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Setting Self Ablaze: We Have No Hand In It – Lagos Taskforce Chairman

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The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit {Taskforce} has said that its men and officials have no hand in the enforcement for compliance activities that led to a commercial bus driver setting himself ablaze to resist his vehicle being impounded by yet Unidentified Security Agents.

Speaking at the Agency’s Headquarters today at Safety Arena, Bolade Oshodi, Lagos, the Chairman of the Agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye in a swift reaction to The Punch Newspaper report on the incident of a commercial bus driver who set himself ablaze to evade arrest during Enforcement for Compliance operation, said that Taskforce has no hand in it. He said that at the time of the incident his Men were still at the base. The accusations are utterly inaccurate and misleading as investigations and eyewitness accounts of persons who were present at the scene of the incident have categorically revealed that the driver, one Mr Ayo aka Eru poured petrol on himself to scare the security operatives from enforcing the traffic law which he violated. After the operatives had left, luck ran out on him and some of the hoodlums presents mistook him for one of the security operatives and set him ablaze.


The Chairman further stated that the barbaric act of setting self ablaze, robbing self with faeces, chasing law enforcement officers with urine and other crazy acts are now the new wave of resisting arrest by recalcitrant Motorists who have developed the habit and passion for violating the State Traffic and Environmental laws. He however said that if they are bold enough to be serial lawbreakers, they should be courageous enough to face the consequences of their illegal actions rather than constituting nuisance on Lagos road.

Jejeloye further narrated how one Mr Festus Ugbesia age 40 of Mafoluku area of Oshodi who claimed to be the owner of the bus drove the victim from the scene of the incident down to the Agency Headquarters, inciting members of the public against the Agency that the officials of the Taskforce had been fingered for setting the victim ablaze, but it later dawned on him that Taskforce had no hand in it when he discovered that our Men and officials were still on the parade ground preparing for the task of the day while the transport department of the Agency was still sourcing for petrol for their operational vehicles at the Agency Headquarters.

CSP Jejeloye further stated that “We have had many instances where imposters carry out illegal activities and mention the name of Taskforce in the process thereby leading to people pointing accusing fingers at us. We have arrested a few of these imposters and we will keep doing so until they desist from tarnishing the image of the Agency”.


He further stressed that not all security operatives you see on Lagos Roads are attached to Taskforce. Officials of Taskforce are trained, enlightened, educated, professionals and equipped enough to distinguish between traffic offence and criminal offence. A traffic offence is not a criminal offence, as such, minimal or zero force has to be applied in carrying out the enforcement. “Enforcement all over the world is not a tea party and in most cases, it is not people-friendly, that is the reason Taskforce operatives do not get any support from passers-by during their operations rather what is always obtainable is little truths but massive lies against the agency”. Jejeloye said.


CSP Jejeloye stated that the officials of Taskforce assisted the victim to quickly get medical attention from Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) as part of our patriotic act and corporate social responsibility. ‘’Let me emphasise here that for us as an Agency of Government we believe that it is better for us to allow an offender to go unharmed than to cause an injury. The officials of the Agency are being led by Senior Police Officers who are well trained and exposed. We are civilised, educated and professional to allow such incident happen during any of enforcement operation”. He stated.

Taskforce Chairman admonished all recalcitrant offenders that traffic offence is not a criminal offence, they should keep faith with the country’s Judicial system and summon the courage to submit self for the prosecution at the Court for the offence committed, it is better and cheaper for them to face the reality of the offence they committed, rather than being evasive or demonstrating insanity to escape arrest which is no longer acceptable to us. Nigerians are no fools.

Jejeloye advised members of the public to be vigilant, report any suspicious activities around them to the Agency and help the Agency in her drive to fish out fake policemen parading themselves as Taskforce officials.

He enjoined Lagosians to support the Agency in her efforts to instil discipline and achieve the State vision of zero tolerance for driving against traffic and other related offences. The task force was created to maintain law, order and sanity where there is none. Enforcement of traffic laws is not a tea party as the offender would do anything humanly possible to escape justice, and in the process, the offender can kill, maim and cause serious injury to innocent members of the public in his bid to escape from the scene.

Though the incident which occurred is highly unfortunate and regrettable, I would like to clearly state that it was not carried out by officials of the Lagos State Taskforce, in fact, we are too careful and professional to allow such operations to degenerate into that ugly incident. I would like to urge Lagosians, particularly the media practitioners to tow the line of best practices and verify their findings scientifically before publication. The use of Taskforce branded vehicle by the Punch Newspaper is misleading and a misrepresentation of facts. At this point in our Nation’s history, there is a need for us to be very careful in our reportage to avoid inciting members of the public against Government agencies. The Endsars impasse is still fresh in our memory and we must avoid a repeat of that ugly incident.

Gbadeyan Abdulraheem
Director, Press and Public Affairs
Lagos State Taskforce

BIG STORY

Appeal Court Nullifies Rape Conviction Of Lagos Doctor Femi Olaleye

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The Lagos appeal court has overturned the “rape” conviction of Femi Olaleye, managing director of Optimal Cancer Care Foundation. On Friday, the appellate court ruled that the lower court “erred” in its judgment.

Olaleye was arraigned in November 2022 on a two-count charge of “defilement of a child” and “sexual assault by penetration.”

He was convicted in October 2023 and sentenced to life imprisonment for “rape.”

However, the appeal court held that the lower court relied on “tainted” and “unreliable” evidence.

THE VERDICT

The three-member panel of the appeal court are Jimi Olukayode Bada, Mohammad Sirajo, and Folasade Ojo.

