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Category: Northern Report

  • Chibok, Dapchi girls, others not abandoned, says NSCDC boss

    Chibok, Dapchi girls, others not abandoned, says NSCDC boss

    • 48 kidnap attempts/attacks foiled in schools..

    The Federal Government and security agencies are on the trails of kidnapped schools boys and girls across the country,  the Commandant-General, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Audi, stated this yesterday.

    Audi said security agencies have keyed into the strategy adopted by the Federal Government to locate the whereabouts of the students who are still missing and ensure their safe returns to their homes.

    The CG spoke at the headquarters of the Corps in Abuja while briefing reporters on the forthcoming maiden National Summit on Identified Threats and Security Elements Affecting the Safe Schools Project in Nigeria.

    He said within the past few months about 48 kidnap attempts and attacks on schools  had been foiled by security agencies, especially in Zamfara and Nasarawa states,  while intelligence gathering had been enhanced to further nip such attacks in the bud.

    Audi said security agencies would continue to search for the missing Chibok, and Dapchi girls, asserting that neither the government nor security agencies have abandoned them to their fate.

    He said: “It is no longer news that education is known and described as the bedrock of any society. Globally, unfolding trends of events have however presented serious attacks on education with Nigeria as one of the countries badly affected.

    Read Also: Tinubu sets up committee to consider gaps in police legal framework

    “The abduction of 276 girls in April 2014 from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State, 110 girls from Government Girls Science School, Dapchi in Yobe State, Bethel College Kaduna, Government Secondary School Kagara in Niger State and killing of school boys in Buni Yadi, Yobe State and Greenfield University Kaduna among other numerous attacks on education can attest to the prevalence of such attacks and consequences on the sector.”

    The CG noted that the establishment of the Safe Schools Initiative has reduced the spate of attacks in schools, stressing that more successes are being recorded across the country as a result of the project.

    According to him, over 1,800 security operatives and participants in the Safe Schools Initiative have been trained in the six geopolitical zones of the country on various mechanisms to ensure the safety and security of schools in Nigeria.

    Audi expressed the unwavering commitment of Security agencies to bring an end to attacks on education arising from banditry, kidnapping, armed conflict and terrorism, saying the summit would provide opportunity for stakeholders to further brainstorm and strategise on the issues.

    He explained that the summit which would begin on Thursday in Abuja at NAF Conference, Kado, would enlighten key relevant stakeholders on the coordination role of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Center as a product of the financing of Safe Schools committed by the government.

    It would also foster a nationwide dialogue that seeks to present systematic reflections and offer practical advice for effective implementation of the Safe Schools Project, the CG added.

    He said besides the participation of all security agencies in the summit, over 300 other institutions and critical stakeholders are expected at the event.

  • Taraba: Tribunal affirms Useni as winner

    Taraba: Tribunal affirms Useni as winner

    The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jalingo yesterday affirmed the election of the former speaker Taraba State House of Assembly and Member representing Takum/Ussa/Donga federal constituency, Mark Bako Useni.

     Istifanus Gbana of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Rimam Shawulu of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) had challenged the victory of Useni as a member representing the federal constituency at the tribunal.

    The petitioners approached the tribunal on grounds of non-compliance of the Electoral Act in the rerun election.

    Both parties sought for the nullification of the election over non-compliance with electoral laws by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Read Also: Bandits kill one, abduct 25 in Southern Kaduna

    They also said Useni did not acquire the lawful number of votes to be declared as the winner of the election.

    The three-member panel led by Justice Benson Ogbu during his ruling dismissed the petitions of the two candidates and their parties, stating that “the petitions collapse on failure of prove by the petitioners”

    Ogbu, who read the judgment stated that during the cross examination, counsel to Useni proved that the candidate of the APC won the election with lawful votes “and his election remains valid in the eyes of the law.”

    Useni described the judiciary as the last hope for common Nigerians. He called on Gbana and Shawulu to take the judgment in good faith.

  • Alia seeks Army’s support for tackling insecurity

    Alia seeks Army’s support for tackling insecurity

    Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has called on the Nigerian Army to focus on the state to secure it.

    The governor made the call yesterday during a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.

    He said the once very peaceful state has been  besieged by criminals ranging from murderous armed herders, bandits and local gangsters.

