Ooni denounces ethnic clash as one killed in Ife
AMAN whose identity is yet to be ascertained has been reported dead following a land dispute at a village in Ifeland, Osun State.
This came as a senior Ooni of Ife Chief, the Lowa of Ife, Adekola Adeyeye, denounced a reported clash between Yoruba and Hausa residents in the ancient city on Tuesday.
It was gathered that some Ife young men at Obalogun village via Ile- Ife were involved in a hot altercation over a land dispute and one of the parties fired a gunshot, killing the victim on the spot.
The Guardian learnt that attempt to revive the deceased proved abortive as he died before he was taken to the hospital.
A source in Ile- Ife said that attempt to avenge the deceased’s death led to commotion in the town, especially around Lagere, Mokuro Road areas of the town.
Adeyeye, in a statement, said the perpetrators of the acts had been identified and their names made available to security operatives in the town.
He, therefore, warned against any attempt to cause crisis in the town, saying there was no clash between the Hausa and Yoruba residents in the ancient town.
He, however, confirmed the death of one victim and also urged the relatives of the deceased to remain calm, saying the police would eventually ensure justice in the matter.
“We are warning anyone with intent to cause crisis in Ile- Ife to steer clear of the town. Uniformed and secret police operatives are in the town to deal with any troublemaker.
‘’ We are also aware of the crisis, which led to the death of a young man in the town. We have identified his killers and police operatives are on their trail,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state’s Police Command Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, had deployed men of the Police Force to the town and was personally in Ife to monitor the development.
THE police in Lagos State have arrested a 38- yearold driver for knocking an officer into a canal while trying to evade arrest by law enforcement agents along Airport Road, Lagos. The driver, who was caught in a viral video driving against traffic and tipping a policeman over a bridge, was yesterday taken to the Yaba Magistrate Court for arraignment.
A statement yesterday by the police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the reckless driver caused injuries to the officer. He identified the driver as Sunday Okodo, a resident of Alose Close, Apapa, while the police inspector, who was knocked down, was David Zapania. “The incident occurred on Wednesday around 5: 30p. m. when some personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency ( LASTMA), who were backed up by the police on enforcement duty within the state, intercepted a Toyota SUV driving against the traffic along International Airport road.
“The driver resisted arrest and while trying to escape,
a police inspector, David Zapania, was knocked down from the bridge and fell into a canal. The police inspector was rescued and rushed to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Center, where he was attended to and discharged, but sustained fracture on his left hand,” the police said. Okodo, it was learnt, will be arraigned for driving in the direction prohibited by law ( one- way) punishable under Part ( III) item 25 of the ‘ Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018, which attracts a one- year jail term and the vehicle forfeited to the state government, while a second- time offender risks three years in jail. It will be recalled that two weeks ago, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and the state’s Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences supervised the public auction of 83 vehicles forfeited for violating the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law 2018. The auction, which held on the premises of the State Task Force in Alausa, Ikeja, was conducted by a licensed auctioneer, Mr. Ade Onanuga of Confidential Realtor Limited Auction House. The exercise was sequel to the orders of the Lagos State Special Offences Mobile Court.
The auctioneer, Onanuga, said government is only looking for the fairest way of disposing of the forfeited vehicles and the fairest way of selling them is through auction, which is an open bid.
One of the exotic cars up for auction, a red Toyota Corolla car, went for N6.5 million as the stake kept rising against the bid of the determined car owner bent on having his prized vehicle back. It’s about two months since the closure of the bridge linking Oshodi- Apapa Expressway to the Airport Road, with road users lamenting the continued closure of the bridge. The Lagos State government had on January 10 announced the closure of the bridge following the inferno that occurred on the expressway as a result of an explosion from a tanker.
Road users seeking to ply the route now face daunting tasks continuing their journeys. The closure causes logjams on the busy road, even as the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, has remained silent on the reopening since the announcement of temporary restrictions to vehicular movements on the bridge.