The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) says it has rescued a man who “mistakenly fell” into the lagoon.

Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA permanent secretary, told NAN that the agency received a distress call around 7am on Friday.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the man reportedly fell into the lagoon at Falomo bridge.

“Following the distress call, LASEMA activated the state’s emergency response plans with the swift arrival of LASEMA response team from Lekki zone at the incident scene at 8:02am,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“On arrival of the team at the incident scene, investigations revealed that the man had been resuscitated, and had identified himself as Segun Amoo.

“He narrated how he mistakenly fell into the Lagos lagoon at the aforementioned location.”

Oke-Osanyintolu said information obtained from Lagos State Water Authority (LASWA) revealed that Amoo was seen struggling for survival inside the lagoon.

The LASEMA permanent secretary quoted LASWA officials as saying: “Our staff had, around 11.00 p.m. yesterday night, observed Amoo struggling for survival in the lagoon waters after he fell off the bridge, thereby leading to the LASWA rescue team’s response.

“Amoo was rescued by the LASWA officials and subsequently stabilised by the agency’s pre-hospital care paramedics.

“He provided vital information about himself after resuscitation, stating that his home address is at Ilaje-Bariga, Lagos.

“He also clarified that he was not suicidal while narrating how the incident of his fall off the bridge occurred.”

Oke-Osanyintolu said the LASEMA response team proceeded to the victim’s home address for further investigations, where the rescue team handed over the victim to his relatives.

He said the victim’s brother claimed that the family had been searching for him for some time.

A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

Our correspondent who went to the scene gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs, says the planned marriage of 100 girls in Niger state has been suspended.

Kennedy-Ohanenye spoke in Abuja on Friday after meeting with Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, speaker of the Niger state house of assembly.

The meeting was also attended by Mohammed Mu’azu, Emir of Kotangora.

BACKGROUND

Sarkindaji had last week said he would sponsor the wedding ceremony of the girls on May 24 as part of his constituency obligations.

The development sparked controversy on social media, with many saying the speaker should have channelled the money into giving the girls an education or skills.

On Monday, Kennedy-Ohanenye stepped into the matter and asked the speaker to halt his plans or face legal action.

The minister said she had petitioned the inspector-general of police (IGP) and sought a court injunction to stop the planned wedding.

Sarkindaji subsequently cancelled his participation in the event and asked the minister to take over.

The speaker said the parents and guardians of the girls, most of whom are orphans, could do whatever they wished with the resources he had provided.

‘WE’VE MADE PEACE’

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the minister said she and Sarkindaji have reconciled their differences and are now partnering to seek better alternatives for the girls.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said she secured an injunction from the Minna high court to restrain the organisers from proceeding with the wedding.

She added that “the court injunction still subsists till we resolve all grey areas”.

“I want to let you know that as I speak to you now, I’m at peace with my royal father, Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Bara’u Mu’azu, and I am in good terms with my brother, the Speaker. We have made peace,” Kennedy-Ohanenye said.

The emir also said he has suspended the proposed wedding and pledged his emirate’s willingness to partner with the ministry to provide a new lease of life for the girls.

‘EDUCATION, PHONES, HUGE MACHINES’ — MINISTER LISTS PLANS FOR MARIGA GIRLS

Kennedy-Ohanenye said, for a start, there will be a meeting with the girls to discuss their individual needs and preferences.

She said her ministry has taken “the entire village as a job,” promising to extend the opportunities for education and skill acquisition beyond the 100 girls to other orphans.

The minister described herself as a “protective mother hen” who is committed to defending the rights and safety of the vulnerable girls under her care.

“So, I have no problem with anybody. I have no problem with any religion, all I want to say is please don’t tamper with my children, don’t tamper with my women,” she said.

“My brother, the Speaker came to my office, and we have partnered (ministry of women affairs and the Speaker) to empower these women.

“The ones that want to go to school, we will send them to school. This ministry has taken up this village now as a job, and I am promising Nigerians. I am going to empower them with sustainable economic empowerment.

“By talking to them, I will know the kind of things they like to farm, and I will give them huge machines. If it is rice, beans, or corn, I will put one for a whole village to manage themselves and onboard them in the system on our portal.

“And whatever the federal government is doing for every other person, all of them will get it.

“I will go to the extent of giving them small phones—at least one in each family—to enable them to communicate and get involved in the portal so that they will be like every other woman.

“Because the speaker told me a lot of things concerning the village, like how they are always tormented by the bandits, everybody ends up there. If bandits want to hide, they end up there.

“But I am going to send them to this particular community, and these children will be able to go to school. We will empower them, teach them skills, and give them what to start off their skills with.

“I will equally help them on marketing whatever they will make out of their skills. We shall not, we will not abandon them.

“We are now working together to make sure we better the lives of these girls, not just the 100 girls but all the orphans, all the people that have been affected by this banditry and the insecurity we used to have before.”

The minister said her position on the matter reflects the wishes of President Bola Tinubu and thanked Nigerians for supporting her initiatives.