Metro
1,664 displaced as flood ravages Sokoto communities
No fewer than 1,664 persons have been displaced as flood sacked four communities in the Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
A statement signed and made available to newsmen in the state on Sunday by the Information Officer, Sokoto Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Ghani, said the flood was due to a recent downpour in the area.
He said the flood, apart from the high number of displaced persons, also destroyed about 779 hectares of farmland in the process.
Some of the affected communities ravaged by the flood included Dantudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse towns, among others.
According to the report compiled at Dan Tudu village, 62 houses and 71 households were affected.
At Balakozo Village (Tsitse ward), 33 houses and 48 households were affected, while a total of 38 houses and 52 households were affected at Gidan Tudu Village.
At Tsitse town, a total of 68 houses and 89 households were affected.
“The recent downpour of 17th July 2024 left many residents of Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State homeless and displaced.
“It also destroyed several numbers of hectares of farmlands and destroyed a high number of sheep and goats.
“This was discovered during an assessment conducted on Saturday at Gada by NEMA and SEMA officials in the state.
“The total number of people affected by the flood incidence at Dan Tudu, Balakozo, Gidan Tudu and Tsitse town is 1,664,” the report stated.
It added that the assessment team found that some numbers of livestock, including sheep and goats, were reportedly missing due to the downpour.
Meanwhile, NEMA’s Director General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, has said proper waste disposal and flood preparedness are crucial for community well-being and environmental health.
The NEMA DG, represented by the agency’s Head of Operations, Ekiti and Ondo states, Mr Kofoworola Sholeye, said improper waste disposal could trigger flood disasters and had adverse health consequences leading to significant damage to property and loss of lives.
Umar spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday, during a one-day awareness campaign and roadshow organised by the NEMA, in collaboration with the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, government agencies and relevant stakeholders.
“This initiative is to sensitise and create awareness among Ekiti people about the expected heavy rainfalls predicted by the Seasonal Climate Predictions, Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Annual Flood Outlook, which listed Ekiti among the states that would likely experience heavy rainfall and potential flooding this year,” Umar said.
The NEMA boss said flooding and the attendant losses could be mitigated “if all stakeholders stand up to the challenges and come up with the measures that would help to enlighten the people of Ekiti State on proper waste management, as many have cultivated the habit of indiscriminate dumping of refuse over the years.
“It is necessary to always promote and carry out activities that would safeguard our environment by ensuring the rapid enlightenment of the general public on the need to desist from dumping refuse indiscriminately.”
Umar lauded the commitment of Ekiti SEMA and other disaster management agencies in the state as she assured of NEMA’s willingness to sustain the synergy with the state government to explore long-term and more sustainable solutions to both natural and human-induced disasters.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Abayomi Opeyemi, urged Ekiti residents to adhere to the state environmental laws by avoiding indiscriminate dumping of waste and erecting structures on river banks and flood plains
Also, the General Manager of SEMA, Mr Oludare Asaolu, appreciated NEMA for the initiatives and collaborative efforts to avert flooding and the attendant destruction of lives and properties in the state.
Asaolu lauded Governor Biodun Oyebanji for approving funds for the dredging of waterways in high-risk zones across the state, to prevent flooding and its attendant risks to lives and properties even before the NiMET weather forecasts.
The Director General of Ekiti State Waste Management Board, Mr Olasunkami Onipede, urged residents to properly dispose of their waste at all times, saying the state government had placed Dino bins at strategic locations in the state capital for easy disposal and collection of waste.
Metro
UK police dismiss Nigerian-British officer for ‘biting’ colleague
By Francesca Hangeior
The Metropolitan Police Service of the United Kingdom has dismissed a Nigerian-British officer, Shola Balogun of Bromley Police Station, for biting a colleague (name withheld) at a birthday party in Bexleyheath, Kent.
This was disclosed in a hearing that was held from October 21-23, 2024, and chaired by a high-ranking officer, Christopher McKay, with IPM Amanda Harvey and Assessor-Detective Superintendent, Kirsty Mead as the panel members.
The document of the hearing notice sighted by our correspondent revealed that Balogun, a Police Constable, had attended a 40th birthday party of another police officer with about 70 other persons in attendance at Goals Sports Bar, stressing that he and the officer (victim) were the two police officers present at the event aside from the celebrant.
The document also explained that the incident happened on April 22, 2022, as a result of a light-hearted horseplay between them in the past but with no significant falling out.
It read, “On the 22nd of April 2022 about 70 people attended a 40th birthday party for a police officer at Goals Sports Bar in Bexleyheath, Kent. Among those attending were members of her work team, ERT C, who were based at Bromley Police Station. PC Shola Balogun and PC (name withheld) were two of those police officers who were present at the party. The officers knew each other well as work colleagues, having been based at Bromley Police Station together since June 2018.
