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Tag: GOMBE

  • JUST IN: Tribunal strikes out ADC petition on Gombe gov, deputy

    JUST IN: Tribunal strikes out ADC petition on Gombe gov, deputy

    The Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, on Tuesday, September 26, dismissed the petition filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) contesting the election victory of Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and his Deputy, Manassah Daniel Jatau.

    ADC contested the election result based on alleged discrepancies in the arrangement of names on the certificates of the deputy governor.

    However, the tribunal ruled that it was a pre-election matter and that the deputy governor met the minimum certificate requirement to run, thus striking out the case.

    Read Also: Tribunal win victory for all, Sanwo-Olu tells Lagosians

    The tribunal also struck out ADC’s allegations of corrupt practices and vote buying for lack of proof.

    Details shortly….

  • Confusion in Gombe varsity over death of day-old baby thrown down from second floor

    Confusion in Gombe varsity over death of day-old baby thrown down from second floor

    • Undergraduate suspect arrested

    There was pandemonium in the main campus of Gombe State University, Gombe yesterday over the death of a day-old baby after it was thrown down from the second floor of the female hostel.

    The body of the newborn baby was found early yesterday morning near Hall IV of the female hostels by passersby who raised the alarm only to discover that the baby was already dead from the injury it sustained in the right leg.

    The baby was later traced to a female student identified simply as Rahab, a 400 Level Public Administration student of the institution.

    The incident attracted a large crowd of sympathisers who gathered around the female hostels discussing the matter.

    An eyewitness, who prefers anonymity, said Rahab had been hiding the pregnancy in her hijab gown for months to prevent her from being noticed.

    She was later arrested by the university security in the midst of an angry mob, covered in hijab to protect her from mob attack.

    The university’s Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Abubakar, who confirmed the incident to The Nation newspaper, said a lady had been identified for committing the crime.

    Abubakar said: “It is confirmed that a baby was thrown down from a height in one of the female hostels. It is a serious action and the university is investigating it.

    Read Also: Pandemonium in Gombe varsity over murder of day-old baby

    “Disciplinary action will be taken on it because it is a crime to murder a baby.

    “If it is a matter of delivering the baby now, there is no problem. But throwing an innocent day-old baby to death is a crime.”

    Abubakar also confirmed that the matter had been formally reported to the police for further investigation.

    Gombe State Police Public Relations PPRO, ASP Mahid Mua’zu, however said the police also heard about the incident through the social media but had not received any report from the university’s authorities at the time of filling this report.

    “We heard of the incident on the social media like every other person but have not received a formal complaint from the university’s authorities.

    “So I can say yes, we have heard of it informally on the social media and investigation has commenced.

    “We also heard that the baby has been taken to the hospital and we are trying to fish out the culprit,” he said.

  • Pandemonium in Gombe varsity over murder of day-old baby

    Pandemonium in Gombe varsity over murder of day-old baby

    There was pandemonium in the main campus of Gombe State University, Gombe on Saturday over the murder of a day-old baby thrown from the second floor of the female hostel.

    The body of the newborn was found in the early hours of Saturday near Hall IV of the female hostels by passerby who raised the alarm only to discover that the baby was already dead as a result of an injury sustained in the right leg.

    Eyewitness said the baby has not been traced to any of the female students but the university authorities said it has commenced investigation on the incident.

    The incident attracted a large crowd of sympathisers who gathered around the female hostels discussing the matter.

    Another eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, said the mother of the baby has been hiding the pregnancy in her hijab gown for months to prevent her from being noticed.

    The University Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Abubakar, who confirmed the incident to The Nation, said a lady has been identified for committing the crime.

    “It is confirmed that a baby was thrown down from a height in one of the female hostels, it is a serious action and the university is investigating it and disciplinary action will be taken on it because it is a crime to murder a baby. If it is a matter of delivering the baby now there is no problem but throwing an innocent day-old baby to death is a crime,” Abubakar said.

    Read Also: Subsidy removal: Gombe govt approves N10,000 increment in workers’ salary

    Abubakar also confirmed that the police have taken over the case from the university for proper investigation.

    Gombe Police spokesman ASP Mahid Mua’zu said the police also got the news through the social media and have commenced investigation on it.

    “We have already taken up the matter, investigation has commenced and the baby has been taken to the hospital and we are trying to fish out the culprit,” he said.

  • Council seeks maximisation of ginger, moringa potential

    THE Raw Materials Research & Development Council (RMRDC) has advocated the full utilisation of locally produced ginger (oleoresin) used as a base product in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sector.

    At a workshop in Lagos on Thursday, with the topic: The utilisation of Locally Produced Ginger Oleoresin by Nigerian Industries, the RMRDC Director-General, Prof. Hussaini Dikko, unveiled a national strategy for Nigeria’s competitiveness in raw materials especially ginger.

    According to him, the country has the largest area in the world under ginger cultivation and ranks third in production after India and China. This, he said, underscores the need for a strategic plan by government to support producers of raw materials in terms of exploitation and development.

