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Tag: Federal Capital Territory

  • Police, hunter kill three robbers, recover 83 illegal arms in Bauchi

    The Inspector-General of Police ( IGP ) Monitoring Squad in collaboration with a renown Hunter, Ali Kwara, has killed three suspected armed robbers in Bauchi.

    ‎The Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in the state, DSP Kamal Datti, said in a statement on Tuesday in Bauchi that the robbers were killed during a shootout.

    ‎ “A combined team of IGP Monitoring Unit in conjunction with Bauchi renown hunter, Ali Kwara, trailed three suspected armed robbers to Maladunba forest in Misau Local Government Area while planning to attack unsuspecting members of the public.

    ‎”On sighting the team, the suspects engaged them on a fierce shootout which lasted for some minutes.

    “As a result, the three suspected armed robbers sustained fatal injuries and were taken to General Hospital, Misau, and the medical doctor on duty certified them dead,” Datti said.

    ‎According to him, three AK47 rifles; one locally fabricated double barrel gun; 210 live ammunition of 7.62mm calibre; six cartridges and six empty AK47 riffles magazines were recovered from the suspects.

    ‎”Other exhibits recovered from the suspects were: a silver-coloured Golf 3 Station Wagon with registration number AH 471 GWA; one cutlass; two pairs of police uniform and N16,900,” Datti said.

    ‎The police spokesman said that investigation into the matter had begun.

    ‎He also said that the command had recovered illegal firearms and ammunition from‎ bandits and other suspects across the state.

    “The illegal arms recovery‎ was a concerted effort following the 21-day ultimatum given by the Inspector-General Of Police ( IGP ), Ibrahim Idris, in February.

    Read Also: Police recovers arms, ammunitions in Bauchi

    ‎”The order which was extended to April 30,2018 directed individuals and groups in possession of prohibited and illegal‎ firearms to surrender them to Commissioners of Police in the states,” Datti said.

    ‎He said the commissioners of police in the states and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) were also dire‎cted to set up a Joint Task Enforcement Teams to mop up, seize and recover all illegal arms from wrong hands.

    ‎” In compliance with IGP directives, the Commissioner of Police Bauchi State,Mr Sanusi Lemu, inaugurated Police Joint Task Enforcement Team.

    ‎”Consequently, the command has so far successfully recovered a total of 83 prohibited/illegal firearms and 702 live ammunition from suspected criminals and persons that voluntarily surrendered their firearms to the command,”he said.

    ‎The Police Spokesman also disclosed that the arms recovered ‎were; 30 AK47 rifles, one AK49 rifle, five single barrel guns, 20 fabricated guns and two double barrel guns.

    ‎”Other arms recovered include; four pump action guns, one K2 rifle, 20 pistols, 702 live ammunition and 70 cartridges,” he said.

    NAN

  • Corps member creates awareness on STEM, breast cancer

    A Corps member, Miss Lucy Ikpesu, says she has impacted the lives of over 1,600 students through enlightenment programmes in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM ) and breast cancer awareness among others.

     Ikpesu, who made this known to the News men in Abuja on Wednesday, said the programmes were her personal Community Development Service ( CDS ) as a Corps member in the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ).

     She said that students between the ages of 12 and 16 were beneficiaries of the programmes.

     “It has been my long term desire to impact and contribute to the development of my community through my knowledge and skills.

     “I saw my service year as an opportunity to impact students, so I did it through my personal CDS and I carried out projects on STEM education, establishment of STEM clubs/ groups in schools.

     “Other projects include self-esteem and mentorship for female students, breast cancer awareness, Lassa fever awareness, personal and menstrual hygiene, distribution of stationeries to students at the Internally Displaced People’s camp, among other services.’’

     According to her, 550 persons benefited in STEM education, 245 on self esteem, 280 girls on breast cancer awareness, 150 students were given stationeries, 100 girls got sanitary pads, 275 students trained on menstrual and personal hygiene.

    Read Also: Businessman remanded for allegedly defrauding corps member

     “Grooming students in STEM education integrates them into a cohesive learning programmes based on the real world activities,’’ she said.

     Ikpesu said the STEM outreach programme was carried out in Model Secondary School Maitama, Government Science Secondary School Maitama, Government Secondary School Wuse Zone 3 and Government Secondary School Lugbe.

     The breast cancer awareness programme, according to her was done for women at the Bama,Gwoza, Durumi IDP camps along with other corps members.

     She said that Project Pink Blue, Working to Advance STEM Education in African Women ( WAAW ) Foundation, Project Delta Initiative, Youngstars Development Initiative were some of the organisations that supported her projects.

