₦airaland Forum

The Lagos State Government on Sunday cautioned operators of event centres, property owners, religious centres and other places of attraction to desist from compounding traffic gridlock on roads around their locations.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde, read the riot act to owners of event centres and places of attraction to desist from activities that could obstruct the free flow of traffic.

The commissioner specifically cited the Lekki-Expressway where several man-hours were lost on Saturday due to traffic gridlock and apologised to residents for the road blockage occasioned by activities of the event centres.


‘’Henceforth, any social event where the number of expected visitors exceeds 50, organizers of such event must notify the General Manager of LASTMA in advance, especially, if it is perceived that their property would not accommodate large numbers of vehicles that may be brought by their guests.

“The LASTMA authority will be on hand to advise them on what to do rather than allowing their visitors to block roads as this will attract stiffer penalties if caught.

“The state government will no longer condone parking of vehicles on the roadside, failure of the operators/ property owners to make provision for adequate parking space for their guests,” Oladeinde said.

He said that the gridlock was caused by motorists who could not secure parking space in the venues of their social gathering and resorted to parking their vehicles on the roadsides, causing permanent traffic gridlocks.

The commissioner stated that it was regrettable that innocent citizens who were going about their lawful duties were forced to share in the pains caused by merrymakers.

Mr Oladeinde warned that any commercial event centre, place of worship, night club/lounge, or private property owners caught on account of illegal blockage of roads by their attendants would be closed until their owners paid the stipulated fines.

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested one suspect in connection with the gruesome murder of a 500-level Law student of the Rivers State University, Miss Matilda Mark Itonyo.

The suspect, whose name was withheld by the police, was only identified as a former boyfriend of the murdered student.

It was gathered that the police had in the early hours of Saturday tracked the suspect to his house in Port Harcourt before taking him away to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

The 24-year-old Matilda was stabbed several times in the neck and head by her assailant(s) at her private apartment outside the university campus.

The killers were said to have broken into her room in the early hours of Tuesday and allegedly raped her before snuffing life out of her.

The incident, according to sources, forced some of her course mates to shun classes when they got wind of the incident.

Confirming the arrest of the suspect, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, explained that he was apprehended for interrogation in connection with Matilda’s murder.

He stated, “We cannot say that we have arrested the killer of the student. He was only arrested for interrogation and at the end, if he is found culpable, he will be prosecuted. But if he is innocent, he will be allowed to go.

“Yes, the suspect is the former boyfriend of the late student. He was arrested on Saturday morning after being tracked to his residence.”

The father of the deceased, Mr Ebikene Itonyo, told our correspondent that he rushed to the state CID when he learnt that a suspect had been arrested.

Ebikene called on the police not to relent in their efforts to fish out the killers of his daughter and bring them to justice.

“I was at the state CID. I rushed to the place when I was told that one of the suspects had been arrested. We know that the suspect will deny, but I think the police must have seen some certain things that made them to arrest him,” Ebikene added.

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World boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will soon present his belts to President Muhammadu Buhari, a presidential aide disclosed on Wednesday in Abuja.

Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents on behalf of the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the briefing took place after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday in Abuja.

Akande however said the date for the presentation of the belts was yet to be fixed.

“The Minister of Sports announced that Anthony Joshua will be presenting his belts to the President in a matter of days.

“The Council members also expressed appreciation for the gift of books from the Vice President which has become an annual tradition,’’ he said.

NAN reports that Joshua, a Nigerian-British boxer, beat Mexican-American boxer Andy Ruiz Jr. through a unanimous points decision in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

The victory helped him to reclaim the IBF, WBO, WBA and IBO heavyweight world championship belts he lost to Ruiz Jr. in June.