Tag: Bauchi

No fewer than nine members of a local vigilante group popularly known as Yan Ba Beli were killed by suspected bandits in Gamji village in Ningi local government area of Bauchi State.

The Nation gathered that the local vigilantes fell to the superior gun power of the bandits who ambushed them in the forest.

The incident was said to have occurred last Sunday when the vigilantes were combing the forest for the bandits terrorizing Ningi communities.

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A member of the local vigilantes in the area, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that the bandit overpowered them, killing nine members instantly and injuring others.

The caretaker chairman of Ningi LGA, Hon. Ibrahim Zubairu Mato, who confirmed the incident assured that the government will do everything possible to fish out the bandits.

When contacted, the spokesman of the State Police Command, SP Ahmed Wakil did not respond to messages and calls put across to him as of the time of writing this report.

Suspected ritualists have reportedly killed an unidentified 10-year-old girl in Guyaba village of Kirfi local government area of the state.

According to village sources, the victim was declared missing for a few days by her parents before being found dead with some of her body parts missing.

However, details are still sketchy on how the victim was killed as of the time of writing this report.

But confirming the incident to our reporter on Sunday, October 15, the spokesman of the state police command, SP Ahmed Wakili, said the commissioner, CP Auwal Musa has ordered an investigation into the gruesome killing of the little girl.

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He said: “The CP, Auwal Musa Muhammad has directed the DPO, Kirfi Police Division to investigate and unravel the circumstance of her death, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the dastardly act. So the investigation is ongoing.”

Meanwhile, the State First Lady, Hajiya, Aisha Bala Muhammad, had paid a visit to the victim’s parents in Guyaba village.

Aisha Bala Mohammed, who condemned the act, described it as “barbaric and unbelievable.

The First Lady also charged the traditional rulers, faith-based bodies, and security agencies to fish out the culprits.

Nation reports that the latest killing for ritual purposes comes 2 months after suspected ritualists killed another toddler, a one-half-year-old boy, Mohammed Abideen Musa, who was found dead with his vital organs missing in a school at Games village, Bauchi Metropolis, with some of his vital organs removed by the suspected ritualists.

Bauchi State government will now pay girls in junior secondary schools N5000 per term and those in senior secondary schools will be paid N10,000 per term to boost girl-child enrolment.

The programme, which is under the state’s Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) – a World Bank-assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Education – is geared towards  improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls aged between 10 and 20.

Commissioner of Education, who also doubles as the coordinator of the AGILE programme, Jamila Dahiru, told reporters that the AGILE programme is aimed at doing things differently to improve education.

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“The project aimed at assisting the students, who dropped out of school due to economic problems. The target is the poorest of the poor, who do not have any means of payment of school fees and other requirements and mechanism has been put in place to determine those that will qualify.

“Apart from boosting enrolment of the girl-child in school, the AGILE project will ensure that the standard and quality of education did not decline but rather improved upon greatly as teachers will be motivated and well-equipped to impart knowledge on the students,” she added.

Apart from paying pupils to attend schools, the AGILE programme will also build new spaces for learning in secondary schools, improve existing infrastructure and recruit more teachers.

The Bauchi state government has initiated a programme called the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), offering financial incentives to encourage the enrolment of girls in schools.

Under this program, junior secondary school girls will receive a payment of N5,000 per term, while senior secondary school girls will be paid N10,000 per term.

AGILE, a World Bank-assisted project of the Federal Ministry of Education, is geared at improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls aged between 10 and 20.

The commissioner of education, who also doubles as the coordinator of the AGILE programme, Jamila Dahiru, told journalists that the programme is aimed at doing things differently to improve education in the state.

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She added: “The project aimed at assisting the students who dropped out of school due to economic problems. The target is the poorest of the poor who do not have any means of payment of school fees and other requirements, the mechanism has been put in place to determine those that will qualify.

“Apart from boosting enrollment of the girl child in school, the AGILE project will ensure that the standard and quality of education did not decline but rather improved upon greatly as Teachers will be motivated and well equipped to impart knowledge on the students.”