     She, however, sought for more support to enable her extend the programmes to other rural communities in the FCT and some states in the North.

    Ikpesu studied Chemical Engineering in the Delta State University.

    NAN

  • Easter: Hair stylists decry poor patronage

    Hair stylists in Federal Capital Territory on Saturday decried poor patronage from customers as Christians celebrate 2018 Easter.

    Federal Government had declared a two-day public holiday to enable Christians to mark Easter, a festival to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    Some hair stylists in separate interviews with our reporters in Abuja said
    patronage was below their expectations.

    While some of the stylists attributed the situation to economic hardship, others said Easter celebrations were always low key compared with other festivals.

    Veronica Dotun, a stylist in Garki market in Abuja said poor patronage had forced some of them to join hands with other stylists to braid hair at cheaper rates.

    She explained that “when anyone of us gets a customer who wants to braid, we join hands to do it and share the money instead of going home empty handed.

    “Joining hands also makes the braiding faster and we all go home happy.”

    Another stylist, Mrs Faith Steven, attributed the poor patronage to economic hardship, saying hike in prices of goods forced some customers to use wool or alternative accessories for their hair.

    She added that “some hair attachments which sold between N250 and N350 was now sold between N800 and N1, 000.

    “Same thing with weave-on, which is why people prefer to use wool to braid hair, which is cheaper, can be washed and reused.’’

    Martha Ishaku, another stylist in Kpaduma area of FCT, said the poor patronage was because Easter was not celebrated and prepared for like other festivals.

    She said “people don’t celebrate Easter like they do Christmas and other festivals, where people buy new clothes and make new hair.

    “So, people spend less, especially on clothing, shoes and hair to mark the day.’’

    Mrs Angela Maiyaki, a customer our reporter met at a salon, said she brought her children to braid their hair for Easter and the school holiday.

    She said “the hair-do is not just for the celebration, but to last throughout the children’s holiday and allow me to rest from the weekly school hair.”

    Mr Elisha Nom, a resident of Guzape in FCT said he normally would not plan or spend much money on Easter celebration like during Christmas.

    He said “Easter is usually a low key celebration for us because it is a sober period for us to reflect on Jesus death and resurrection.

    “Emphsis is more on prayers, fasting and alms giving and many families prefer to channel their resources to the needy rather than spending on ourselves.”

    NAN

  • FCT launches policy on 10.5m out of school kids’

    What well over 10 million children are out of school in Nigeria is a source of great worry to stakeholders in the education sector in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The development they said is inappropriate, not encouraging and will no longer be acceptable, adding that time has come for government at all levels, international organisations and the private sector to ensure that the primary underlying causes of exclusive and inaccessible nature, bad structure and system in virtually all primary and secondary schools in the country are  surmounted.

    Speaking at the launch of the FCT draft Policy on Inclusive Education in Abuja, a representative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mrs. Lilian Odey said that of the 10.5 million out of school children in the Country, an estimated 7 million of them are children with disabilities.

    Odey said: “This projection is in line with World Bank and WHO that persons with disabilities constitute about 15 per cent of populations in developing countries and that between 80 to 90 per cent of them do not gain access to basic needs of life especially basic education.”

    She explained that the conferment of the education of children with disabilities to very few poorly staffed, poorly equipped and outdated special schools, very low public awareness on issues of inclusive education, inadequate institutional and human capacities required to implement inclusive education and inadequate poor implementation or non- availability of appropriate legal and policy framework. Are issues that need immediate answers?The FCT minister, Malam Muhammed Bello said it is unfortunate that the disabled and physically challenged in Nigeria’s society are discriminated against even if not deliberate.

    Represented by the FCT Secretary for Education, Senator Isa Maina, Bello stated: “There must be a deliberate, conscious and concerted effort to integrate the differently able Nigerians into all facets of society starting of course, with education, we must chart a new orientation, that which sees ability in disability, we need to build confidence and acceptability in the consciousness of our society particularly our children.”

    FCT Secretary for Education, Senator Isa Maina who was represented by the Director  administration and Finance, Mrs. Eunice Okechukwu assured that in spite of their physically challenges, some of the children are enormously endowed with talents and skills that must be harnessed for the overall development of the nation.

     

  • Three pupils die after allegedly eating biscuit in school

    Three pupils die after allegedly eating biscuit in school

    There was panic in Kubwa, a suburb town in the Federal Capital Territory, on Wednesday, following the death of four pupils of Local Education Authority II primary school.

