Nelson Ugwuagbo

A fire incident has destroyed some shanties at Ikate around Salem Bus Stop in Lekki, Lagos, late on Monday.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said this in a statement.

He said the agency’s response unit upon receiving a distress call moved in immediately.

“We received distress calls via our Toll Free Emergency numbers 767/112 at 11.21 pm, and activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans.

“The LASEMA Response Team from Lekki Base arrived at the incident scene at 11.50pm, while the elite LASEMA Fire Unit also responded from the agency’s hub at Cappa Base.

“On arrival of the response teams, it was observed that some shanties behind an estate was engulfed by fire at the aforementioned address.

“Further investigation revealed that the fire emanated from one of the shanty rooms and subsequently escalated to other rooms,” he said.

He added that the fire also escalated to adjoining buildings within the estate.

“No loss of life at the incident scene, or injury sustained to responders as a result of the inferno.

“The cause of the fire could not be ascertained,” he said.

Oke-Osanyitolu said the fire had been brought under control and completely put out through joint efforts of all responders.

“Properties worth a fortune were destroyed by the inferno and post-disaster assessment is in progress.

“LASEMA Response Team, the agency’s fire unit, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Estate Fire Department and the Nigerian Police Force, were all in attendance,” he said.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero,  has stated that if the ongoing inflation continues unabated, organised labour might push for a new minimum wage of up to N1million for Nigerian workers.

Ajaero said the demand from organised labour would be influenced by the cost of living which has been increasing since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, notably due to the removal of fuel subsidy and other policies.

The NLC president said this during an interview with Arise News, on Sunday evening.

He said, “This N1 million may be relevant if the value of the Nigerian (naira) continues to depreciate; if the inflation continues unchecked because the demand of labour is equally dependent on what is happening in the society.

“You will remember that by the time we were contemplating N200,000 (as minimum wage), the exchange rate was about N800/N900 (to a dollar). As we talk today, the exchange rate is about N1,400 or even more.

“Those are the issues that determine the demand and it is equally affecting the cost of living. And we have always said that our demand will be based on the cost of living index. You will agree with me today that even a bag of rice is going for about N60,000/N70,000 or more.

“A bag of locally produced corn is about N56,000 or more. Foodstuff is getting out of reach, now are we going to get a minimum wage that will not be enough for transportation even for one week?

“You have to factor in these issues and that will determine the Federal Government’s commitment to this negotiation. It is not just that they want to give us a minimum wage.

“The old minimum wage will be expiring by April and ordinarily, the Federal Government ought to have set up a committee six months before that time so that negotiation would have commenced but the Federal Government didn’t do that until (recently when) they inaugurated a committee and the committee has not sat.

“It appears we are going to work within one month or two to agree on a figure and I doubt how those ones are going to… especially when you look at the people that the Federal Government assembled as members of the committee.

“They looked at some of the governors that are not paying even the existing minimum wage and even they have a minister of budget who didn’t implement his minimum wage as a governor.

“If you have these people in the government team on the issue of minimum wage, some of us have not seen a bright future in the work of this new minimum wage committee.”

Both the NLC and the Trade Union Congress last week Thursday issued a 14-day strike notice to the Federal Government, expressing frustration over its failure to implement a 16-point agreement signed in October 2023.

This agreement aimed to alleviate the  suffering caused by the rise in petrol price and the devaluation of the naira, policies that have increased hardships and inflation.

The unions demanded the government fulfill its obligations within the stipulated 14-day period starting from Friday, February 9, 2024.

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command have arrested a total of 311 suspects – 297 males and 14 females, in a bandits’ relaxation camp called “Game House” in Gidan Dambe, Dei Dei, Abuja.

Some guns and ammunition, swords, knives, axes, daggers, motorcycles, and several mobile phones, were recovered during the operation.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, disclosed this on Monday, during a parade of the suspects at the Intelligence Response Team unit (former Special Anti-Robbery Squad), Guzape, Abuja.

