Metro

Lagos Flooding: Rescuers Recover Two Corpses, Save Nine

Published

3 years ago

September 13, 2022

Two persons lost their lives during the flood that submerged various communities in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on Monday.

The Lagos Territorial Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, in a statement, said the flood caused by the torrential rainfall, swept the victims away in the Iyana Ipaja and Command areas of the state.

He said one of the victims, identified simply as Alfa, had escaped with his wife and four children, adding that he returned to his house to pick some items when the flood that submerged his house swept him away.

Farinloye said, “Two adult men were swept away at Iyana Ipaja and Command areas of Lagos State. A man simply known as Alfa was swept away as a result of heavy downpour that caused flooding that took over the whole communities of Ajayi Street, Olubodun Ifesowapo, Olubodun, Fafunwa, Ipaja West, and Tioluwani, in Alimosho LGA.

“The deceased was said to have initially escaped with his wife and four children but the man was said to have returned to his house to pick some items in the course of which he was swept off.”

However, two other persons with him escaped with the help of the community members.

He said, “The family of Alfa had been evacuated to a relative’s residence. While another adult man, who was said to have missed his steps on the Command Bridge, fell into the running water. But before help could reach him, he had been carried away.”

In another development, nine ladies were rescued when a one-storey building that was submerged started sinking on Akinwunmi Street, Mende, in the Maryland area of the state.

During a visit to the area, our correspondent observed that other buildings close to the building were also affected as landlords and residents in the affected houses were displaced.

It was also observed that the issue of flooding had been a reoccurring problem affecting residents in the community.

Speaking, a lady identified simply as Blessing, said she raised the alarm over the incident, adding that she took a video recording of the situation and sent it to her company, prompting her company’s safety manager to alert emergency responders.

Blessing said, “I forwarded a video to my office group telling them that the flood occurrence is the reason I could not come to work, because there was no place to pass. My office representative asked if I had been able to come out of the building, and I said no. So, the safety manager of my office alerted rescue agents to come down to Mende and we were rescued.

“However, we always have the area flooded once there is a heavy downpour. Around 6.00am, we heard a collapse, which happened to be the fence demarcating our building and an abandoned building.

“I initially thought it was thunder and lightning, it was when my neighbours started knocking on the door that I knew it was the fence of our building that collapsed. We were all standing on the staircase of the building when the rescue team swam from the outside to start taking us out.”

Also speaking to The PUNCH, a sister of one of the rescued victims, Tosin Ademuyiwa, said this was not the first time that such an incident would happen in the community.

She said, “Immediately the fence fell, the flooded water from the adjoining abandoned building entered our premises. We never expected the rescue team agents; we were only expecting a few guys to help us out of the building.

“The NEMAN officials backed two teenagers, Mohammed Amina, and the younger sister of Blessing, to safety. They were carried because they were scared of putting their legs in the flood, and we the adults were held by the hands, as we came out of the waterlogged area.”

The landlord of the building, Daniel Okereke, while refuting the claim that his building sunk, said this was the first time the flood happened in such magnitude in the community.

Okereke said, “This is not a normal occurrence, as this is the first time it is happening in this magnitude. Since I moved in here in 2008, it has never been like this. We were all shocked because I have never left my house from the balcony; my pregnant wife and I had to leave my house from the balcony with the use of a ladder because of how bad it was.”

Another landlord in the area, Sylvester Diugwu, said the flooding was caused because the canal had been blocked.

He said, “We have written to the government as regards the blockage of canal. As you see that bamboo tree, it grew inside that canal and blocked that place. Anytime there is rain blocking the area, there is no channel to locate the lagoon, so the whole rain comes onto the street.”

The spokesperson for the Mende Community, Olumide Ogunbowale, said, “Those people were not trapped because this is not the first time, it is just like normal Lagos natural disasters, which rescinds after the flooding.”

Reacting to the flooding in Mende, Farinloye said, “NEMA received a distressed alert on a sinking storey building where nine people are said to be trapped.

“The torrential rainfall, which lasted for about four hours in the early hours of the day, flooded lots of communities in Lagos State. The NEMA advance team upon close observations called for more reinforcement of personnel.

“The landlord of the building had used a ladder to escape, but NEMA questioned him for failure to contact emergency responders, but someone from one of the trapped victim’s offices contacted NEMA.

“The agencies on the ground now are LASEMA, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and Police Disaster Management Unit. The rescue activities have commenced, and all the nine trapped ladies have been successfully rescued.”

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osnayintolu, and the Director, Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, also confirmed the incident.

PUNCH

Metro

Human Trafficking: Police Rescue 40 Ghanaians, Arrest Three In Ondo

Published

14 hours ago

July 5, 2025

Editor

The Ondo State Police Command says it has successfully rescued one David Angerinya, and 39 other Ghanaian nationals allegedly trafficked into Nigeria under false pretences.

This is contained in a statement signed and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Akure by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Olushola Ayanlade.

Ayanlade said that the victims were rescued through the operatives of Tactical Intelligence Response Squad (TIRS), Akure, while three suspects were arrested.

