News

Accident: Hope Of Rescuing Two Passengers From Lagoon Dim – NEMA

Published

1 year ago

April 10, 2024

The Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, says the hope of rescuing the two passengers who fell off a bus into the Lagos lagoon following an accident on Wednesday has become dim.

He spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the scene of the accident in Lagos.

This is just as the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said that the remaining occupants of the bus were seriously injured.

The impact of an accident earlier on Wednesday, according to Farinloye, left two adults thrown off an 18-seater bus into the Lagos lagoon.

Farinloye had said this in a statement, adding that personnel of the Marine Police were in search of the two adults, a male and female, who fell off the LT 18-seater bus.

He said that the crash occurred by Adeniyi Adele axis inward Lagos Island on the Third Mainland Bridge.

He said that the driver of the vehicle, who was on speed, swerved off the road and hit the bridge railings, with the impact pushing the two passengers off the bus into the Lagos lagoon.

Speaking with NAN correspondent who was at the scene, Farinloye said that personnel dispatched from the agency, joined by two teams from the Nigerian Police Marine Corps, had been assisting in the rescue operations.

“However, by now, we are not looking at search and rescue again, but recovery.

“This is because the male passenger was said to have floated about three times before he was finally drowned, while the woman did not even surface at all.

“Therefore, the possibility of anyone of them surviving is slim,” he said.

According to him, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) had, however, mobilised more local divers to join the team for the recovery operations.

Mr Jonathan Owoade, Zonal Coordinator, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), also corroborated the explanation by the NEMA official.

Owoade said that other victims in the bus had been rescued and taken to a nearby general hospital for treatment.

“We are on our way to the hospital to see their state of being and also commiserate with them,” he told NAN.

According to him, the accident seemed to have occurred as a result of speeding by the driver, given the impact.

NAN reports that the emergency response agencies were seen on ground at the scene of the accident, comprising marine police, LASEMA, FRSC, NEMA, and the local divers.

The bus involved in the accident damaged part of the railings, and pieces of its shattered windshield littered the scene.

Meanwhile, LASTMA, in a statement by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Mr Adebayo Taofiq, said the 18 other passengers rescued in the bus accident and taken to the hospital were seriously injured.

He said that LASTMA officer Olamide Ojo-Oniyun (One Alpha, Zone 1 Lagos Island), who led the recovery operations, confirmed that his team had evacuated the LT Commercial bus off the road for unhindered vehicular movement inward in the Adeniji Adele area of Lagos Island.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, also cautioned motorists to obey speed limits and ensure their vehicles are properly checked before embarking on any journey within or outside the state.

Recall that the Federal Government reopened the third mainland bridge on April 4, setting the speed limit at 80 km per hour, following extensive repairs over a period of five months.

Wednesday’s accident occurred on a day Muslims were celebrating Eid-el-Fitr.

It came days after the Lagos Sector of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) reiterated the call for safe driving on the newly reopened Third Mainland Bridge after an accident occurred on it on Thursday.

A collision involving three vehicles occurred on the bridge on Thursday, the day it was fully reopened to traffic after months of partial closure.

The FRSC described the Thursday incident, which involved three vehicles inward Iyana Oworo axis of the bridge, as an avoidable crash and blamed it on negligence.

The Sector Commander, Mr Babatunde Farinloye, had told the NAN that though there was no injury in the accident, there was minor damage to the vehicle.

The sector commander advised motorists to drive cautiously, reiterating the need to comply with the 80km per hour speed limit on the bridge.
(NAN)

News

Tinubu Unveils Plan To Restart Oil Production In Ogoniland

Published

9 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has moved to restart oil production in Ogoniland in Rivers State.

The president disclosed this on Wednesday when he conferred posthumous national honours of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, on the late Ogoni four; Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage, and Samuel Orage.

Conferring the honours at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu urged the Ogoni people to embrace reconciliation and unity after decades of division.

He assured them of his administration’s support for peace, environmental remediation, and economic revival in the land.

“I am encouraged by the overwhelming consensus of the Ogoni communities to welcome the resumption of oil production.

“The government will deploy every resource to support your people in this march towards shared prosperity,” he said.

The president directed the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to begin engagements between Ogoni communities, NNPCL, and other stakeholders to finalise modalities for restarting operations.

Earlier in his report, the NSA stated that the consultations engaged all four Ogoni zones and the diaspora, capturing demands for structured participation in oil production, accelerated cleanup, and sustainable development.

News

Former Oyo Police Commissioner Is Dead

Published

11 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

A Former Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Abiodun Odude is dead.

The shocking news of his death was shared by the Chairman, Ibadan branch of Government College, GCI Old Boys Association, Akin Orowale on the Association’s platform.

Abiodun Odude, an old boy of GCI, served as Oyo CP between 2017 and 2019.

In the meantime, reactions have continued to trail the death of Odude.

A former Director General, Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA), and GCI OBA stalwart, Dr Yinka Adepoju posted this on platform.

“Hmmm, another deep cut in the GCI Old Boys Association and Boys of 71 Set in particular!

“May the Soul of Biodun rest in peace as l pray that the Lord comforts all members of this Great 71Set and his entire family members, ‘Yinka Adepoju @71, 2356# Grierson”

“So sad to lose such a personality NOW. But what can we do? Nothing absolutely than to wish him eternal rest and divine consolation to the loved ones left behind, particularly his immediate family and GCIOBA,” another old boy, who is an Ibadan based politician, Mr Adeniyi Adeoti said.

The late Odude served in the Intelligence Department, Zone 2, Lagos State as Deputy Commissioner of Police, CID, Panti, Yaba; he was Commissioner of Police, Administration; Department of Finance and Admin., Force Headquarters, Abuja.

News

Lagos Govt Gives Computer Village Traders Ultimatum To Relocate To Katangowa

Published

15 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has given traders at the popular Computer Village in Ikeja an 18-month deadline to move to a new permanent site at Katangowa, in the Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement with market leaders and traders on Tuesday.

According to him, the state government has provided the necessary infrastructure and facilities at the Katangowa site to ensure a conducive business environment once the relocation takes effect.

“The government wants your cooperation to ensure the relocation comes to pass. The time is now. We have to make the project a reality. The relocation period is 18 months,” Oki said.

He explained that Computer Village currently sits on land originally designated as a residential area, which over time was converted into a bustling commercial hub without formal approval from the government.

Oki also revealed that plans to move traders from Ikeja to Katangowa have been in the works since 2006 but were stalled due to delays in completing the new site.

Emphasizing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to inclusive governance, he noted that the stakeholders’ meeting was convened to carry traders along in the government’s plans.

“The governor is passionate about infrastructure development and the welfare of Lagosians. Katangowa has been designated as the permanent site for this market. It sits on 15 hectares of land, well-planned and strategically located near essential resources for your businesses.

“The present location in Ikeja was never meant to serve as a trading hub. What we are offering at Katangowa is a structured market environment that supports growth while addressing environmental and urban planning concerns. We want to work with you and jointly plan this relocation,” Oki said.