Redeemed pastor, wife, kids, killed in Lagos Container crash

A pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), his wife, their two children and a church worker, were crushed to death by  two containers yesterday in Lagos while on their way home from  the monthly Holy Ghost vigil of the church. Three others were injured. Pastor Charles Ito and his wife Rosaline were killed. The names of the children and the church worker could not be immediately confirmed.

The Nation gathered that two tyres of the truck carrying the containers unexpectedly lost pressure which made the vehicle tilt heavily on one side, just by the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) terminal on the Lagos /Ikorodu road, Ojota.

The truck soon lost its balance, flinging the two containers down and on the mini bus in which the pastor and other victims were travelling.

Time was about 3 am. The five died on the spot. Three others were trapped in the crushed bus. Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Fire Service, and Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) raced to the scene and succeeded in rescuing the three.

Among those rescued were Olasunkanmi Adeogun of 133, Olatunji Street, Ojota, and another young man identified as Ifeanyi.

All the victims are from RCCG Province 8, sources said yesterday.

They said the bus belonged to the late pastor.

The scene was littered yesterday with dismembered human parts, which were later packed by rescue workers.

Eyewitnesses said the trailer driver fled the scene as soon as the accident occurred. His conductor was however apprehended and handed over to the police.

Hoodlums who got to the scene early were said to have attempted to rob the rescue workers.

The saving grace was the police and NSCDC operatives drafted to the spot.

The accident triggered a traffic gridlock on the route and officials had to break the median demarcating the BRT lane to make way for the heavy duty equipment used in clearing the scene.

 Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni who was at the scene confirmed that five persons were killed and three others rescued alive.

He said it was time people started obeying traffic laws, adding that apart from the truck's bad tyres, it lacked capacity to carry the two containers.

He said: "We will spare nothing to arrest the driver of this truck. Even the truck owner, under the Lagos State Traffic Rules, has some questions to answer. We would focus attention more on people conforming with the law.

He urged those who suspect that their relatives could be among the victims to go to Alausa Police Station for identification.

Also speaking, the General Manager LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu said: "Around 3:45am today (Saturday), our men got here after we received information that people were trapped in a bus that was smashed by container. We had to break the median for equipment to access the spot and we noticed that three of the persons trapped were alive.

"Fortunately, we were able to bring them out alive, while the other five who were already dead, have been evacuated as well.”

The agency, later issued a statement saying: “The agency’s emergency response team (ERT) received a distressed call regarding an accident at Ojota bus stop on the July 8, 2017, about 4:02am. This prompted the immediate activation of the agency’s ERT to the scene of the incident.

“Investigation carried out by the ERT at the scene revealed that an articulated truck with registration number AKD 663 KF conveyed 40ft container laden with plywood fell on Volkswagen commercial bus (Danfo) with registration number FST 944 XR which the passengers were trapped.

“The prompt intention by the LASEMA response unit led to the rescue of three victims who were taken to the Trauma Centre Toll Gate, while five dead bodies trapped in the bus were extricated and taken to Ikorodu General Hospital Mortuary.”

Adeleke won Osun West bye-election

Adeleke

Mr. Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won nine out of the 10 local government areas in osun west senatorial by-election to defeat of All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Mudashiru Hussain,

Official result of the election in Iwo Local Government showed that Adeleke had 12,547votes as against Hussain’s 12,205.

In Iwo Local Government Area, Adeleke had 12,547 votes as against Hussain’s 12,205. While in Ejigbo Local Government Area, Hussain’s stronghold, the PDP candidate with 9,723 votes trailed his opponent who polled 12,229 votes.

Again, the former APC member, led with 9,096 votes with Hussain having 8952 votes in Irewole Local Government Area.

In Ayedire Local Government Area, Adeleke had 5,789 votes while Hussain trailed him with 5,360 votes.

It was a similar result in Olaoluwa Local Government Area as Adeleke led with 5,618 votes to Hussain’s 5,316.

The PDP candidate with 18,559 votes, led by a wide margin in Ede North Local Government Area as the APC candidate polled 2,784 votes.

