The year was a mixed bag of chilling experiences, sad tales, relief for commuters, and a lot more.
Major happenings in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, usually make banner headlines. And 2022 did not toe a different path.
The year was a mixed bag of chilling experiences, sad tales, relief for commuters, and a lot more.
We present the top 10 newsmakers in Lagos in 2022 in no particular order.
1. Magodo Crisis: We had barely scratched the new year when the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Nigeria Police Force had a faceoff at the Magodo Estate in Lagos.
The previous day, the residents protested the invasion of their homes by the police over a land dispute.
The governor, who was trying to intervene in the lingering land crisis, met with the police team leader and instructed him to call his superiors who gave him the order to invade the estate. The governor also asked the police officer and his team to vacate the estate.
But the officer told him that he only answers to the instructions of his bosses (the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami) and was yet to be instructed otherwise.
The officer also refused Mr. Sanwo-Olu’s directive that he should call his superiors. The officer instead told the governor to make the call. Eventually, the governor was able to reach the police authorities in Abuja and the standoff was resolved.
This event amplified the call for a decentralized policing system.
2. Bamise: Many Nigerians were unsettled by the news, in February, of the disappearance of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwola, after boarding a BRT, a state-owned commercial bus.
A search was launched by the police. Days later, her body was found. Her family, friends, and the public were thrown into mourning. The incident got a lot of people talking about safety.
The BRT driver is facing a murder and rape trial.
3. Building Collapse: One would have thought that after the Ikoyi building collapse in November 2021 that killed more than 40 people, Lagos would have minimal building collapse cases but the reverse was the case in the city of over 21 million people.
In 2022, building collapse was a common occurrence.
In May, eight bodies were recovered after a three-story building collapsed in Ebute-Metta.
Another building in the Ago Palace Way area of Lagos State collapsed on May 7.
August also recorded another building collapse leading to the death of two children.
September recorded two fatal building collapse accidents. The first one claimed six lives while the second claimed four.
4: Plane Crash: In May, the internet was awash with the news that there was a plane crash in the state.
However, this was fake.
Even a credible news medium alongside many blogs published it but the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) denied the reports.
The agency explained that while it is true that an aircraft was spotted in the area, it was being transported to a different location, and was not the result of a crash.
5: Extrajudicial Killings: In May, David Imoh’s life was cut short following a mob attack. The mob of Okada riders killed the sound engineer.
Also, from other happenings in 2022, it seems little was learned by state actors from the EndSars protest, a nationwide protest against police brutality.
Early in December, Gafaru Buraimoh was shot dead by a police officer from the Ajiwe police division in Ajah.
Raheem Bolanle, a lawyer, was also shot dead on Christmas day by an officer from the same police division. Her death led to renewed calls for police reforms.
In the same month, one Stephen Alabi was reportedly shot by a police officer in Ikorodu.
6. Okada Ban: After the sound engineer’s death at the hands of the mob of motorcycle taxi operators, the government restricted the movement of okada riders to 10 out of the 20 LGAs in the state.
Oshodi-Isolo and Ikeja Kosofe are among the 10 LGAs where okada is “totally banned” in Lagos.
Others are Surulere, Eti Osa, Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Apapa, Shomolu, and Mushin
7. Arise TV: In August, Arise TV trended for the wrong reasons. The news channel topped the trend list because a news anchor, Rufai Oseni, violated a traffic law and hurled insults at police officers who apprehended him.
After a back and forth, he was found guilty of a traffic infraction and tendered an apology on live TV.
8. Baba Ijesha and Doctor Olaleye: Weeks after Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James popularly called Baba Ijesha, was sent to jail for sexual assault in a year-long trial, a popular doctor and cancer advocate, Femi Olaleye, was remanded for alleged rape.
9. NDLEA Drug Bust: Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency, on 18 September, busted a major warehouse at Solebo Estate in the Ikorodu area of the state where cocaine valued at over N194 billion was recovered in what it called “the biggest singular cocaine seizure” in its history.
10. Lagos Metroline: The state government completed the first phase of the 27-kilometer stretch of the long-awaited light rail. The phase covers Mile 2 to Marina, which is 13 kilometers.