    He said: “A week hardly passes without reports of two, three or more persons being killed in the villages, mostly on their farms by armed herders. Most of these are not reported in the media.”

    He decried the lack of manpower for other formations operating within the state, including Operation Whirlstroke and the 401 Special Forces  Brigade, adding that if properly equipped, the men of the formations might begin to enter the hinterlands to tackle the menace and would not only be standing on the roads as it is the practice.

    Read Also: Tinubu sets up committee to consider gaps in police legal framework

    He called for the establishment of Force Operation Bases in Anyiin, Naka, Ukum, Agatu, Udei and Gbajimba.

    The COAS stated that he had served in the state for nine years and had a good understanding of its security situation.

    “In my capacity as COAS, I do receive on a daily basis security reports both formal and informal from Benue State,” he said.

    He promised that the Nigerian Army would turn its attention to Benue, especially now that the dry season is about setting in, adding that it is the time that the state usually witnesses a lot of crisis.

  • Boundary Commission to check insecurity along Nigeria-Niger border states communities

    Boundary Commission to check insecurity along Nigeria-Niger border states communities

    The National Boundary Commission of Nigeria has pledged to build a platform to tackle insecurity along the Nigeria-Niger border.

    Seven states bordering the two countries include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Jigawa and Kebbi.

    The Director-General of the Commission, Adamu Adaji, stated this at a sensitisation workshop in Sokoto.

    Adaji said the platform would avail the states and communities along the border coast to rub minds and share ideas on the best ways to curtail the spate of insecurity occasioned by the proliferation of small and light arms, trafficking and other cross border crimes.

    He explained that the essence of the initiative was to build, strengthen and foster unity and purposeful integration between the two neighbouring countries’ border communities against any security threats.

    Adaji said the states shared frontier with Niger across 21 LGAs adding: “These states suffered security challenges resulting from the activities of Bolo Haram, bandits and other criminal gangs which displaced many citizens to become refugees in their states.”

    He recalled that the colonial masters created barriers separating the two neighbouring countries, an action Adaji said the commission hoped to reverse and transform into bridges of cooperation and integration between the two African nations.

    Read Also: Bandits kill one, abduct 25 in Southern Kaduna

    However, the Commission’s top echelon described as counterproductive , the forcible breaking of the border lands’ transnational identity through imposed state partitions.

      “The inability to effectively engage border communities and convert the borders to bridges of cooperation most often create ungoverned spaces and vaccines for cross border crimes such as armed banditry, terrorism, drugs and human trafficking and smuggling of small and light arms. Getting these right requires composite regional and local authorities support and cooperation, ” the DG called.

    Earlier, Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto represented by his deputy, Idris Muhammad Danchadi, pledged to support the piloting of the platform initiative to success, explaining that the state government was on track as it had concluded plans to establish community security guards to complement conventional security agencies in fighting insecurity across the 23 LGAs.

  • Bandits kill one, abduct 25 in Southern Kaduna

    Bandits kill one, abduct 25 in Southern Kaduna

    Bandits have killed a farmer, injured two and abducted 25 others at Ungwan Baka of Agunu Ward in Kachia Local Government of Kaduna State.

    Although the Kaduna State Police Command was yet to react to the incident, reporters were told that the bandits invaded the community with guns and machetes in the early hours of yesterday while the indigenes were sleeping.

    Read Also: Tinubu sets up committee to consider gaps in police legal framework

    A survivor who craved anonymity, said: “Twenty-five people were kidnapped in Unguwan Baka of Agunu Ward in the early hours of today (yesterday).

    “Two people were injured and one person was killed.

    “We rushed those that were injured to hospital. We wish them quick recovery and those that were kidnapped we pray for their safe return. Please pray for us. This is the third attack on our community,” he said.

  • Army kills notorious bandits’ kingpin in Kebbi

    Army kills notorious bandits’ kingpin in Kebbi

    The Nigerian Army stationed in Malekachi, operating in Sangeko forest in Danko Wasagu Local Government of Kebbi State, has neutralised a suspected notorious bandits’ commander, nicked-named ‘Mainasara”.

    The Director of Security, Cabinet Office, Birnin Kebbi, AbdulRahman Usman, disclosed this to reporters yesterday in Birnin Kebbi.

