Nigerian Newspapers
‘I never attempted to kill my baby’
The news spread like wildfire. The sight of a new baby and placenta shocked the crowd of staff and students that rushed to Moremi Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where a student reportedly gave birth in the toilet. Did the mother attempt to flush her baby down the toilet? No, she says. DHIKRU AKINOLA (400-Level Political Science), OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI (400-Level Language Arts) and KEMI BUSARI (400-Level Political Science) write.
A SHRILL cry shattered the peace of the night at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
It was Wednesday and some students, who had exams the following day, were returning from studying to their hostels. Others, who had no papers, were relaxing in their hostels.
At 6:55am, the peace in Moremi Hall, a female hostel, was shattered. Mrs Cecilia Ologbenla, a cleaner, who had come to wash the toilet, found a newborn baby in the water closet. With the body still covered in blood, the cleaner was sure the baby was born a few minutes before her arrival. She raised the alarm, calling the attention of the hostel’s occupants and security personnel.
The baby was delivered by Oyinlola Rotimi Diana, a student, who was going to write her exam; students rushed to the scene, using their camera phones to take shots of the baby and the placenta. In no time, the news went viral on the social media. Students accused Oyinlola of attempting to “flush” the baby into the sewer because “she did not want people to know she was pregnant”.
Oyinlola, 22, it was gathered, is in 300-Level Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, and a squatter in Room 103 of Block B in Moremi Hall. She was allegedly impregnated by a 400-Level Engineering student.
Oyinlola’s friend, Dayo Satope, who was with her at the sudden delivery, wrote in a statement made at the university security unit that she came to the campus on Tuesday evening to prepare for an exam fixed for 8am.
“Getting to the campus late on Tuesday night, Oyinlola could not immediately get something to eat but she later resolved to buy moin-moin (bean cake) at the hall’s buttery. After she ate the food, Oyinlola complained of running stomach throughout the night, urinating and stooling at regular intervals. She felt she was having stomach turbulence because of the moin-moin she took the previous night,” Shatope wrote in the statement.
The following morning, it was learnt, Oyinlola’s friends told her to visit the school’s health centre for medical attention. She consented. The story, however, changed when Oyinlola told her friends that she wanted to visit the toilet again. She was ushered into the toilet and told to inform her friends when she was done.
After waiting for her for several minutes, Shatope wondered what could have kept Oyinlola in the toilet for so long. She then decided to check on her ‘ailing’ friend. On getting to the toilet, Shatope found that Oyinlola had locked herself inside, but saw blood on the toilet floor.
Scared, Shatope called on Oyinlola to know if everything was alright and she begged her friend to “come inside to assist me”. Shatope could not gain access into the toilet because Oyinlola was “too weak” to open the door, which was locked from behind. At this point, Shatope said she heard the cry of a baby.
Oyinlola was said to have fainted after delivering the baby whose cry attracted Ologbenla. The baby and the mother were immediately rushed to the university’s health centre.
When CAMPUSLIFE visited the OAU Health Services Centre, the Director, Dr Adebayo Irinoye, told our correspondents: “The girl and the baby are feeling very fine and the parents of the girl are around to also take care of their daughter and the baby.”
Irinoye explained that self-labour cases were not new in medical field, saying there were instances of patients delivering babies in the toilet.
“I guessed it was inexperience because she obviously was not aware of her due date which, medically, would have been July,” Dr Irinoye said, assuring that the baby was not delivered prematurely.
The university’s Chief Security Officer, Mr Paul Ogidi, debunked the notion that Oyinlola wanted to flush the baby based on Shatope’s explanation.
He said: “She was not attempting to flush the baby but looking at the circumstances surrounding the birth of the child, one might likely think so. When I visited the Health Centre on Thursday, she was breastfeeding her baby. If she had the intention to kill or flush the baby, she would have aborted the pregnancy a long time ago.”
Oyinlola denied she wanted to kill the baby. She told our correspondents that her pregnancy was not unknown to her, but she confided only in some of her friends and the father of the baby, a Mechanical Engineering student.
She said: “Why would I flush or kill my baby after going through pains of carrying it for nine months. I am not heartless and I thank God for my life and for the safe delivery. I know God has the best for me and my baby. I appreciate the cleaner for her help because it was here (health centre) that I understood everything that happened to me when I was in labour.
“It is overwhelming and unexplainable. I don’t know how I feel, but it is really wonderful. Seeing the baby was terrifying because I was not expecting the baby to come out yet I didn’t know the pain I was feeling was a labour pain because I went into the toilet to defecate. There was a force from within me and I discovered that the baby came out and entered into the closet. I was just there standing and bleeding. That was the last thing I remembered. I am happy that I am alive and my baby is alive too.”
The Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Abiodun Olanrewaju, in a statement, also dismissed the rumour that Oyinlola wanted to flush the baby. The statement reads in part: “There was a delivery of a baby boy by an inexperienced mother who, in her naivety, thought she was pressed by the call of nature while she was actually in labour pains. Prior to the child’s delivery, the young, inexperienced mother had experienced the urge, which she thought was to defecate. When she got to the toilet, she gave birth to the baby.”
A close friend of Oyinlola, who attends the same fellowship with her, said she was surprised on hearing the news. She said: “Oyin is a cool and courteous student. I have been observing changes in her for quite a while. I didn’t want to confront her yet I found it hard to accept she was normal.”
The Health Centre matron, Mrs Mary Oyeleke, said Oyinlola and her baby were discharged last Friday.
Efforts to reach Samuel, the baby’s father, were futile as at press time. He was said to be busy with his examination.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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