He noted that police operatives at about 11:30 pm on Sunday, acting on credible intelligence that bandits, kidnappers, and armed robbers usually return to the “Game House” to relax and entertain themselves, arrested the 311 suspects within 20 minutes of storming the area.

Igwe said, “When you hear something, say something. We had credible information that some bandits and kidnappers usually return to a place called ‘Game House’ in Gidan Dambe in Dei Dei, after returning from their criminal operations. They usually go back there to relax and entertain themselves at the game house.

“Our newly launched operation Velvet raided the marked black spot and arrested 297 males and 14 females within 20 minutes of storming the area.

During the search, one English Pistol with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition was recovered from one Ibrahim Tukur who claimed to be a DSS personnel.

Other exhibits such as motorcycles, wraps of marijuana, illicit substances and valuables reasonably suspected to have been stolen from innocent residents were equally recovered. Meanwhile, all the suspects are still undergoing screening.

The FCT has been experiencing a surge in kidnapping and bandit attacks in recent times.

In January 2024, operatives of the Special Intervention Squad, Federal Capital Territory Police Command, neutralised three notorious bandits in a forest within the Bwari area of Abuja.

Following the death of group managing director and chief executive of Access Holdings, the former Nigerian minister of Finance and current director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; and the group MD/CEO of NGX Group, Temi Popoola, among others, have expressed their condolences over the death of group managing director, Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe in a helicopter crash in the United States of America at the weekend.

This is even as the board of Access Holdings Plc may soon begin to hunt for a helmsman after the tragic demise of its group managing director, Herbert Wigwe, in a helicopter crash in the United States of America.

The group had, in an earlier statement, yesterday, noted that it will soon name a successor to Herbert Wigwe in acting capacity.

It is expected that the board of the financial conglomerate will officially notify the regulators on the first day of business and would convene a board meeting to begin to consider the options for a replacement for the late GMD.

The board of directors is expected to convene a meeting to discuss the situation and decide on the next course of action. Whilst they may appoint an interim replacement pending the appointment of the substantive GMD, there is also the option of appointing a permanent replacement.

In many cases, there may be a designated deputy or an interim successor in the bank’s leadership structure. If the managing director had a clear succession plan in place, this individual may step in temporarily to ensure continuity and stability.

Presently, the board of the bank is constituted by the chairman, the group managing director, four non-executive directors, one independent non-executive directors and two executive directors. The most senior after the chairman is the current managing director of the banking subsidiary, Roosevelt Ogbonna.

Ogbonna, before his current role, was Access Bank’s deputy managing director since 2017 prior to which he had been appointed executive director, Commercial Banking Division, in October 2013.

He was appointed the managing director of the bank with effect from May 2, 2022. He is a through-bred professional with over two decades of banking experience having joined Access Bank in 2002 from Guaranty Trust Bank.

With the guideline on tenure as released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last year, which fixed the tenure of deputy managing directors and executive directors (ED) of a bank at a maximum period of 12 years, Ogbonna currently has two years on the board.

Banking sources told news correspondents that to ensure stability and continuity, Ogbonna may be favoured by the board as an interim GMD to stabilise the corporation before it shops for the substantive one later.

Also to be put into consideration are the two camps that hold sway on the board. Recall that Access Bank was bought by Herbert Wigwe and his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. It is, however, not sacrosanct that the replacement would be from within the Corporation itself.

Commenting on the demise of Dr. Wigwe, Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, chairman of Access Holdings said: “The Access Family has suffered a major loss with the passing of Dr. Wigwe who was a great friend and fine gentleman. He had a prodigious intellect, admirable personal qualities, and vast business experience which he brought to bear on the Access Family and for which we owe him a debt of gratitude.

“In line with the Company’s policy, the Board will soon announce the appointment of an acting group chief executive officer even as we remain confident that the Access Group will build further on Dr. Wigwe’s legacy of growth and operational excellence.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared Margaret Emefiele, wife of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and three others, wanted for money laundering.

