Metro

Market Relocation: Rescue Us From Exploiters, Market Women Cry Out To Obaseki

Published

4 years ago

April 10, 2020

Editor

…Revenue Collectors From Egor LG

Market women in Evbuotubu market, Egor Local Government Area of Edo State have cried out to governor of the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to urgently rescue them from a set of persons who collect revenue from them everyday.

The market women who made the call when INFO DAILY visited the market which has been relocated to Evbuotubu Secondary School, said these revenue collectors visit each shop in such a violent way that anyone who resist them such person’s goods would be taken away.

According to a market woman, Mrs Jude (not real name), these revenue collectors came in the morning, gave them a receipt bearing ₦50 but collect this amount and another ₦100, which does not have record.

She noted that they claimed the ₦50 is for the space they occupied while the₦100 is for security, noting that this has continued for each day since the market was relocated to the school.

She said, “They come here every day to collect money from each market woman. First, they collect ₦50 and another ₦100, making it ₦150. And Anyone who refuses to pay they will carry the person market (goods) away. I think this is illegal because I believe the state government has stopped revenue collection for now. And if the state government has stopped this, where are they coming from.

“But as you can see, this receipt carries Egor, but why? Is Egor standing alone? Can a state government make an order and a local government flout it or do another thing contrary to the initial order? I think the state government should Investigate this and bring all involved to book.”

A close look by INFO DAILY reporter to the receipt given to these market women by these revenue collectors, it was observed the receipt with ₦50 written on it bears Egor local government council.

The said receipt from Egor local government council

Recall, Edo State government, while giving the order for market relocation, mandated security personnel and the Edo State Public Volunteer Work Force to guard markets in their new locations and maintain orderliness until they are relocatd to their original location.

Consequently, INFO DAILY reached out on phone to Edo State Chief Security Officer (CSO), as no security personnel was around as at when visited and to know why the revenue collection.

He asked if any security personnel was on sight but our reporter told him none, so he promised to do something after asking location of the market which was given.

It was later that some security personnel emerged with their pickup van in the market.

INFO DAILY reporter later sighted Public Volunteer Work Force and EDMSA personnel in a corner they were sitted.

They were approached and hinted of this development but they said they were not aware of any revenue collectors.

Effort to speak with Egor council boss proved abortive as the phone number was not going through.

This is a developing story that more details would be unveiled in the future.

Metro

JUST IN: Truck Rams Into BRT On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Published

31 mins ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

The PUNCH correspondent who went to the scene gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

Details later

Metro

Court Jails Social Media Influencer For Celebrity Scam

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, has sentenced Aluko Tunmise to one year in prison for his involvement in a celebrity scam.

Tunmise was prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a cybercrime-related charge.

This was disclosed in a post on X by EFCC on Friday, May 17.

The post reads: “Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, convicted and sentenced one Aluko Tunmise, a self-acclaimed social media influencer and model, to one year imprisonment for celebrity scam.

He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrimes.”

“One of the counts reads: “That you, ALUKO TUNMISE JUWONLO (A.K.A. KEANU REEVES), sometime between January and March, 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, directly made a false statement, wherein you held yourself out as a white man by name “KEANU REEVES” on your Telegram Account, knowing same to be false and with intent that the representation is relied upon for the purpose of procuring the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015′.

He pleaded ‘guilty’ to the charge when it was read to him.

Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel, C.C.Okezie, sought to present an operative of the EFCC, Vincent Sunday Kwambuge, to review the facts of the matter.

Kwanbuge told the court that the defendant was arrested sometime in March, 2024 at Lekki County Estate, Lagos, following credible intelligence received by the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating in the area.”

Metro

Three Children Rescued As Fire Guts Storey Building In Delta

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

Three children have been rescued as fire gutted a-storey building at the Obi Onuorah Crescent back of Okowe plaza in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The PUNCH correspondent who visited the fire scene on Friday, observed that the roof and the two apartments were razed down as property worth millions of naira was damaged.

However, the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filling this report

Speaking, a widow and mother of four children, Mrs Gloria Sado who wept profusely appealed to Nigerians to come to her aid.

She said, “I came back Thursday night around 9 pm when I saw a fire burning in our house.

“My three children were in the house, one went with me to market, thank God, it was a lot of effort for my children to be rescued. I didn’t know the cause of the fire

“All the three fire services that came did not have water to quench the fire, our property was burnt to ashes”

Also, her neighbor, Simon Amalimen, and father of two said, “I was in my apartment when I heard fire, fire, I came out and noticed that the fire was coming out from my neighbor’s apartment.

“When learned that the three children were inside the apartment sleeping, we immediately moved into the fire to rescue the children, then, the fire had to gut my apartment.

“Before we could rescue them, the fire had entered my apartment and my two children and my wife were rescued. Only the boxers I wear are the clothes I came out with.”

He said before the third fire service could arrive, the two apartments and property had been burnt.

The victims were currently homeless as sympathizers were said to have gone to buy some clothes for them.

An official of the state fire service who did not want his name mentioned confirmed the incident.