    Read Also: Bandits kill one, abduct 25 in Southern Kaduna

    He said: ‘’As the troops were on routine patrol in Sengeko forest around 0730hrs, they suddenly engaged the bandits in a fierce gun duel.

    ‘’During the exchange of fire, the bandits tried to escape, but were neutralised by the Army and two of their bikes were also recovered and destroyed in the process before the troops withdrew back to FOB Malekachi  by 1230hrs.”

  • Provide facts, figures of your wealth, anti-graft group asks Zamfara gov

    Provide facts, figures of your wealth, anti-graft group asks Zamfara gov

    An anti-corruption group, Advocate for Social Justice (ASJ), has challenged the Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal, to provide the public with facts and figures behind his financial deposit declarations with the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

    The group also demanded the CCB to explain how it verified the submissions by the governor, including his sources of income.

    The executive director of the group, Gamji Guana Joseph, made the call while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, October 31.

    According to Joseph, documents in possession of the organisation showed that the Zamfara governor should be listed on Forbes as one of the richest men in Africa, “with cash deposit in one account alone, out of several others, showing a balance of $5 billion.”

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    The group lamented that Zamfara state is one of the most affected states (if not the most affected) on issues of insecurity, terrorism and syndicated illegal mining, adding that the state is among the most disadvantaged states in northern Nigeria.

    Tracing Lawal’s career path, Joseph said the governor spent the larger chunk of his career as a banker with First Bank of Nigeria.

    He said: “After he left the banking industry in 2014, Lawal alongside his friend Munir Umaru Baba started Credent Capital and Advisory Limited which they launched with an initial Capital base of $500 million. They claim to have invested & managed over $2 billion for 175+ clients across the world since then. Outside these 2 known career involvements, there is no other known venture he has participated in except politics.”

    The group said: “In total, Governor Dauda Lawal declared a total cash deposit in banks of 1. $5,013,357,125.13, 2. N1,522,865,024.00, 3. £841,704.77

    “These monies are deposited in numerous personal accounts in GT Bank, First Bank & Taj Bank while his Credent Advisory Limited corporate account has a fixed income of N200 million

    “We therefore wish to use this press conference to call on His Excellency, Governor Dauda Lawal, to please without further delay avail the people of Zamfara State and Nigeria with facts and figures behind these financial deposit declarations to allay their fears that their governor is not a fraudster or sponsor of terrorism.

    “It is also important to note that this plea is not open-ended, and if the sources of these figures declared are not made public within 1 week, we intend to mobilise Nigerians and people of Zamfara state to march to the National Assembly and ensure a state of emergency is declared in the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to enable the authorities and international agencies conduct proper probe on the governor’s sources of wealth to be sure he is not a sponsor of terrorism & illegal mining in Zamfara and Northern Nigeria.

    “We will not only be challenging the authenticity of the figures he declared while exposing sources of earnings, but also we want to put the CCB, an agency of the federal government, on notice that they have to explain to Nigerians how they verified the submissions including the sources of income where applicable.

    “The governor might have immunity from prosecution, but he cannot be immune from revolt from his people and Nigerians!”

    The group wondered about the sources of the inflow of $5 billion cash balance in one of the governor’s First Bank personal accounts, termed fixed deposit.

    “These financial inflows, are they through legitimate transactions or dubious engagements bothering on money laundry, fraud, illegal mining or sponsorship of terrorism?

    “If the claim of having more than $5 billion in his accounts are proceeds from his joint investment venture, it implies their gross earnings over the period would have been more than $12 billion when you consider his partner’s due earnings and taxes to be paid. Can this be proven and verified in detail?”

  • Accord unveils Kogi Governorship Election Campaign Council

    Accord unveils Kogi Governorship Election Campaign Council

    Ahead of  November 11 Governorship election, Kogi State chapter  of  Accord party has  named  members of  its campaign council.

    The unveiling of the Jibrin/Olamife Campaign Council sets the stage for the  commencement of campaign  for the party’s   candidate  Vice Admiral Jibrin Usman (rtd).

    According to a statement  by the Secretary of the Campaign Council, Alhaji Abu Fab Zakari, the council tagged: “Jibrin/Olamife Governorship Campaign Council” with the theme: “Council of Victory for the Masses,” has Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane  as Chairman.

    Joining Ugbane are  Sen. Abubakar Abdularahman as Alternate Chairman and Alhaji Abu Fab Zakari as Secretary of the Campaign Council.

