12112020 - #EndSARS PROMOTERS' ACCOUNTS: M-Belt, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, others blast Akeredolu

MYSTERY: How 11 people died
of strange disease in Oyo
By Ola Ajayi
IBADAN—-FEAR
has
gripped several residents
of Lagelu Local Government
Area of Oyo State following
the deaths of 11 people in two
different villages in the council
area.
Though samples collected
from the infected persons are
yet to be released, information
gathered from the residents
claimed it was cholera. The
disease was said to have
started from Lagun Village in
the local government.
According to Sarumi Azeez,
the symptoms appear like that
of cholera. He said he was
told that people infected were
stooling and vomiting.
Asides from the 11 people
t h a t
died, Vanguard gathered
that six others were
hospitalized.
They died of infections—LG
boss
When Vanguard spoke with
the Caretaker Chairman of the
local government, Mr. Kelani
Abdulahi Sola, he confirmed
that 11 people have died so far.
Contrary to a report that the
victims died in the same place,
he said, five people died
previously at Lagun Village
about three weeks ago and
thereafter, six other people died
at Ariku village.
Sola said: “It is not right to
say that the 11 people died in
the same place. When the
disease broke out previously at
Lagun Village, six people died.
It was about a week later that
other five people died at Ariku.
They died at different times
and different places.
“We thank God that those who
were hospitalized have been
discharged from the hospital.
As of now, it appears the
infection has subsided because
we don’t have any new case.”
“We should be grateful to the
Oyo State Government led by
Governor Seyi Makinde for his
quick intervention that saved
the ugly situation.
“Also, the state House of
Assembly too was of
tremendous assistance to us in
the local government.
Fear grips surrounding
villages
As a result of the outbreak,
people living in surrounding
villages are now apprehensive
about the strange disease.
he villages in the same local
government are Ajara,
Opeodu, Apatere, Kuffi,
Ogunbode, Ogo, Arulogun
Ehin, Kelebe, Ejioku,Igbon,
Ariku, Kajola, Gbena, Lagun,
Lalupon, Ofa-Igbo, Ogunjana,
EDITOR: Dayo Johnson (08033509763)
Deputy Editor: Dapo Akinrefon 08023844928
(sms only)
CORRESPONDENTS:
Ola Ajayi
Ibadan
Dare Fasube
(Photo)
Rotimi Ojomoyela
Ekiti
Adeola Badru
Ibadan
Shina Abubakar
Osogbo
James Ogunnaike
Abeokuta
•Lagelu LG in Oyo State where the strange illness claimed
11 lives
Olowode, Ogburo, Ogunremi,
Ogunsina, Oyedeji, Olode,
Kutayi, Sagbe and Pabiekun.
Azeez, a farmer in Lalupon,
said they are praying that the
disease will not spread to their
village.
He said: “We heard about the
issue and I feel so sorry for the
bereaved families. We are afraid
here too because it started from
Lagun and then to Ariku which
is not far away from us. But for
now, we have not experienced
anything like that.”
A woman at Lagun pleaded
with the state government to
help the community repair the
damaged borehole noting there
is no potable drinking water for
us.
“We pray that God will help
us stop the disease. Pls, tell the
governor to help us with
potable drinking water here.
We have borehole but some if
not all of them have spoilt and
neglected.”
Speaking on the issue, the
Otun Olubadan, Chief Lekan
Balogun, who is next in the
hierarchy to the Olubadan of
Ibadanland, Oba Saliu
Adetunji said the community
leader he installed had not
briefed him about it.
Chief Balogun, who is the
traditional head of the local
government, said the
community leader was with
him last Sunday and he didn’t
say anything about it.
He said: “Lagun is my home.
It was founded by my great
grandfather. I have installed
five or six baales in the last 22
years. The one there now is my
cousin. He and his people
came to me on Sunday but I
didn’t hear anything like that.”
When asked if there is potable
drinking water there, he simply
said they had been living in the
community for ages and
nothing of such happened.
Results of samples collected
not
out—Health
Commissioner
The Oyo State Commissioner
for Health, Dr. Bashiru Bello,
who said the government has
taken proactive steps to check
the disease, said that it was not
yet confirmed if it was cholera.
Bello said: “The tests carried
out on the affected persons are
still premature and the samples
collected have not confirmed
the sickness to be cholera.”
Besides, surveillance and
health officers have been sent
to the local government to take
samples and assess the
situation.
Boreholes no longer
functional
Vanguard gathered from an
impeccable source that most of
the boreholes in the community
are not functioning and this was
confirmed from the statement
made by the lawmaker
representing Lagelu State
Constituency, Mr. Akintunde
Olajide, when he said, a
preliminary investigation into
the cause of the sickness
revealed that it was largely due
to lack of access to clean and
potable water.
He was, however, quick to
add that he had ordered the
immediate repair of three of the
four boreholes in the
communities to give them
access to a hygienic water
source.
Vanguard, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020 — 45
#EndSARS: Ekiti community to rebuild
burnt police stations
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
ADO-EKITI—IKERE-Ekiti,
the headquarters of Ikere Local
Government Area of Ekiti State
has resolved to rebuild and equip
the three police stations set
ablaze by irate youths of the town
during the EndSARS protests.