It was a similar result in Ede South Local Government as Adeleke polled 13,406 votes while his opponent had 2,096 votes.

Mudashiru Hussain

In Ayedaade Local Government Area, PDP had 9,061 votes while APC polled 7,179.

Hussain, who polled 4,768 votes in Egbedore Local Government Area, lost to Adeleke who had 7,142; while in Isokan Local Government Area, the PDP candidate led with 6,539 votes, with his APC counterpart polling 5,227.

The two leading candidates –Mudasiru Hussein of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – hailed the election as fair and peaceful although the police arrested three suspected thugs for allegedly interfering with the voting process at Okinni in Egbedore Local Government area .

The day began with a drizzle but that did not stop voters from heading to the various polling units in the 10 local government areas that make up the senatorial zone as early as 8am.

Security was tight and voters had little complaints about the supply of voting materials, especially card readers.

 Restriction was placed on vehicular movement across the state, except the Ibadan/Ife/Ilesa/Akure expressway, that links Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.

The election was preceded by a curfew in the district from 6pm on Friday to 6am yesterday.

Hussain  after casting his vote at Ward 3, Unit 1, Beulah Baptist Primary School, Ejigbo, at about 9.30am expressed satisfaction ‘so far’ with the election, who eventually lost the election had also said he was confident of winning.

He commended both the INEC and voters for their maturity, saying that "if elections are conducted like this it means democracy has reached an advanced level."

Adeleke who is the younger brother of the late  Isiaka Adeleke, whose death created the  vacancy voted at Saagba Abogunde compound in Ede North at 8.34 am.

He said he was “100 percent confident of victory.”

Aregbesola

“As you can see, it rained this morning before the voting exercise commenced. This is a signal to the fact that I will carry the day. With this large turnout also, its unarguable that I will beat Hussein hands down by God's grace," he added.

 The police said they arrested three suspected thugs for allegedly unleashing mayhem at Igbokiti Unit, Ward 10, Okinni in Egbedore Local Government council.

 The thugs reportedly attacked  voters and INEC adhoc officers at the polling unit.

 Some voters waiting to cast their votes were allegedly matcheted and injured.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, in a telephone chat, confirmed the arrest.

He said the suspects were undergoing interrogation.
"With our vigilance and commitment to ensure peaceful conduct of the exercise, we are very happy that there is peace and there is no significant case of violence,” he said.
 “We are determined to sustain peace and effective security till the end and even after the entire electoral process."

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Osun West bye-election: CNPP endorses AdelekeAdemola

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties in Osun State has endorsed  the younger brother of late Isiaka Adeleke, Ademola, a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, for the July 8 Osun West  Senatorial bye-election.

Adeleke

The parties, including the All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA) Action Alliance (AA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Democratic People's Party (DPP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), People's Democratic Movement (PDM) among others, at a press conference in Ede, also cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against postponing the election.

The CNPP Secretary, Gbade Adelakun, speaking on behalf of the conference unanimously endorsed the Ademola Adeleke as their candidate for the  bye-election.

According to him, members of the political parties comprising the CNPP should come out en masses and cast their votes for Adeleke come July 8.

He warned the INEC against postponing the already scheduled bye-election, saying, "the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties CNPP in Osun State  oppose vehemently the planned supposedly postponement of the bye-election of Osun West Senatorial District slated for 8th, July 2017.

"Such postponement will amount to unnecessary tension among the political parties. Adding that "Moral burden is on the INEC not to shift the date of election."

He accused the APC and Governor Rauf  Aregbesola of conniving with the INEC officials to subvert the process of the election.

Adelekun said: "We have it on good authority that primary and secondary school students are being used for data capturing and thumb printing, what for and why?"

He also alleged that the APC and Aregbesola had concluded plan to rig the election in rural areas of the state with the connivance of the "State Boys."

In attendance at the briefing were some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, including former Secretary of Ede South Local Government, Alhaji Lukman Afolabi,  and former APC leader, Ede South Local government area,  Hon. Ademola Oyebode.