Fire on Wednesday gutted shanties at Okobaba sawmill located in Ebute Metta area of Lagos State, an incident said to be the first in the new year, while details on the cause was yet unknown as at the time of filing this report.
Penpushing reports that, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) spokesman, Nosa Okunbor, confirmed the fire incident, explaining that as at the time of this report emergency respondents from the agency are presently at the scene
The Public Relations Officer of the agency, however, said he didn’t have details of the incident yet, just as findings showed that similar fire outbreak razed many shanties in the area in March, 2021.
Penpushing further reports that, in a related development,the Akwa Ibom State Government has announced a ban on scrap scavengers — young men, usually seen with rusty cart, who roam around neighbourhoods picking discarded metals.
The Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), Emmanuel Ekuwem, made this known in a statement, explaining the ban followed the alleged killing of a resident of Uyo by two scrap scavengers.
Penpushing also reports that, Ekuwem pointed out that besides public complaints against the activities of the scavengers; the state government had to take an action in order to curb criminality and threats to the peaceful inter-ethnic relationship in the state.
‘Sometime in 2021, multiple explosions, causing fatalities, were recorded in Oruk Anam Local Government Area in the course of scavengers sorting out what turned out to be military brand explosives. About four lives were lost in this incident”, he stated
‘Sundays appear to be the busiest day for these scavengers who take advantage of mass church attendance to invade homes and cart away valuables leaving hapless citizens with tales of woe upon their return from Church’, the scribe noted.
‘As a responsible Government, we can no longer tolerate the activities of this industry which evidently is in no way adding value to the socio- economic well being of the state but rather escalating tensions and threatening the overall peace and security of the state.Accordingly, the operations of scrap scavengers in the state is banned forthwith. Violators of this ban will be apprehended and dealt with according to the law’, Ekuwem said.
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