    They were said to have fallen ill and died after allegedly eating biscuits.

    The biscuit was allegedly shared to the victims by an unidentifiable classmate on Tuesday.

    Two of the deceased who were said to be from the same family were said to have been buried on Wednesday afternoon in Kubwa.

    The late students identified as Na’imat Yahaya 14, of primary 4, and Yahaya Garba also 14 of primary four and Moses Sunday of primary one.
    Unconfirmed reports said the children who died in the school premises were bleeding from the mouth and ears, before they gave up the ghost.

    The incident spread panic in the community as parents and guardians rushed to the school and forcibly took away their children.

    Our correspondent who visited the school saw the teachers discussing the incident while the headmaster was giving an account of the tragedy to officials of the FCT Education Secretariat, Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), who were at the school on a fact-finding mission.
    Journalists were barred from the briefing and the headmaster whose name could not be immediately ascertained declined to comment on the incident.

    Giving her own side of the story, a teacher in the school who didn’t want her name in print said: “When we came this morning, a child from primary four was sick. The HOD noticed it and asked him to go home. The other child in primary five who happen to be from the same parent was sick also and on reaching home, early hours of today, they died.

    “Immediately we got the news, our headmaster called us and asked us if there was any celebration in any arm of the school and we said nothing like that happened.

    “A while after our headmaster briefed us, another news came that a child in primary one died. This one fought yesterday after closing and on reaching home, he was taken to the hospital and he died there.

    “After our headmaster addressed us, we went into our classes and before we knew it, Gbagi and Hausa people came into the school premises with stick, stones and bottle to come and attack teachers.

    “God helped us because the Area Council chairman came into the premises after hearing about it. He called the police and then, the situation was arrested. They later said we should allow the children to go home but we suggested that those whose parents might still be at their work place should be allowed to stay but that generated another crisis.

    “Some of the pupils ran to meet their elder ones in the secondary arm of the school while some ran out using the windows.”

    On whether biscuit was shared or not, the teacher said the school had barred pupils from bringing edible things to school during any celebration.

    A primary three pupil, Hasia Haruna, who allegedly partook of the biscuits was on admission at the emergency ward of the Kubwa General Hospital.

    Looking pale in her yellow and white checkered school uniform, she was lying in her side with her mother closely watching over her.

    The mother who looked troubled said she rushed Hasia, 13, to the Kubwa General Hospital, when she learnt that she partook of the biscuits at school.
    She explained that her daughter, a primary three pupil of LEA primary school, informed her that she was given the biscuit by “a Muslim sister.”

    The mother who spoke in Hausa, said, “There was a party in the school on Wednesday where my daughter ate biscuit with other pupils. We discovered that some pupils died at night.
    “So I asked her if she ate the biscuit and who gave her; She said it was shared to them by a Muslim sister and so I was satisfied with her explanation, but the Bwari Area Council chairman, Musa Dikko informed us that we should take her to the hospital because some pupils died, so I decided to bring her here (Kubwa General Hospital).”
    She said she gave Hasia some herbal concoction at home when she complained of stomach pains, adding that she was scared when she heard that Nahimah, a relation and a pupil of LEA primary school, had died.

    “When I heard that Naimat had died, I quickly brought my daughter to the hospital, but since we got here, nobody has attended to us,” she complained.

    But the Chief Medical Doctor of the Hospital, Dr. Lasisi Akinola, said the hospital had admitted some sick pupils which he described as nothing unusual.

    “We receive sick pupils and people all the time, so there is nothing unusual about that. I know we have the corpse of a pupil who died after a fight with another pupil, but I don’t have information on what you are talking about,” he stated.

    The FCT police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, said the police had opened an investigation into the incident, adding that the case would be transferred to the Command Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.

  • ‘Beware of land touts’

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Muhammad Bello has bemoaned the illegal activities of touts and advised the public to desist from any transactions on plots of land allocated by the Area Councils until title regularisation process is concluded.

    FCT Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the FCT Land Use & Allocation Committee (LUAC), Mr. Chinyeaka Ohaa disclosed this during the meeting of the Committee in Abuja.

    Ohaa stated that this action has become necessary to reduce the knotty cases of illegal land activities being perpetuated at the Area Councils of the Territory, thereby defrauding unsuspected members of the public.

    He said, “The confirmation of titles of the Area Councils can only be conducted after completion of the ongoing Area Councils’ title regularisation exercise, and therefore the general public is hereby advised to desist from transacting on the said titles until conclusion of the regularisation exercise.