    He said: “Nigeria’s ginger is highly valued in the international market for its high oil and oleoresin content. Although ginger is mostly grown in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, Niger, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Oyo, Imo, Abia, and Lagos states, Southern Kaduna is the main producing area, with over 95 per cent of the country’s total production.

    “This position is supported by the Food & Agriculture Organisation Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) which stated that Nigeria produced 349,895 tons of ginger in 2017 with a world share of 11.5 per cent.”

    Represented by the Director, Technology Development Department, Dr. Abimbola Ogunwusi, he  said sadly, the bulk of ginger produced in the country is exported in slit-dried form. The importing countries further process it into industrial products mainly ginger powder, essential oils, oleoresin and re imported by manufacturers at higher cost.

    While underscoring the need for value addition to commodities within the country, he said statistics from Nigeria Customs Service Database in 2017 suggested that Nigeria spent over N182 million to import 524,991 kilogramme of ginger resinoids from January, 2016- February, 2017.

    He pledged the preparedness of the agency to promote, support and expedite industrial development and self-reliance through optimal utilisation of local raw materials as input to the nation’s industries especially ginger, who’s sector as a high employment opportunity.

    “RMRDC is seeking indigenous manufacturer’s buy-in as it promotes the utilisation of locally produced ginger oleoresin by user industries. Your buy-in will go a long way in developing the ginger value chain, reduce the importation of oleoresin into the country, save foreign exchange, and create job, wealth and diversify the economy,” Dikko said.

  • NDLEA nabs 32 drug suspects in Gombe

    The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Gombe State said it arrested 32 drugs suspects and seized 16.82 kilogrammes of hard drugs between January and March, 2019.

    The Commandant of the agency in the state, Mr Aliyu Adole, made this known in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday.

    He said the suspects comprised 30 males and two females.

    Adole said that 18 of the suspects had been charged to court, adding that 16 were awaiting trials, while two had been convicted and serving their sentences.

    Read also: NDLEA arrests 9,824 drug suspects

    He said that the other suspects were “patients’’ currently being counselled for rehabilitation.

    Adole decried the use of Pentazocine injection by some youths in the state in the absence of Tramadol.

    “Some of the youths have become so addicted to drug and this has resulted to the damage of their hands which may no longer function well,” he said.

    The commandant, therefore, urged parents and guardians to counsel their children to stop the abuse of drugs because of the adverse effects.

  • Gombe relaxes curfew in some areas

    Gombe State Government has relaxed curfew from 12 midnight to 6 AM daily in some areas of the metropolis, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.

    Mr James Pisagih, Secretary to the State Government, disclosed this in a statement, on Friday in Gombe.

    The state government had earlier imposed a curfew from 6 AM to 6 AM following “a report by security agencies of the activity of some hoodlums who were harassing and intimidating innocent citizens as well as destroying properties.’’

    He said security reports indicated that relative peace has been recorded in most parts of the state metropolis that were hitherto under dusk to dawn curfew.

    Pisagih added that normalcy had however not been completely achieved in some parts of Gombe-Biu bypass, Bagadaza and Nayinawa areas of the state.

    “Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo has directed for the review of the curfew in Gombe from 12 midnight to 6 AM daily.

    “The curfew at Nayinawa and Bagadaza areas will remain from 6 PM to 6AM daily,” he added.

    Pisagih urged security agencies to ensure strict compliance and to put more surveillance in flashpoint.

    A dusk to dawn curfew was imposed on the state capital following the killing of some worshippers during Easter festivities.

  • Gombe, Kebbi airports shut over debts

    THE Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has closed down Gombe and Kebbi airports as a result of over N800 million debts.

    The shutdown took effect yesterday.

    FAAN, in a Notice To Air Men (NOTAM), sent to the airports yesterday, announced the withdrawal of men of the safety, fire rescue and aviation security personnel attached to the two airports.

    Read also: FAAN to shut airports over debts

    FAAN, two weeks ago, warned that its services would be withdrawn should the two state governments failed to clear their debts.

    It was gathered that FAAN gave the state governments enough time to settle their debts, but they remained adamant

    It was gathered that the attention will be shifted to other airports, which are owing.

    FAAN, it was learnt, wanted to carry out the drive in other airports but were stopped by the Presidency.

    “But the agency has vowed to forge ahead with its plans to close state airports owing the organisation,” a source said yesterday.

  • Easter killings: Pandemonium as Boys Brigade retrieve members remains in Gombe

    There was pandemonium in Gombe Metropolis on Saturday following clashes between some youths and members of the Boys Brigade while retrieving the remains of their members killed during Easter.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that that the situation started when members of the Boys Brigade who were coming out of the specialist hospital in a procession, were stoned by some youths at Jekafari.

    The attack which prompted the members of the group’s retaliation was however put under control with the swift intervention of security personnel in the area.

    Read Also: 11 die, 47 injured as vehicles crash into Easter procession in Gombe, Adamawa

    NAN also reports that the fight led to the stoning and destruction of cars of innocent motorists in the place.

    When contacted, Gombe State Police Command Spokesperson DSP Mary Malik, said although she heard about the issue, no formal report was made at the command.

    NAN reports that eight boys were killed during Easter procession when a vehicle allegedly driven by an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps ASC Adamu Abubakar rammed into a procession by members of the group.

