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Tag: Kaduna state

  • No tension in Kaduna – Police

    No tension in Kaduna – Police

    Following rumoured tension and crisis against tribal communities, particularly Igbo community in Kaduna, Police as well as the State government on Thursday dispelled such rumour.

    There was rumour coming from outside the state since Monday that, Kaduna was on fire, with relations outside the State making frantic phone calls to their loved ones to authenticate the fact of the situation.

    However, in a meeting with Igbo and Yoruba communities in Kaduna, the State Commissioner of Police, Agyole Abeh advised every residents to go about their normal businesses as there was no such incident in the entire State.

    “There is no crisis in Kaduna, the state is peaceful, I advise everybody to open his shops as usual and do your business.

    “Don’t be apprehensive, the rumour is baseless and unfounded. Our men are at alert all the time to ensure peaceful atmospheres in the State,” Abeh said.

    Responding, both Igbo and Yoruba community leaders, Chris Nnoli and Yinka Olapade respectively thanked the Police boss for assuring them of safety of Kaduna residents.

    The two community leaders blamed social media for the unwarranted rumour, and assured the police that they will take the message back to their people that Kaduna is actually peaceful.

    “I want to say without bias that Igbo are peace loving people, and they like to bring development to anywhere they found themselves even better than where they come from.

    “It is unfortunate that this rumour emanated from the social media, but we want to tell our that they should disregard such rumour because Kaduna is peaceful and we are all law abiding citizens,” Nnoli said.

    Similarly, the State Government has assured all residents of their safety.

    A statement issued by the Spokesman to governor Nasir El-rufai, Mr. Samuel Aruwan said state government and the security agencies have taken appropriate action to protect life and property in the state.

    “The Kaduna State Government wishes to assure all residents of their safety. The state government and the security agencies have taken appropriate action to secure lives and property. Therefore, every citizen should go about their lawful duties, without let or hindrance.

    “The security situation is under constant review, including events that have taken place in other parts of the country. Our diverse communities will not be engulfed by negative conduct that has taken place elsewhere.

    “The security agencies are staging shows of force and patrols as part of the effort to build confidence among citizens and deter mischief-makers.

    “The police and the SSS are also engaged in outreach to our communities to update them and to provide reassurance.

    “Our traditional institutions have also been alerted, and they are engaging people in their domains to keep the peace.

    “Every resident must live up to their civic responsibilities, and must shun and report anyone seeking or urging reprisals against innocents.

    “The Kaduna State Government urges everyone to resist the temptation to take the law into their hands.

    “There should be no recourse to self-help in Kaduna State. It will not be tolerated and will be punished accordingly.

    “In times like these, every citizen is expected to do their duty to uphold peace and harmony.”

    “Government wishes to reiterate that it will not tolerate hate speech and incitement. Members of the public should verify information before they share. Kaduna State is peaceful.

    “No community or market is under attack, and robust efforts are being applied to maintain the peace”.

  • Torturing of crime suspects now illegal in Kaduna – DPP

    Torturing of crime suspects now illegal in Kaduna – DPP

    Director of Public Prosecution, Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, Bayero Dare on Tuesday hinted that torturing crime suspects to obtain confessional statement by security agents without their lawyers is now illegal in Kaduna State.

    This development was coming as a result of signing into law administration of justice law by Governor Nasir El-Rufai in May this year which is a radical departure from previous laws that have been existing since 1968 starting from Northern region when states were created and Kaduna state and others adopted it then.

    In an interview with newsmen shortly after the opening session of a 3-day training for critical stakeholders on administration of Justice in Kaduna on promoting United Nations convention against torture, the director said the governor signed it into law and it effectively came into law in 29th of May 2017.

    The law according to him has radicalise the whole process of obtaining statement, arrest and prosecution and then time of stay in prison.

    He said, “Now you can no longer be arrested by proxy, meaning that you can no longer be arrested for offence committed by someone else.

    “Secondly, you cannot be interviewed by police officer in the absence of your legal practitioner. Your legal practitioner must be around and once the statement is been taken, it must be taken with digital recorder.  And then a chief magistrate has the right to visit any detention facility and ask for whom is detained, reason for his detention and how long he has been detained.

    “The Cheif judge also had a monitoring committee, and the committee goes round all the courts, detention facilities in the state, police and ask for books and whoever is detained unnecessarily will be advocates for while the officer in charge will be questioned. All avenues for fast trial, speedy dispensation of Justice is enshrined in the law, and I think that everyone should be sensitized on it.

    “You cannot isolate the law and rise in crime now as a result of economic crises. From January this year alone, we have filled over 200 criminal cases in the high Court and the judges are overburdened not only with criminal cases alone but other cases still pending in the court”, he explained.

    Earlier, Head of Office – Avocats SANS Frontieres France who organised the training in collaboration with Nigerian Human Rights Commission, Angela Uwandu, said the training was aimed at promoting the principles of United Nations convention against torture in Nigeria.

    According to her, “it is also aimed at raising awareness on torture, especially torture by security agencies in Nigeria. So basically what we are trying to do as an organization is to stand to promote justice for victim of torture and ensuring that wherever torture occurs, we provide access to quick and prompt access to justice for victim of torture”.

     

  • Kaduna: Kidnappers abduct director, demand ransom

    Kaduna: Kidnappers abduct director, demand ransom

    A group of suspected kidnappers who abducted a director with the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology are demanding for N40 million ransom, an official in the ministry has said.

    The victim, Mr John Gorah, was abducted at midnight on Sunday at his residence located in Mararaban Rido, Kaduna.

