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6 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020
Police arrest
pastor for
staging own
kidnap in
Kaduna
By Ben Agande
KADUNA— A pastor, who
allegedly staged his own
kidnap and demanded N5
million ransom from his family,
has been arrested by
operatives of Kaduna State
Police Command.
The State Command Public
Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu
Sabo, said the pastor, James
Clement, and his accomplice,
George Otokpa, were arrested
by operatives of the
command’s Anti-Kidnapping
Unit.
According to the PPRO, the
fake kidnap was stagemanaged
on January 27, 2020.
The 39-year-old pastor, who
lives in Nasarawa Tirkaniya
area of Kaduna, allegedly
conspired with Otokpa, who
resides at 23, Aleri Water by
Sarki Street, Kudandan, to
commit the offence.
It said Clement “demanded
the payment of N5 million as
ransom from his own family
through text messages using
the second suspect as the
negotiator.”
The arrest followed a report
by one Miss Monica Sunday
and Mr Ejimba Ichukwu, both
family members of the fake
kidnapped victim about the
kidnap of their relation.
“The suspect, Clement
James, was tracked and
arrested at his hide-out where
he hid, falsely claimed being
kidnapped and conspired with
his friend, George Otokpa ‘m’
22yrs (the 2nd suspect) to
engage his family in
negotiation for ransom.
7 die in
Sokoto road
crash
SEVEN persons, including
the Village Head of Tudun
Doki in Gwadabawa LGA,
Alhaji Hayatu Ardo, have died
in a road crash, which
occurred along Gwadabawa-
Illela road in Sokoto State.
Mr Garaba Kanya, the
Public Relations Officer of
Federal Road Safety Corps,
FRSC, Sokoto Sector
Command, disclosed,
yesterday, that the accident
occurred Monday night.
Kanya said the crash
involved a commercial Toyota
Avensis car conveying 11
persons, which skidded off the
road and hit some trees when
the driver lost control.
He said others who
sustained injuries were
hospitalised at Gwadabawa
General Hospital.
It was gathered that the Sole
Administrator of Gwadabawa
local government, Alhaji
Aminu Aya, has commiserated
with the families of the
deceased and prayed Allah to
give them the fortitude to bear
the loss.
Fire destroys 7 shopping plazas at
Balogun market
By Esther Onyegbula
MANY traders at the
popular Balogun Market
on Lagos Island could not hold
back tears, yesterday, as they
watched their wares burning as
fire razed seven shopping
plazas.
It was gathered that the fire
started from Anambra Plaza, on
Martins Street, beside Great
Nigeria Insurance Company
Limited, Leventis bus stop, as
one of the traders tried
refuelling his generator set that
was running.
When Vanguard got to the
scene at about 2:30 pm the fire
was still raging even as officials
of the Lagos fire service battled
to put out the fire.
Some of the traders, whose
shops were affected, just sat
down helpless, while some
lucky traders were seen
salvaging their wares as the
fire raged.
Some who were able to
recover their wares, were
searching for where to keep
them to avoid being looted by
hoodlums.
How it happened,
by traders
One of the traders, whose
shop was burnt, Adaze Udo,
said: “The fire started when
one of the traders was refuelling
his generator, which was on, at
Anambra Plaza. While he was
still pouring the fuel into the
fuel tank, the generator went up
in flames.
“Unfortunately, he threw the
remaining gallon of fuel which
had already caught fire to Plaza
4. It was from there the fire
spread to Plazas 2, 6, 8.”
Another trader, who simply
gave his name as Chucks, said:
“I was inside my shop when I
heard people shouting, I came
out of my shop and took a look
at the place, it was just small
fire, so I went back inside.
Before I knew what was
happening the plaza opposite
ours was in flames and the fire
was spreading really fast. I was
only able to get a bag of wares
out of my shop.
“I was almost burnt while
trying to park my wares. At a
point, I had to flee and abandon
my wares. Within 10 seconds,
it spread to other shops because
of the PVC used as ceilings in
the shops and the marquees
used to display clothes."