    “The Administration has observed that with the recall of Area Councils’ Zonal Land Managers and Zonal Planning Officers back to the mainstream, as well as the suspension of land allocation by the six Area Councils of the Territory, the illegal activities still persists”.

    The Permanent Secretary recalled that the FCT Administration in 2006 had directed the Area Councils to discontinue allocation of land and requested that they update and forward their records of allocations to AGIS for the commencement of the title regularisation for thorough cleaning and validation.

    He regretted that the Administration has spotted some illegal allocation papers being backdated by fraudulent ex-FCT officials and ex-Land officers at the Area Councils; fake letters of allocations and Certificates of Occupancy in circulation as well as farmers, village heads, community heads selling land in the Area Councils, thereby duping unsuspecting members of the public.

    Ohaa warned the general public to be wary of these illegal activities by fraudulent people, reiterating that all lands in the entire Federal Capital Territory is vested in the FCTA and can only be accessed through application to the Minister.

    The Permanent Secretary used the opportunity to announce that the FCT Administration has several thousands of Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) as well as Rights of Occupancy (R of O) for Federal Capital City (FCC) titles unclaimed in the Department of Lands Administration and therefore, called on the beneficiaries to come forward with necessary documents for collection.

  • Police to reopen Peace Corps building

    Officials of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) led by its National Commandant, Dickson Akoh have staged a peaceful protest at the entrance of their headquarters which has been sealed off by the police for a year. They demanded that the facility be reopened following a series of court judgments in their favour.

    After hours of waiting and calls, the police assured the Peace Corp of Nigeria (PCN) of reopening its headquarters within seven days.

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police Sadiq Bello later disclosed this through a phone conversation with the National Commandant of PCN Ambassador Dickson Akoh.

    It would be recalled that the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Justice and Equity, had on January 25, 2018, petitioned the House, accusing the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, of flagrantly disobeying subsisting court orders in favour of the Peace Corps.

    House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions directed the police to vacate the headquarters of the PCN which has been under lock and key since February 28, 2017.

    Following the conversation, Akoh lauded the Police for approaching the matter in a civil way.

    He said this is the first time they had been spoken to by the police respectfully.

    He said, “Since they have for the first time spoken to us in a very humane manner we will not disrespect superior order, we respect constituted authority and in that spirit we will leave.

    “The CP has intervened and we will disengage because we are peaceful people. Their approach was very civil and he has spoken on behalf of the Inspector General (IG) that we should allow the House of Reps to exhaust their judgment,” he said.

    “If this matter has been handled this way by the then CP; engaging and discussing with us, it wouldn’t have gotten to this level,” he added.

    Akoh appealed to the Federal Government to see the need of accenting to the Peace Corp Bill which has passed second reading at the National Assembly, and forwarded to President Mohammadu Buhari since January this year.

    The Bill, he said, would alleviate the suffering of teeming young Nigerian seeking for employment, adding that the Peace Corps will focus on gathering intelligence for security especially at the community level.

     

  • For the love of IDPs

    For the love of IDPs

    A group, Bunmi Cares Initiative, soothes the pain of persons displaced by Boko Haram by sending clothing items on Valentine’s Day.

    The cruelty of Boko Haram may never wane in a lifetime. The bloodthirsty group rampaged through the Northeast, murdering people in cold blood. Survivors fled wherever they could, seeking safety. Most are camped in makeshift shelters without basic necessities of life. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accomodates a good number of these survivors who largely depend on charity.

    Last year, Bunmi Cares Initiative (BCI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), donated clothing items to the Kuchigoro IDP camps in Abuja.

    This year, on Valentine’s Day,  BCI repeated the gesture, taking clothing materials to the IDP camp at Area 1.

    Convener of the initiative, Olubunmi Adegbolu said, “We are celebrating Valentine with Nigerians who are victims of insurgency, we are here to remind them that they are loved, irrespective of their circumstances, the success of our drive in 2016 and 2017 led to this year’s outing.

    “Nigerians were reminded of the fact that the clothes you think are not good for you or when you decide to change your wardrobe and have difficulty disposing of the old clothes, this drive helps people give such clothing to people who really need it, I know that we can help and clothe ourselves in this nation by helping each other.

    “To get the clothes, we move around Abuja, put it up on social media, we solicit for assistance from people, they give us the clothing, we dryclean and package it, we have people who donated new clothing and shoes, we are praying to have a location where people can drive to and drop them any day and time. So today we brought clothes for children and adults, food items, household items, shoes, bags, curtains, blankets.

