Nation
Man, 62, Rapes 7 –Year Old Girl
A 62 – year Old man, identified as Pa Kolawole Jimoh, a retired Local Government Staff, of Eti-Osa local Government area of Lagos state, has been arrested by policemen attached to the Ayobo police station Ipaja for allegedly raping a seven year old girl.
The suspect who is colling his heels in the police cell reportedly carried out the act when he sent the girl’s younger brother on an errand.
Pa Kolawole Jimoh, a resident of 12 Gabalink Avenue, off Oremeji Street, Ayobo Ipaja Lagos, was said to have given N10. to the younger brother of the victim who was playing along side his sister to buy biscuits and before he returned Jimoh has shut the door and raped the little girl.
Narrating his ordeal with our correspondent, Jimoh said “l am a pensioner, I retired from Eti-Osa Local Government Council. I have five children, three women now married. My wife died three years ago and I am usually lonely in my one room apartment”.
On that day, I called her when she was playing with her younger brothers and I gave N10 to the younger ones to go and buy biscuit to eat and before they came back, I quickly forced my thing into her private part.
“When I was doing it, I heard one of the tenants, a woman shouting her name but I told her not to answer.
After I satisfied my urge pushed her out” the retired Local Government Council worker said.
The Tide gathered that the act blew open when the victim’s father discovred a deep cut in her daughter’s private part and blood stain.
According to him, “the woman who is in the house with me asked her where she went, she opened up that she was sexually abused by Baba, their co-tenant. When the woman told her to pull her pant, that she saw the condition of her virgina”.
The victim, it was lerant was later rushed to hospital where it was also confirmed that she had been sexually abused while the Lagos state police commands spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba (SP) confirmed the arrest and detention of the suspect.
Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru (right) in a chat with his Sokoto State counterpart, Alhaji Muktar Shagari at a stakeholders conference organized by the National Boundary Commission in Abuja, recently.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3