Bada read the lead judgment which was adopted by the two other justices.

The appeal court held that the lower court erred based on the “tainted” and “unreliable” evidence of Oluremi, the defendant’s wife, and the alleged survivor.

The appeal court stated that Oluremi’s conduct showed that she was motivated by greed and the desire to take over the appellant’s assets upon his incarceration.

The appellate court described Olaleye’s wife as a “tainted witness”.

The court also ruled that the lower court relied on the “hearsay evidence” of the other witnesses on the age of the alleged survivor.

The appellate court held that since none of the witnesses witnessed the birth of the alleged survivor, it was wrong for the lower court to rely on their testimonies.

The court ruled that the prosecution’s case that the alleged survivor was a 16-year-old child was bereft of evidence.

The court described the testimonies of the child forensic specialist, that of a medical doctor from the Mirabel Centre, and the investigating officer’s, as “worthless”.

The appellate court said the trial judge “interfered” in the proceedings by bridging the “yawning gaps” in the prosecution’s case.

The court held that the prosecution failed to present material witnesses such as two family members who witnessed Olaleye’s alleged confession.

The court said a trial within trial ought to have been conducted to ascertain the voluntariness of the appellant’s confessional statements while in police custody.

The court of appeal resolved all five issues in favour of the appellant.

The appeal court thereafter discharged and acquitted Olaleye.

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BIG STORY

US-Based Nigerian May Get 20-Year Jail Term Over Money Laundry

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A United States-based Nigerian, Samson Omoniyi, who was arrested alongside eight others for alleged money laundering and fraud, may be sentenced to 20 years in prison if found guilty by US authorities.

This was contained in a press statement signed by the Office of Public Affairs of the US Department of Justice late Wednesday.

The statement noted that Omoniyi, alongside his accomplices, was indicted on Tuesday on allegations of conspiracy to engage in money laundering following their arrest across three jurisdictions in the US.

It further indicated that the defendants, who remain innocent until proven guilty by the court, operated a money laundering organisation to launder proceeds from fraud amounting to millions of US dollars, allegedly obtained from defrauding multiple citizens.

The statement read, “An indictment was unsealed yesterday (Tuesday) in Nashville, Tennessee. It charges nine members of a multi-state money laundering organisation with laundering millions of dollars derived from internet fraud, including business email compromise schemes. The nine defendants were arrested in a coordinated takedown across three jurisdictions.

“According to court documents, Samson A. Omoniyi, 43, of Houston; Misha L. Cooper, 50, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Robert A. Cooper, 66, of Murfreesboro; Carlesha L. Perry, 36, of Houston; Whitney D. Bardley, 30, of Florissant, Missouri; Lauren O. Guidry, 32, of Houston; Caira Y. Osby, 44, of Houston; Dazai S. Harris, 34, of Murfreesboro; and Edward D. Peebles, 35, of Murfreesboro, were charged with conspiracy to engage in money laundering.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants were members of a long-running money laundering organisation operating since approximately November 2016 in and around Tennessee, Texas, and across the country.”

The statement further stressed that the defendants used the structured organisation as a guise to launder the proceeds of their fraud and to enrich members of the syndicate.

“The conspirators allegedly structured the organisation so that recruiters or ‘herders’ recruited and directed participants or ‘money mules’ to launder money obtained from Internet frauds that targeted businesses and individuals in the United States and abroad.

“The defendants allegedly used sham and front companies to conceal the fraud proceeds and enrich the conspiracy members. The conspiracy allegedly agreed to launder more than $20 million in fraud proceeds,” it stated.

According to the statement, each of the defendants could be sentenced to 20 years in prison under the US Sentencing Guidelines as the maximum penalty for their offence.

“The defendants each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” the statement concluded.

Earlier reports had it that two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, were sentenced by a US federal jury to 30 years combined jail time for defrauding some US citizens of $3,500,000.

According to the US Justice Department, the duo had deceived their victims by telling them that they had received substantial inheritances that required some money to claim.

The duo was said to have requested their victims send money with a promise to refund them once the inheritances were claimed.

It was also noted that the duo carried out romance scams by establishing romantic relationships with their victims and demanding that they send money after building trust with them.

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BIG STORY

Australia Bans Social Media Use For Children Under-16

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Australia’s parliament on Thursday passed a world-first law banning social media for children under 16, putting tech companies on notice to tighten security before a cut-off date that’s yet to be set.

The ban came following the passage of a groundbreaking law in parliament.

The new law was drafted in response to what the Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, described as a “clear, causal link between the rise of social media and the harm [to] the mental health of young Australians.”

“We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs,” Albanese told reporters afterwards.

The new law, passed by the Senate with 34 votes to 19, prohibits platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Reddit from allowing users under 16.

Companies found in violation could face fines of up to AU$50 million (US$32 million). YouTube has been excluded from the ban due to its educational content.

While the law has been hailed by some as a bold move to protect children, it has drawn criticism from academics, advocacy groups, and tech experts.

Concerns have been raised that the legislation could drive teenagers to unsafe spaces like the dark web or lead to increased isolation.

Questions about enforcement have also surfaced, with critics warning that rushed implementation could create privacy risks if companies require extensive personal data for age verification.

Amnesty International has recommended that the bill be reconsidered, arguing “ban that isolates young people will not meet the government’s objective of improving young people’s lives.”

The bill received over 15,000 public submissions in a single day, many opposing the measure, after tech billionaire Elon Musk drew attention to the proposal on X.

The law will take effect in 12 months, allowing time for the government to trial age-verification technologies.

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