A nursing mother, whose
shop was also affected, Amaka
Ikenna, said: “I was still trying
to display my wares when I
heard fire, fire, immediately I
ran out. Our plaza was the first
to be affected, so I couldn’t pick
a single item from my shop. I
had to run for my life.
“Sincerely, I am tired of all
these troubles. The other time
it was only one plaza that was
affected, now over five plazas
have been razed down.”
Asked if he was able to take
Some of the traders lamenting their losses at the scene of the fire outbreak. Photo:
Lamidi Bamidele.
anything from his shop, one of
the affected traders, who gave
his name as Okey, simply said:
"When there is life there is
hope.”
6 buildings affected
As at 6 pm yesterday, about six
buildings used as shopping mall
by traders at Balogun market have
been razed by the inferno.
Most of the traders looked
gloomy as they helplessly watched
while officials of the fire service
battled to contain the fire from
spreading to other buildings for
hours.
The Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency, LASEMA,
Director-General, Oke-
Osanyintolu, confirmed that
explosion from a generator caused
the fire outbreak.
He said: “We were informed that
some one was fuelling his
generator, and suddenly, the
generator exploded in flames and
spread to other buildings.”
4 buildings collapse
He said four of the buildings
collapsed while the rescue
operation was still on.
Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA
and the Lagos Fire Service officials
were promptly mobilised to the
scene to put off the raging fire.
The director said two of the
affected buildings collapsed to
ground zero, adding that
LASEMA had, however, curtailed
the fire from spreading to other
buildings.
He said: “We are going to carry
out integrity test on all the structures,
and any building that fails the
integrity test will be pulled down.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
is doing a lot to ensure the safety of
lives and property. The attitude of
our people is highly challenging
and does not conform to the mission
and vision of the governor.
Change of attitudes
“However, we are appealing to
our people to change their attitudes
through sensitisation and advocacy
from time to time.”
The LASEMA boss lauded the
efforts of all key stakeholders,
including Julius Berger, Federal
Fire Service, Lagos State Fire and
other agencies in managing
emergencies as they occur in the
state.
Meanwhile, Director-General,
Lagos State Safety Commission,
LASSC, Mr Lanre Mojola, has
expressed disappointment over
another round of fire disaster in the
market.
Mojola said his men were at the
market on January 19 to sensitise
traders on safety and how to avoid
fire outbreak that could lead to loss
of lives and goods.
He noted with concern that in
spite of the awareness campaign,
such a disaster could still occur in
the market.
Robbers kill NYSC member in Osun
By Shina Abubakar
OSOGBO— A serving
member of National Youth
Service Corps, NYSC, in Osun
State, Adebayo Mukaila, was
reportedly killed by a two-man
armed robbery gang.
It was gathered that the
deceased owned a shop at Omo-
West Street close to the NYSC
secretariat in the state capital,
where he sells recharge-cards,
cable TV subscription and also
engaged in money transfer.
Sources disclosed that
Mukaila, popularly called Alfa,
was attacked after closing his
shop around 11 pm on Tuesday
by the hoodlums.
The criminals, according to the
sources, after disposing the
deceased of his bag containing
cash, POS machine, recharge
cards and a bunch of keys, shot
him on the head before dashing
away on a motorcycle.
An eye witness, Idowu
Korede, who resides in the area,
said the incident occurred late
in the night and the sound of
the gunshot was too audible but
no one could come out of the
house.
He said the deceased
daughter (name withheld) was
with him when he was shot and
was crying for help after the
robbers left the scene.
He said: “We all heard a loud
bang and we decided to stay off
believing some cultists have
started their usual rivalry clash
but a few minutes later a little
girl was crying for help and
residents rushed to the scene.
Mukaila’s body was found on
the ground with gunshot injury
on his head and was rushed to
the hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
Korede, who described the
incident as unfortunate, said:
“We observed the night prayer
together at the mosque before he
returned to the shop and
whenever he stayed late, he
sleeps over at his parents’ house
located few metres from his
shop.”
Contacted, an official of the
Public Relations Unit of the state
NYSC confirmed the incident,
adding that the deceased is a
serving corps member in the state.
She said the secretariat had
contacted and condoled with the
family, saying the matter had also
been reported at the police station.