Apart from paying pupils to attend schools, the AGILE programme will also build new spaces for learning in secondary schools, improve existing infrastructure and recruit more teachers.

There was jubilation on Wednesday in Bauchi by residents and supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi was affirmed the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 20 declared Mohammed the winner of the election at the end of the collation exercise.

The electoral umpire announced that Mohammed polled 525,280 votes as against his closest rival, Sadique Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 432,272 votes.

However, the APC candidate and his party approached the court to challenge the result of the election.

Delivering the judgment, Chairman of the three-man panel Tribunal, Justice P.T Kwahar,  said that the election was conducted in total compliance with the electoral act thereby dismissing the petition.

He held that the court affirmed the return of Mohammed as the duly elected governor of the state by INEC.

Immediately the governor was affirmed as the winner of the election by the court, his supporters thronged to the government house to celebrate with him.

One of the supporters, Bako Yaya, said they had been praying fervently and waiting for the day to come, adding that they knew the governor would become victorious.

“We are here to celebrate with him, his family and PDP because he really deserves this victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, the governor who received the well-wishers attributed the victory to God who gives power to whom he wishes and takes it without consulting the holder.

“Many of our supporters would expect me to jubilate over the verdict that has just confirmed the overwhelming mandate that they freely gave to me at the last governorship election in the state. 

“Naturally, I am relieved and happy that this distraction has been put aside.

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“However, how I wish that we got to this point devoid of the acrimony, the bitterness, the resource hemorrhage, the bickering, the time wasted.

“How I wish that rather than dissipate energy through avoidable litigation, we had all resolved what is a disagreement among brothers through discussion, consultation and unity of purpose.

“How I wish all of us had submitted to the Supreme will of Allah than succumb to our ego and personal fantasies,” he said.

Mohammed assured all and sundry that his administration would strive at all times to uphold the oath of office with fairness, equity and justice.

(NAN)

Bauchi governor, Bala Mohammed, has met with the 39 victims of recent kidnapping in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of the State.

He was accompanied by the state Commissioner of Police, Auwal Musa Mohammed, and other Heads of Security agencies.

Nation recalls that Alkaleri where the State governor hails from has not been spared of the terror unleashed by bandits in some parts of the state.

While receiving the victims in Yelwan Dulguri, his hometown on Sunday, September 17,  Mohammed announced the temporary forfeiture of his monthly salary to support security agencies in the war against activities of bandits.

He warned that anyone found compromising or caught assisting the bandits would be treated and given the worst punishment than them.

He stated: “With this, I have pledged my salary and allowance to my hometown for the time being for the use of all the vigilantes and other security operatives in the area in the fight against the bandits. Monthly, I will be giving N2 million to the two districts. 

He further explained: “We are going to give the money, N10 million to about 200 vigilante and security agencies that went and rescued these people. Even the rescued are not forgotten, I give them N2 million.”

The governor also donated 50 motorcycles to help the local vigilante and other security operatives in the area fight insecurity in Alkaleri.

He commended the concerted effort of the police, the Joint State Task Force comprising of the Civil Defence, the Nigerian Army, and the local hunters.

He warned traditional leaders to avoid conspiracy and compromise, adding that the bandits seemed to have informants in their midst.

“These bandits are coming in and sometimes they have fertile ground from people that are around. We are working with the security agencies to bring CIDs who would be going into the villages to find out those people that are conniving with the bandits because they are worse than the bandits”, the Governor declared.

“We are not going to allow anybody to come and drive us away from our ancestral land and other preoccupation, we would rather sacrifice our lives to ensure that we protect ourselves, and this is what is called Community engagement or policing.”

The governor who read the riot act on the activities of criminals in the state, declared that, henceforth, “there is no hiding place for criminals and bandits anywhere in the state.”

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It would be recalled that the governor ordered the Joint Security Taskforce to engage the bandits and secure the release of all 39 kidnapped victims who were abducted a few days ago.

The rescue operation was said to have taken place  September 15, 2023, by the Command “Operation Sharan Daji” team in collaboration with other security agencies.

The operatives equally killed about 10  suspected bandits at the Red Mountain (Jan-Dutse) where the bandits were used as hideouts.