after the man washed his legs, he collected the phone from him, hit his head, made some incantations, he said that was the last thing he remembered.

“My son said the only thing he could remember was that he was on top of a motorcycle to a place with the man, where they took a tricycle (Keke Marwa) to another place, from there, they took another motorcycle to Opawale, where the man abandoned him.

“The trauma was hell for my son. He has not recovered up till now. It was God, who saved his life,” Ogbonna said.

The Lagos Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, stressing that the police was investigating the case.

Hundeyin advised traders to beware of fraudsters using innocent children as collateral to obtain goods.

“Insist that they leave with their brother or sister and bring the money before they can take any item,” he counselled.

Source: NAN

The post ‘Suspected kidnappers used my boy as ‘collateral’ to buy rice’ appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Police spokesman in Lagos State Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the incident on Tuesday in his verified Twitter handle.

According to Hundeyin, after a minor accident involving a car and a motorcycle occurred on the Abule-Egba Bridge at about 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday, motorcycle riders in their numbers started fomenting trouble.

READ ALSO: Motorcycle ban: Police to arrest riders, passengers in Lagos

He said that Police arrived at the scene to quell the unrest, but the motorcyclists violently attacked the policemen.

“We are fully aware of the disturbances in Oko-Oba area of Lagos State. This resulted in the death of one of the riders.

“Normalcy has been restored to the area. The Police in Oko-Oba are fully on ground to forestall any breakdown of law and order,” he said.

Source: NAN

The post Lagos: Motorcyclist dies in colleagues’ clash with Police appeared first on Frontpageng.

Sanwo-Olu said the Government would also discuss with the corporation on measures to be taken to find a lasting solution to incidents of pipeline vandalism in the state.

The governor disclosed this while sympathising with over 300 displaced victims of the inferno resettled in Igando Emergency Relief Camp in Alimosho by the state government.

It would be recalled that Sanwo-Olu was on a week-long working visit to the United Kingdom (UK) when the incident occurred.

However, his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, led cabinet members and top government officials on a visit to the scene of the fire last Tuesday.

The governor said the compensation plan would be extended to those whose properties were razed in the inferno, adding that some of the victims who rented homes in the area would also be supported to re-adjust back to their normal lives.

He said: “As a responsible government, we need to go back and have a thorough discussion with NNPC on what kind of lasting solution we are expecting and compensation we can make available for the victims, so that we can resettle them back into their community. We will also be looking at various forms of affordable accommodation for some of them, who rent homes in the community.

“We have taken enumeration and we know the status of each of the displaced families that are clustered in this relief camp. We will work with the records for the compensation and everyone of them will be reintegrated back to their community.”

Sanwo-Olu described the incident as a “regrettable disaster”, saying the government felt the pain of the innocent victims who bore the losses of the pipeline vandalism.

The governor said the state took the step to resettle the victims at the Igando relief camp to ensure they were not left to their fate and in deplorable conditions in their moments of despair.

“For the period the victims will be in settled in the relief camp, we will ensure our responsibility both medically and nutrition-wise; we will take care of them until the coast is cleared for them to return to their community,” the governor promised.

The excited victims appreciated the state government for looking after their welfare in the aftermath of the disaster, describing the relief programme as an “unexpected gesture”.

They said the state government’s effort had been helping them to cope and keep up with life.

The Igando relief camp is equipped with various amenities, including primary healthcare centre, constant water and electricity.

The post Sanwo-Olu visits victims of Abule Egba fire, assures of compensation appeared first on Frontpageng.

“After several hours of intense fire-fighting by the combined teams of Lagos Fire and other agencies, the fire at Ile Epo Ekoro Road, Abule-Egba Inwards Baruwa in Alimosho LGA was successfully put out.

“By 9 p.m. the fire was curtailed and by 11:30pm it was put off. Having contained the area at 11:30pm, an enumeration of the vehicles and properties that were involved this morning commenced,” the government said.

The fire that followed the explosion of pipeline belong to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, started at about 7.00 p.m. on Sunday and led to loss of lives.

Read Also: Pipeline fire in Abule Egba, lives lost, vehicles burnt

Several vehicles were also burnt.

Speaking on the situation Sunday night, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, appealed to the people of Lagos to remain calm over the fire incident at Abule Egba, assuring that the situation was being put under control.

Speaking in an interview with TVC Sunday night, the Director-General of LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Okeosanyintolu, said all efforts were being made to put out the fire.

According to him, all agencies necessary to contain the fire were already on ground and doing their best.

The Abule Egba fire, he explained, had already been contained and localized.

He confirmed that several vehicles had already been burnt in the fire incident.

He said upon conclusion of the ongoing exercise, a thorough probe would be carried out on the cause of the incident.

He added that measures would also be put in place to prevent a reoccurrence.

The post Abule Egba pipeline fire put out, Lagos govt announces appeared first on Frontpageng.

Speaking in an interview with TVC Sunday night, the Director-General of LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Okeosanyintolu, said all efforts were being made to put out the fire.

According to him, all agencies necessary to contain the fire were already on ground and doing their best.

The Abule Egba fire, he explained, had already been contained and localized.

He confirmed that several vehicles had already been burnt in the fire incident.

He said upon conclusion of the ongoing exercise, a thorough probe would be carried out on the cause of the incident.

He added that measures would also be put in place to prevent a reoccurrence.

The post Abule Egba fire:  We are on top of the situation, remain calm -LASEMA appeared first on Frontpageng.

Vandals were said to have caused the fire.

The fire is still raging as at the time of filing this report.

It is said to extended to Ile Epo area.

Reports from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, indicated that no fewer than two people were killed in the fire while several cars have been burnt.

The bodies of the dead in the Abule Egba inferno were said to have been recovered as efforts were still going on to put out the fire.

The fire was said to have begun at about 7.00 p.m.

The post Pipeline fire in Abule Egba, lives lost, vehicles burnt appeared first on Frontpageng.