Gbenga Oluwafemi, purportedly the landlord and alleged leader of the suspected gang renting out 86 apartments under Dolphin Estate Bridge, Ikoyi, has refuted claims of receiving N250,000 per annum as rent.

Oluwafemi, also known as “Mopol, in a viral video posted by News Central on its X handle late Sunday, stated that there’s no estate chairman in Dolphin Estate who wouldn’t recognise him.

In a telephone conversation with the agency, Mopol said, “No estate chairman in Dolphin Estate that will say he did not know me.

“Even there are some people in power here in Lagos State that live there that know me. They knew us very well.

“The demolished blue container there this morning had been there for about 15 years now.

“The previous government did it for us there. The person who did the container Festus Keyamo was passing by and asked us what we were doing there and our survival.

“We said we are security to the street lights here. He also asked how we cope when it is raining. It was then he promised us that he would look into it and that was when the container was constructed.”

He, however, denied collecting money from anyone as rent contrary to some residents’ claims and the evidence of payments seen.

“I have never refunded any money to anybody. I don’t think I’ve… If I am collecting N250,000 from anybody I will not be in that place again,” he said.

Arrest effort
The Lagos State Government had on Saturday disclosed that it had intensified its efforts to arrest suspected gang leaders who rented out the 86 apartments.

Meanwhile, a resident who simply identified himself as Sola in the five minutes and seventeen seconds video – named one man called “Mopol” as his landlord who collected N250,000 from him.

Another resident, Johnson Kenneth, noted that he had just made a N50,000 deposit before the government moved in.

Also, a December 2022 receipt with “OLUWAFEMI” as the letterhead and phone number, being payment for N150,000 for a room was retrieved from one of the residents.

KAI chief wades in
Earlier in the video, the Commander, Kick Against Indiscipline in Lagos State, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (retd.) described the act on the government facility as nothing but a “sabotage.”

“All the sands put under the bridge for a kind of protection were excavated and they started putting structures. It was about 86 rooms.

“You can imagine someone removing sand meant for protection to a facility, a bridge, and erecting a structure there to collect money from the people. That is sabotage,” Cole said.

Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, last Wednesday said the government discovered 86 partitioned rooms, sized 10×10 and 12×10, under the bridge.

The Coles, a prominent family of Victoria Island, Lagos, has denounced the recent purported marriage of their son, Taiwo, to actress and comedian, Wofai Ewa, in a traditional ceremony in Ugep, Cross River State.

In a statement issued by the family patriarch, Kunle Cole, which has since gone viral, the family dissociated themselves from the union, saying they were unaware of the marriage plans and did not grant consent or support.

“This serves to notify all acquaintances, family and friends that the Cole family of Victoria Island, Lagos, are not aware of any marriage ceremony of our son,Taiwo Olakitan Cole; neither did we grant permission nor support in this regard,” the statement read.

It continued, “As such, person(s) parading themselves as new members of the Cole heritage by virtue of this purported event, are not known nor accepted by the family. All publications and documents being circulated about this are to be disregarded.”

The rebuke follows circulated images and videos showing Taiwo participating in what appeared to be a traditional marriage rite with Ewa, who hails from Ugep in Cross River.

Wofai and Taiwo took to their Instagram pages on Saturday to share marriage photos.

One of the posts read, “I found my happily ever after, and I said yes !! Chai !! Love is sweet o. Thank you guys for all the love and messages.”

Wofai, who has over a million followers on Instagram, is a chef, actress and comedian.

The court of appeal in Lagos has voided the regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Act which allow the dismissal of unmarried policewomen who become pregnant while in service.

A three-member panel of justices led by Olubunmi Oyewole ordered the respondents in the suit – attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) – to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they align with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“It is unthinkable that the Nigerian Police of this day and age operates on the principle that female officers need to be specially moderated and regulated while their male counterparts are free,” Oyewole held.

“This is unacceptable in a decent and democratic society governed by the rule of law.

“I, therefore, hold that the said regulations 126 and 127 are inconsistent with the provisions of section 37 and 42 of the Constitution and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Constitution.

“The Respondents are advised to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire police regulations to ensure that they accord with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“I accordingly resolve the two issues in favour of the Appellant and against the Respondents.

“This appeal is meritorious, and it is hereby allowed. Consequently, the decision of the lower court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/178/2021 delivered on the 21st of February 2022 is hereby set aside.

“Instead, the questions for determination in the said suit are answered in the affirmative while the reliefs sought therein are granted as prayed. Parties shall bear their respective costs.”

BACKGROUND

TheCable reported that Omolola Olajide, an unmarried police corporal attached to Iye-Ekiti station, was sacked in 2021 for being pregnant.

Babatunde Mobayo, the state commissioner of police, justified Olajide’s sack, insisting that the officer contravened section 127 of the police regulations.

Following the sack, Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti attorney-general and commissioner for justice, instituted a lawsuit before a federal high court in the state, seeking an order to nullify section 127 of the Police Act. 

However, the suit was dismissed because it was an abuse of the court process since a similar case filed by Olajide was pending before the national industrial court.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) approached the Abuja federal high court to challenge the legality of regulation 127 of the police regulations.

The association contended that the said provision contradicts the 1999 constitution and is discriminatory to unmarried female police officers.

However, Inyang Ekwo, the trial judge, dismissed the suit on February 21, 2022.

He said the suit lacked merit, holding that such unmarried female police officers were aware of the regulation before they joined the force.