    “This is not the only programme by the initiative, we have the skills acquisition training for secondary school students and we have been able to train over 800 students on catering mostly and we have been able to establish about fifteen of them.”

    Hon. Olatoye  Shobowale Sugar, Lagelu Akinyele Federal Constituency Ibadan, Oyo State and Chairman Urban Development and Regional Planning, House of Representatives stated, “People displaced by insurgency where not born in the circumstance but are victims that need to be assisted by all Nigerians and not just the government but people can add value to their lives by bringing whatever we have. Coming here and seeing their way this people are living forces one to say that NEMA is honestly not living up to expectation, they are trying but not enough, so all hands must be on deck to assist this people.”

    Coordinator of the camp Idris Ibrahim-Halilu lamented the fact that a lot of them have died from lack of care.

    He said, “I am happy about this because in December I lost everything I had to fire, so Bunmi Care Initiative came in handy today and we are very happy. If hundreds of Nigerians, for instance, will take it upon themselves to help us, it will go a long way because presently we have been stigmatised, no food, no medical care from any quarters except the national hospital that has been very kind to us.

    “NEMA has been here only on three occasions within the past four years and FEMA that carters for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) came here last in October 2015 where they brought us five cartons of mosquito coils, we go to them and they send us away, a lot of us have died, it is only the National Hospital that takes pity on us.”

     

  • Photographers celebrate the beauty of Abuja Carnival

    Photographers celebrate the beauty of Abuja Carnival

    Two photographers, Julius Omogbai and Godswill Ayemoba, are celebrating the beauty of the Abuja carnival from 2007 to 2011, in an exhibition tagged, `Simply Carnival.’

    Abuja Carnival commenced in 2005 to serve as an avenue to showcase the diverse cultural events and practices in the 36 states of Nigeria and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory in a competitive manner.

    Read also: Workers to stage Mass Protest in Abuja

    Welcoming art enthusiasts to the event the Thought Pyramid Art Gallery in Abuja on Monday on Abuja, a co-exhibitor, Omogbai, said the exhibition featuring series of photographs from the carnival, was a way of persuading the Federal Government to see the need for its continuity.

    “These works show different faces of the Abuja carnival and we want this exhibition to provoke the authorities to organise another carnival.

    “Our problem in this part of the world is continuity and the absence of documented history.

    “The purpose of this exhibition is to celebrate culture which is dying due to foreign influence.

    “Art needs to be given the right relevance. It is sacrifice to the nation,” he said.

    He added that if the carnival is sustained it will enhance the growth of tourism in addition to the celebration of the cultural diversity in the country.

    The Special Assistant to the President on Research, Mr. Sylvester Imhanode and Director of curatorial services of National Gallery of Arts, Mr Ibrahim Adamu were among the dignitaries at the exhibition.

    In his remarks, Imhanode commended the quality of art works on display while urging the exhibitors to do more.

    He assured the exhibitors that the Federal Government was willing to work with talented people that abound in the creative industry.

    Also, while congratulating the exhibitors, Adamu stressed the need for young people to develop their creative skills to be self-reliant instead of searching for elusive white collar jobs.

    He pointed out that the art industry was very lucrative, urging youths to follow worthy examples of the exhibitors.

    Abuja Carnival celebrated annually, did not take place in 2017 due to problems of logistics, according to its organisers.

    NAN

  • FCTA reduces curfew hours

    The 6pm-6am curfew imposed in Bwari town as a result of the Christmas Day crisis there has been relaxed to 10pm to 5am. This is as a result of visible signs of return of normalcy to the area. The Minster, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello made this declaration after a security review meeting on the situation on ground in the town.

    The Secretary, Area Councils Services Secretariat, Malam Adamu Bappah, who chaired the meeting on behalf of the FCT Minister, commended all the security operatives and stakeholders for their efforts in working towards the restoration of peace in the town.

    Bello appealed to residents, community leaders and faith-based organisations to work towards the final return of peace to the town, as it is only then would peace and development come to the community. He called on all the residents to be alert to their neighbourhoods and to report all suspicious movements to the security agencies. He praised the residents for being law abiding and supportive of the efforts of the Administration to ensure that normalcy returned to the town.

    Speaking to newsmen at the end of the meeting the Bwari Area Council Chairman, Hon. Musa Diko, stressed that the security agencies would intensify joint patrols in the various neighbourhoods and contiguous border towns as well as synergise and share information with their colleagues in Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa states.

    The various security agencies such as the Guards Brigade, the Police, Department of State Security and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps indicated that their men are on ground and prepared to deal with any situation likely to lead to a breach of the peace.