He said the operation followed a formal petition forwarded through the Interpol Liaison Office, Force Headquarters Abuja, requesting urgent police intervention over a case of transnational human trafficking involving a Ghanaian citizen.

The spokesperson explained that the victim, David Angerinya, was allegedly lured to Nigeria in 2024 with the promise of employment by an unidentified associate.

“Acting swiftly on the report, detectives from the TIRS, led by DSP Lekan Alabi, commenced a targeted investigation

“Subsequently, three principal suspects identified as Hayford Nyamekye, Awine Alex and Kojo Felix were apprehended, while the victim was successfully rescued during the operation.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are part of a larger transnational trafficking syndicate that specialise in deceiving unsuspecting individuals, particularly from neighboring West African countries.

“The victims travelled to Nigeria with false assurances of lucrative job opportunities and visa arrangements to Canada and other Western nations,” he said.

Ayanlade also explained that “39 other Ghanaian nationals were discovered to have fallen victim to the same network.”

According to him, many of them were found without valid travel documents, while those who had, presented expired ones.

“All arrested suspects are currently in police custody and are cooperating with ongoing investigations.

“Furthermore, efforts are ongoing to apprehend the owners and caretakers of the buildings where the victims were harboured.

“The building owners and caretakers may have had knowledge of, or directly facilitated the illegal activities of the syndicate.

“The Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Adebowale Lawal, has reiterated the unwavering commitment of the command to combating human trafficking and all forms of transnational organised crime.

“The CP urges members of the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency contact lines,” Ayanlade said.

(NAN)

Metro

Fuel Station Manager, Three Others Arrested For Robbery

Published

14 hours ago

July 5, 2025

Editor

The Lagos Police Command has arrested four suspects, including the manager of a fuel station, for allegedly being part of a gang of armed robbers terrorising some areas in the state.

A police source told The PUNCH that the suspects, identified as Noble Saint Neokoro (44) Batomie Samson (48) Abubakar Ali (47) and Bitrus Ibrahim (42) were apprehended in the Ejigbo area of the state.

The source added that their arrest followed a tip-off and discreet investigation by the police.

“The manager of the filling station is among the arrested suspects, while the owner of the station is said to be unaware of the alleged criminal activities. The suspects have allegedly confessed to being a gang of armed robbers,” the source disclosed.

When contacted, the command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development.

He said, “The operation was carried out by the Tactical Squad Hawk of the command. Four suspects were arrested including a fuel station manager. The owner of the fuel station denied knowledge of their activities. NUPENG also played a vital role in apprehending the manager.”

Hundeyin, however, added that the operation was a follow-up to the arrest of a notorious gang specialised in hijacking fuel and goods trucks in the state.

The command on June 28 confirmed that seven suspects were nabbed while a fuel tanker loaded with stolen Premium Motor Spirit was recovered.

The driver of the hijacked tanker was said to have reported the incident at the Surulere Police Division.

“Swift police response and discreet investigation led to the recovery of the tanker, which was found empty at Orile, and the arrest of the suspects at a filling station in Ejigbo, where the stolen fuel was being offloaded.

“The suspects, identified as Izuchukwu Nwanoruo, Kayode Falodun, Ojo Ayodele, Ayomide Thompson, Ahmed Saliu, Igbalaye Kareem, and Babatunde Ahmed, are currently assisting the police with ongoing investigations. A fuel tanker used to transport the stolen fuel has also been recovered as an exhibit,” a statement by Hundeyin read.

The police image maker added that the state Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, commended the operatives for their diligence and assured Lagosians of the command’s commitment to ensuring safety of lives and property.

“He encouraged citizens to continue providing timely information to aid police efforts in maintaining security across the state. The suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations,” the statement added.
(PUNCH)

Metro

Police Arrest Cleric Over Alleged Defilement Of Underage Girl In Osun

Published

14 hours ago

July 5, 2025

Editor

Osun State Police Command on Saturday confirmed the arrest of an Islamic cleric, identified simply as Kadiri, for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a minor in Ede, Osun State.

The incident that occurred at Babasanya-Araka Ede led to a protest by an angry mob, who had attacked the suspect after he was seized.

The command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, while speaking with The PUNCH, said police operatives were deployed to the scene after the matter was reported.

“The matter was reported, and we deployed operatives to the scene. When our men got to the scene, the Amotekun men who arrested him handed him over to us.

“So, he is in our custody already. But we want the Division to investigate before the matter is transferred to SCID.

“That is all that is available for now,” Ojelabi said.

Amotekun spokesperson, Idowu Yusuf, while giving more information about the incident, said, “The suspect is an Imam of a mosque.

“He also has an Arabic school in the area where he is teaching students Arabic. Further investigation is being done by the police.”

On how the suspect was arrested, a resident of Babasanya-Araka, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, said the victim was discovered bleeding, prompting her mother to inquire from her what had happened as she had gone missing a few hours earlier.

“The victim, about 8 years old, was missing for some hours on Saturday, and her mother was already looking for her.

“When she was found, she was crying and bleeding.

“She was taken to the hospital in Ede, where she was checked,” the resident said.
(PUNCH)