    Read Also: Kogi Accord candidate mourns Ohinoyi of Ebiraland

    The council also  has Prof  Daniel Isah  as  Director General,  Yakubu Ogwu Daniel,  Deputy Director General for Kogi East  and  Fadile Kabiru, a lawyer  is  Deputy Director General for Kogi West. Additionally, the council includes representatives for various federal constituencies such as  Hassan Omala, Positive Ihiabe,  Umane Okeme, and  Aka’aba Ibrahim, emphasizing a wide-ranging regional focus.

    Women leaders like Princess Vera Otini Atodo, Josephine Ayeh Joseph, and Lami Ahmodu form an integral part of the council. The youth segment is represented by  Husseini  Idris, Comrade Ahmed Ibrahim Dangana  and Comrade Honorius Aromeh.

    Protocol, media, strategy and welfare are entrusted to Emmanuel Ekele, Christopher Sunday, Goodman Akuh, and Samuel Danjuma. Complementing the team are individuals handling digital media, special duties, and contact and mobilization, including Emmanuel Iyede, Amb. Muhammed Jibrin, and Emmanuel Omebije.

    Alhaji Abu Fab Zakari, serving as the Secretary of the Campaign Council, emphasized the significance of each individual’s role within the council, urging a dedicated and responsible approach in fulfilling the task  at hand.

  • Mutfwang calls for calm over Appeal Court’s judgment against PDP

    Mutfwang calls for calm over Appeal Court’s judgment against PDP

    Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang has appealed for calm over the Appeal Court’s judgments against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Mutfwang said in spite of the judgment against his government, he still has confidence in the judiciary.

    Addressing party supporters and top government officials who came to receive him at the Yakubu Gowon Airport Heipang, Jos on his return from foreign trip, the governor said: “I was following the judgment at the Appeal Tribunal while I was away, and I know that Plateau people who actually voted massively for the PDP are not happy with those judgments.

    “Let me appeal that in a contest, the wind can blow but does not mean it will bring you down. And I want to assure the people of Plateau State that the victory they gave us will be sustained. We have had some setbacks, we will be looking at it these few days to see what we will be able to do to remedy such situations.

    “We are on top of the situation, and there is no cause for alarm. Our confidence in the judiciary has not been broken. We have confidence that the judiciary consists of men and women of integrity that will still do what is right when the time comes.’’ I, therefore, want to appeal to our people to remain patient and calm, and that by the grace of God we will work together to ensure our victory is not taken away.”

    On his first overseas trip since becoming governor, Mutfwang said: “I travelled to the United States of America in search of potential investors for Plateau State and to build relationships with the United States government and some states in U.S. towards attracting global attention to Plateau State. And I am glad to inform you that it was a very successful visit, and that visit is going to bear fruits in the days to come.

    Read Also: Mutfwang appoints chairmen, executive secretaries for pilgrims welfare boards

    “One thing we also did during the visit was to attend an agric investors’ conference together with the Vice President of the Federal Republic. I’m glad to inform you that we have gone very far in discussions with the Africa Development Bank to set up a special agro processing zone in Plateau State. This is going to be an economic game-changer for us on the Plateau.

     “I can also report to you that we were able to make contact with several institutions of learning that are ready to partner our institutions of learning in terms of exchange of programmes, capacity building. One of the institutions, particularly Liberty University, offered Plateau State indigenes five postgraduate scholarship slots in Engineering. We also have secured commitment with some of the American institutions for medical equipment that we will use to equip some of our hospitals. Discussion will continue in the next few days and we will keep Plateau people informed.”

  • Benue varsity suspends Medical students for one month

    Benue varsity suspends Medical students for one month

    The Management of College of Health Sciences, Benue State University https://www.bsum.edu.ng/( BSU), Makurdi has placed 200-600 level medical students on one month suspension for demonstrating  to the Government House.

    The Medical students on Wednesday, last week protested the decayed infrastructure and lack of water on their campus.

    Read Also: Benue varsity gets new VC

    But in a circular signed by the Registrar of the university, Dr.Mfaga Modom,  yesterday, stated: “the management committee reviewed the action of the 200- 600 medical students, and noted their recalcitrant attitude.

    “In view of the above the students are suspended for  one months, while an investigation committee has been set up to investigate the action of the medical students.”