“There had been light-hearted horseplay between them in the past but no significant falling out. Both describe a good friendly working relationship. The victim said he arrived at the party at about 9 pm after meeting other officers in a nearby pub. PC Balogun arrived after the victim and he admitted that had been drinking alcohol before his arrival. There is a dispute about the incidents that took place between them during that evening.
“The victim says that at around 23.30 he walked up a flight of stairs from the dancefloor and found PC Balogun in front of him. PC Balogun was about an arms-length away when he reached out and grabbed the victim’s spectacles off his face and dropped them on the floor. This surprised the victim and he claimed to have then approached PC Balogun in a friendly manner whereupon PC Balogun responded by pushing him with his right hand to the victim’s throat area. When the victim then complained about PC Balogun’s actions in a conversation at a time when they were only a foot apart because the music was so loud, PC Balogun is alleged to have leaned forward and bitten the victim on the right side of his face.”
However, Balogun’s account of the event was different from that of the victim as he claimed to have only knocked the victim’s glasses off by accident.
He also denied pushing the victim or biting him in the face as alleged but medical reports and diagnosis revealed that the victim was bitten.
The findings in the document read, “The Regulation 30 Notice alleges that by acting in the way described PC Balogun brought discredit to the police service and undermined public trust in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). This is alleged to have been a breach of the standard of Discreditable Conduct.
“Discreditable Conduct is explained in the College of Policing Code of Ethics as not behaving in a manner, whether on or off duty, which brings discredit to the police service or undermines public confidence in policing. This is further explained as being a requirement that police officers must keep in mind at all times that the public expects police officers to maintain the highest standards of behaviour. Police officers are instructed to always think about how a member of the public may regard their behaviour, whether on or off duty. The Panel is satisfied that PC Balogun breached this standard by biting the victim. Assaulting a fellow officer is clearly unacceptable and discreditable behaviour.
Meanwhile, the panel claimed to have spoken to people including an inspector who had been his line manager for close to five years about Balogun’s behavioural history and they all spoke highly of him and his qualities as a police officer, adding, “To counter-balance the evidence of his good character the Panel has received evidence of his previous disciplinary history.”
“The Panel bears in mind the words of Lord Justice Maurice Kay in the well-known case of Salter v Chief Constable of Dorset [2012] EWCA Civ 1047 when he said, ”As to personal mitigation, just as an unexpectedly errant solicitor can usually refer to an unblemished past and the esteem of his colleagues, so will a police officer often be able so to do. However, because of the importance of public confidence, the potential of such mitigation is necessarily limited.”
The panel further agreed on dismissal without notice as the outcome of Balogun’s action.
“In the present case, PC Balogun does not have an unblemished past and the previous misconduct proved against him is serious. In the present case, he committed a deliberate assault on a colleague without any explanation or justification. He humiliated PC Final Written Warning is not appropriate in this case. The only appropriate and proportionate outcome in this case is Dismissal Without Notice,” the document added.
Metro
Man Spotted Eating Roadside Sacrifice Amid Economic Hardship (Video)
A video of a man eating a roadside sacrifice amid the worsening economic crisis has stirred mixed reactions on social media
In a viral TikTok video, a driver noticed the man eating the sacrificial offering left by the roadside and began recording the unusual scene.
As he got closer, the driver humorously encouraged the man to “keep enjoying” his meal.
The video shows the man standing by the offering, taking food from it with his hands.
The clip quickly spread on social media, with many concerned viewers sharing their thoughts in the comments.
Watch Video Below;
https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7430400213013072645?refer=embed
Metro
Fear as bandits take over military camp
Bandits have taken over the Nagwamase Military Cantonment in Kontagora, displacing about 23 communities and causing alarm in Niger State.
The cantonment, a key Nigerian Army artillery training site, now hosts at least eight bandit camps, presenting severe security threats to nearby villages.
During Tuesday’s plenary, Hon. Abdullahi Isah of Kontagora II raised a motion about the ongoing attacks and reported that some residents remain captive.
He said the presence of bandits has led to incessant attacks on “communities within the camp”.
Isah said the military camp, which extends from Kontagora local government to part of Mariga local government, has been “taken over by terrorists who are said to have established at least eight different camps in the area”.
He said the situation poses a big security challenge to communities within the camp.
The Niger State House of Assembly urged the government to work closely with military authorities to dislodge the armed groups and restore security to the region.
Legislators also emphasised the need for increased military support to secure the camp.
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