     

  • 11 die, 47 injured as vehicles crash into Easter procession in Gombe, Adamawa

    NINE persons were confirmed dead and 47 others injured yesterday as vehicles crashed into religious processions in Gombe and Adamawa states.

    In Gombe, an operative of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) rammed his car into a procession of Christian youths on Sunday night, killing no fewer than eight of them and injuring 30.

    A commercial bus driver crashed into worshippers on their way to “Galilee”. Seventeen of them were injured.

    The youths, who were celebrating Easter, ran after the killer-NSCDC man and another occupant of his car. They were allegedly lynched.

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report said the incident happened in Alheri junction, Biu Road, Gombe State.

    The NSCDC official and his passenger, identified as a police officer, died from the beating.

    The chairman of the Gombe State Battalion Brigade of the Boys Brigade, Isaac Kwadang, told reporters that he received information about the incident around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

    Read also: Gunmen attack Adamawa community, kill 4

    He said: “The NSCDC officer, though not on official duty, met the procession, exchanged words with the youth, and drove past them. He allegedly switched off his car’s full lights, reversed the vehicle and rammed into the procession killing eight people on the spot.”

    Many of the victims were members of the Boys Brigade.

    Kwadang confirmed that the aggrieved youths chased the security officers, caught up with them and mobbed them to death.

    According to him, the youths were still being prevailed upon not to let peace reign.

    The Chief Medical Director of the Gombe State Specialist Hospital, Shuaibu Muazu, confirmed that some dead bodies were deposited in their facility.

    The Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Godwin Omuko, confirmed the incident to reporters.

    He said his men were among those who evacuated the bodies to the hospital.

    Elsewhere in Adamawa State, a commercial bus ran into worshippers yesterday. Seventeen people were injured.

    The bus ran into the worshippers in the Numan Local Government Area while celebrating the Easter Monday.

    The injured, many of them with bone fractures, were admitted into hospitals around Numan.

    Witnesses said the accident happened around 10am. They said the bus had been impounded and the driver arrested.

    One of the witnesses, Stanley Jaule, said the affected worshippers were marching towards a mountain which the locals call Galilee when the bus crashed into their procession from the rear.

    “While they were in Easter procession, a passenger bus just came from behind them and injured so many people, mostly women and children,” Jaule said.

    Reacting to the crash in Gombe, Acting Inspector-General IG Mohammed Adamu ordered a speedy and comprehensive investigation into the incident.

    A statement by Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said the accident occurred on Gombe-Biu Road.

    The statement reads: “Eye-witness accounts reveal that the accident occurred as a result of loss of control of the vehicle by the driver while driving along Gadan Malale and heading towards central roundabout, and on reaching a point at Unguwan Waja, rammed into a procession of crowd, evidently celebrating Easter.

    “With assistance of the policemen from Gombe Division, the victims were immediately rushed to Gombe Specialist Hospital where the driver one Corp Assistant Adamu Abdullahi, a staff of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to Government House, Gombe and 10 others were confirmed dead and their bodies deposited at the morgue while thirty (30) other persons injured are currently receiving treatment.

    “The Gombe Commissioner of Police visited the scene of the accident to have an on-the-spot assessment as well as the hospital to monitor the treatment of the victims.

    “The IGP, while condoling with the families and friends of the dead and the injured victim, has advised motorists to exercise utmost caution by obeying all traffic signs, rules and regulations while driving especially this festive period and beyond.”

  • INEC presents Certificates of Return to governor-elect, 25 others in Gombe

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) on Friday presented Certificates of Return to Gombe State Governor-elect, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, his deputy, Mr Manassah Jatau and the 24 elected members of the State House of Assembly.

    Alhaji Baba Arfo, the INEC National Commissioner Supervising Bauchi, Gombe and Yobe States who presented the certificates to the elected officials in Gombe, congratulated them.

    Arfo said the outcome of the elections in the states under his supervision had shown that democracy had developed, adding that every vote counted during the elections.

    He commended the security personnel, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for partnering with INEC for the success of the elections and all the international partners and observers for their technical supports.

    “I congratulate the elected officials. The presentation today is a constitutional requirement.

    “ The outcome of the elections has shown that democracy is developing and every vote now count. This is due to the high level of awareness by all stakeholders and we appreciate that,” he said.

    Arfo, while reassuring the commitment of the commission to free and fair elections in the future, requested the elected officials to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people by developing the state.

    Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Alh. Umar Ibrahim, thanked all the stakeholders for the success of the elections and the people for conducting themselves peacefully during the elections.

    Ibrahim thanked the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar III, who he said, personally “recorded sound bites to encourage electorate to come out to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)”.

    The governor-elect thanked the people of the state for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the elections, adding that his election was a product of true democracy.

    Yahaya extended his hands of fellowship to all who contested and conceded defeat, adding that: “We have no other place, but Gombe and the aim of contesting is to take Gombe to the next level.”

    He sought the understanding of all citizens of the state to develop and make it a shining example in the North-east sub-region.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that certificates of return were given to 22 elected members who were present at the venue out of the 24 elected members scheduled for the presentation.