The resolution to rebuild the
burnt stations was reached after
series of meetings attended by
the people of the town, including
community leaders, youths and
market women amongst others.
Unidentified hoodlums had set
ablaze the police stations and
operational vehicles during the
last nationwide EndSARS
protests, at the end of the attacks,
both the Area Command and
Divisional police stations in the
town were attacked.
Fire outbreaks wreak
havoc in Ondo, Oyo, Osun
Continues from Page 44
battle the raging inferno.
Vanguard was informed that
people, who were at
Oshuntokun Junction, Bodija
first, raised alarm and started
trying to put out the fire.
Some shop owners in the area
came out with their fire
extinguishers while some
carried buckets of water to
quench the fire.
An eyewitness, Mr. Bamidele
Osinowo said: “It started about
3.p.m. When we heard shouts
from the workers, I immediately
called the Oyo State Fire
Service.
“Within 10 minutes they came
with a bigger truck. We moved
in to join them to bring
extinguishers. Somebody from
a bank brought one. Another
person brought extinguishers
from Afe Babalola Educational
Centre, Bodija.”
Leader of the Federal Fire
Service, who spoke with
newsmen, said electrical sparks
and over-loading of electrical
sockets triggered the fire.
Speaking on fire outbreaks in
the state since the dry season
started, Director of the state fire
services, Mr. Adewuyi
Moshood said he couldn’t give
the statistics offhand but
advised people in the state to
take precautionary measures to
avoid fire outbreaks.
He advised the public to
ensure that all electrical
appliances that are not in use
should be switched off and
removed from the socket.
He also said parents should
take care of children to ensure
they don’t handle any electrical
gadgets.
For all those whose houses are
surrounded by bush, he hinted
that they should ensure they
clear the bush around them so
that fire will not destroy their
property in case they set the
bush on fire.
Lives lost, property destroyed
over 172 fire outbreaks in Osun
In Osun State, over 171 fire
outbreaks have occurred
between December and
November this year.
Several towns including Ilesa,
Ife, Osogbo, the state capital
and Iwo, as well as other parts
of the state have recorded fire
outbreak within the reviewed
period. In Osogbo alone, two
persons died in Modakeke
inferno, five persons were
injured in different fire
outbreaks in Osogbo, while
Consequently, the Ekiti Police
command withdrew its men from
the community citing the burning
of its three police stations,
operational vehicles located in
the town as reason for the action.
The police authorities also
demanded that the community
fish out and arrest some of the
hoodlums who perpetrated the
act for prosecution, as condition
for the policemen to return to the
town.
Rising from the meeting, the
community, in a communiqué by
the monarch of the town, Oba
Adejimi Adu, mandated a retired
Assistant Inspector General, AIG,
who hails from the town to speed
up the building of police post
which was under construction
sometimes ago.
The community condemned the
properties worth millions were
destroyed during the period.
Valuables, estimated over N20
million, were destroyed during
the inferno that gutted a
shopping complex within the
Nigeria Postal Service premise
in Osogbo apart from the
building which was not part of
the valuables.
Also during a fire outbreak at
Ogo-Oluwa area of the state
capital, three persons were
seriously injured, while
properties valued over N5
million were destroyed.
The single largest incident of
fire outbreak in the state was the
Atakumosa Central market
inferno in Ilesa.
Members of the market
association disclosed that goods
worth millions of naira were
destroyed in the inferno were
destroyed, urging the state
government to assist in reducing
the effect of the incident on their
members.
Fire rendered us helpless—
Victims
A victim at the Popo inferno,
Lawal Sulaiman, a generating
set merchant, said the fire, which
razed about 15 shops destroyed
properties worth millions of
Naira and rendered victims
helpless, as the government is
not showing any signs of
wanting to help.
His words: “I sell generating
sets and the fire razed the entire
shop destroying everything
therein. I don’t even know
where to start. Although
government officials came after
the incident they did not show
any commitment towards
helping to re-establish us.”.
Also, a late-night fire outbreak
razed a sawmill at Oke-Omiru
area of Ilesa in the state.
Although there were no
casualties in the incident, which
lasted almost two hours, the fire
razed a Church located within
the sawmill and it took the
prompt intervention of fire
service operatives to curtail the
inferno from affecting a truck
loaded with planks.
In Modakeke, six-story
buildings were gutted by fire in
killing a young girl, while
another fire outbreak claimed
the life of a helpless
octogenarian.
An eye witness, Jamiu
Ganiyu, disclosed that the
cause of the inferno could not
be ascertained but it started
around 5 pm.
violence and its attendant wanton
destruction of public property,
vowing to cooperate with the
police to arrest some of the
hoodlums who burnt the police
stations.
According to the communiqué,
the youths decided to henceforth
resist and combat anyone or
group wishing to destroy,
vandalise any public or private
property in Ikere Ekiti in future.
It, however, urged the police to,
as a matter of urgency, reverse
its decision to withdraw
policemen from the town in the
best interest and wellbeing of the
law abiding residents of the
community.
It urged the indigenes of the
community, especially the youths
to eschew violence and embrace
peace as no town could have any
meaningful development in the
midst of violence.