Mrs Emefiele, Mr Eric Odoh, Anita Omoile and her husband, Jonathan Omoile, were declared wanted Friday night for allegedly conspiring with the former CBN Governor “to convert huge sums of money belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria and committed felony to wit: obtaining money by false pretences, and stealing, contrary to and punishable under Sections 411, 287, and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.”

Details of their alleged money laundering offences were revealed by the EFCC in a mugshot portrait of the four suspects late Friday night.

The document read, “Emefiele, Odoh, Mr and Mrs Omoile, wanted by the EFCC. The quartet of Eric Odoh, Margaret Emefiele, Anita Omoile and Jonathan Omoile, are wanted by the EFCC for offences bothering on economic and financial crimes. Any information on their whereabout? Please contact the nearest EFCC Command or the nearest police Station,.”

An EFCC document entitled “Arrests and Recoveries,” which was earlier exclusively obtained by our correspondent, revealed that the former CBN Governor, Emefiele, is being prosecuted by the EFCC for ₦ 1.8bn and $6.2m fraud.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has for the third time amended the criminal charges it filed against Emefiele.

In the latest amended charge taken before Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday, the EFCC accused Emefiele of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illegally obtain $6.2m.

According to the amended charge marked CR/577/2023, Emefiele, on February 8, 2023, connived with one Odoh Ocheme, who is now on the run, to obtain $6.2m from the CBN, claiming that it was requested by the SGF “vide a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.”

According to the EFCC, Emefiele allegedly claimed that the SGF requested the CBN to release “a contingent logistic advance in the sum of $6,230,000.00 in line with Mr. President’s directive.”

The EFCC said Emefiele made the claim despite knowing that it was false, “and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

Still in the amended charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that Emefiele, in January 2023, forged a document titled: “Re: Presidential.directive on foreign election observers mission”dated January 26, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.

He said to have allegedly connived with the fleeing Ocheme to commit the “illegal act to wit: forgery.”

Furthermore, Emefiele was accused of conferring corrupt advantage on his wife, Omoile Margret, and brother In-law, Omoile Macombo, by allegedly awarding a contract for the renovation of a portion of the CBN Governor’s residence in Lagos to the tune of N99.8m.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the contract for the renovation of the CBN Governor’s lodge, located at No. 2 Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, was awarded to a company named Messrs. Architekon Nigeria Limited, “wherein the duo are directors and majority shareholders.”

The EFCC said Emefiele’s alleged action was a violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

The amended charge sheet contains a total of 20 counts against Emefiele.

The judge adjourned till Friday for Emefiele to take his plea on the amended charges.

In the original charge filed against him in August 2023, Emefiele was accused of perpetrating procurement fraud to the tune of N6.5bn.

He was then charged alongside a female CBN employee, Sa’adatu Yaro, and her company, April 1616 Investment.

The EFCC later amended the charge by reducing the counts to six, removing the names of Yaro and April 1616 Investment, and reducing the quantum of the alleged procurement fraud to N1.2bn.

Emefiele was arraigned on the second charge on November 29, 2023, and he pleaded not guilty.

The EFCC subsequently opened its trial and had so far called three witnesses before the latest amendment.

The armed bandits, who recently kidnapped women accompanying a newlywed bride to her matrimonial home at Damari, Sabuwa LGA of Katsina State, have threatened to remarry the bride and sell off the other women.

LeadingReporters gathered that the daredevil bandits had on Thursday last week, attacked the bride and those accompanying her, around the Sabuwa area while travelling in an open van.

The gunmen killed at least four members of a vigilante group during the unfortunate attack.

At least 55 wedding guests were abducted during the attack and the victims have since then been held hostage, according to villagers.

However, in a video clip currently in circulation on social media, the killer bandits were sighted threatening to marry the bride and sell the other captives if ransom was not paid on time.

LeadingReporters learnt that the assailants had contacted families of the victims, demanding N100 million as the only condition to free the captives.

In the video clip, a gang leader, clad in police uniform, claimed responsibility for the abduction, saying nobody can rescue the women.

“I am the one who abducted them, and I will never release them until ransom is paid. And if there is anyone who thinks they could rescue them, they should try it,” he said.