    Read also: N50,000 ‘bribe’: Police suspend anti-kidnapping commander

    The Deputy Director, Higher Education in the ministry, Mr Steven Haruna, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday that the kidnappers had contacted the victim’s family.

    Haruna explained that the kidnappers stormed the victim’s house, fired multiple gunshots in the air to scare people and pulled down a section of the fence before taking Gorah away.

    Read also: Police foil kidnapping of man in Aba

    He also said that the kidnappers abducted a nursing mother in the neighbourhood, leaving her three weeks old baby behind.

    “The kidnappers have called the family and demanded for N40 million ransom,” he told NAN.

    Read also: Ambode donates N5m to widow of kidnap victim

  • Kaduna trains 500 English teachers

    Kaduna trains 500 English teachers

    The Kaduna State Government said it had trained 500 English teachers in secondary schools as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen proficiency for the teaching of the subject.

    Malam Idris Aliyu, the Deputy Director of Schools in the  Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Friday.

    According to him, the training is part of the state government’s effort to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools.

    Aliyu described improving teachers’ capacity as key to ensuring quality teaching and learning in schools, stressing that “teachers cannot give out what they do not have.’’

    He added that the state needed  quality teachers to be able to provide sound education to students and effectively prepare them for tertiary education so that they could contribute to development in the future.

    “Just last two weeks, the government has concluded training for 60 technical teachers on practical skills and yesterday, 500 English teachers concluded a weeklong training on English proficiency.

    “The cardinal principle of this administration is on education.

    “ This explained the ongoing massive infrastructural development and teachers’ capacity building in the education sector,” Aliyu said.

    The Executive Chairman, Universal Education Board, Malam Nasir Umar, told NAN that the state government would not relent on its effort to ensure quality in the education system.

    Umar said that training and retraining of teachers were the only way to equip teachers with modern techniques for effective teaching.

    “We have conducted series of training last year and we are still training our teachers.

    “I assure you that we will continue to train until all subjects are covered and every teacher is rebranded with new skills, “Umar said.

    Mr Grace Caleb, a facilitator  with the Teacher Development Programme, had told NAN at the close  of the training that strengthening English teachers’ proficiency would improve their communications skills and enable them communicate better.

    She described English as a crucial vehicle in teaching other subjects, adding that there would be better learning outcomes if all teachers are proficient in English.

    Habiba Mansur, one of the beneficiaries and  an English teacher with Government Secondary School, Angwan Sarki, Kaduna, thanked the state government for the effort, saying she had learnt  a lot.

    “I have learnt  how to better express myself, how to communicate with my student in class and how to better pass the message across, ‘’ he said.

    Similarly, another beneficiary, Mr Musa Kumai, described the training as “awesome.’’

    Kumai, who teaches English at Rimi College, Kaduna, said the training had improved  his ability to effectively teach his students with great outcome.

  • Misau: Another Accidental Senator

    The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria continues to exude the airs of a circus. A place meant to be a hallowed shrine of democracy has been reduced into an assembly where the most ludicrous farce plays out not once but on a continual basis.
    No wonder, Nigerians upon whom the lawmakers continually play their crude jokes have learnt not to take the selected representatives seriously anymore. The place crawls with accidental senators who ordinarily should be pursuing careers on the dark side of human existence.
    The latest of such scam artists that dominate the lawmaking arm of government is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Isah Hamman Misau (Bauchi Central), who has decided to point an accusing finger while forgetting that his other fingers point at him.
    Apparently drawing from the opacity surrounding a Senator’s monthly earnings, which Nigerians have repeatedly heard is mind boggling, Senator Misau somehow became a mathematical wiz kid who arrived at a bizarre ballpark of N10 billion as what the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris makes on a monthly basis. That translates into N120 billion monthly or almost the equivalent of the annual budget of several states.
    Misau must have, as a Deputy Superintended of Police (DSP), been extorting his subordinates to expect that his fraudulent ways run through the entire system and that the IG being higher up must be earning billions. This implies that the Senator must have been the brains behind some of those notorious extortion by policemen at illegal roadblocks and checkpoints so that they can meet the target he set for the “boys”.
    In a country where it is generally acknowledged that the cost of running for election is too high, perhaps Misau wants to shed some light on how he was able to pay the N3.3 million for the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination form in the 2015 elections using his earnings as a DSP. This is not factoring the tens or even hundreds of millions needed for the campaign trail.
    It is logical for Misau to claim that some benevolent sponsors foot the bill for actualizing his political goal only that this would be worse than committing robberies at checkpoints. Anyone that could sponsor a character like him to the Senate can only be from the crime world where they continually have a desire to have a stranglehold over the legislature, which ensures that no meaningful legislation that would stop criminality would ever be passed. Misau would have thus proving himself to be a proxy for criminals, an accident in the National Assembly, a mistake that must be corrected.
    Talking of correcting past mistakes, one must blame the police for not alerting Nigerians early enough to the accidental senator in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. The police should have raised the red flag even before Misau’s inauguration to inform Nigerians that a police deserter was in the upper house. The failure of police to do this promptly has enabled the senator to add the crime of forgery to his resume that reads like a charge sheet.
    Whichever way the matter goes, the constituents of Bauchi Central Senatorial District must be the wiser now that Misau has exposed his true intent as someone fixated on attention seeking.
    He could have focused on representation of lawmaking which would have placed him in good reckoning with his people. Instead, he wanted to grandstand by making baseless accusations against men who are giving their best to make the society secured.
    If the police force or the position of IGP were as lucrative as Misau tried to make Nigerians believe, one wonders why he did not stay put to attain the rank of Inspector General of Police or even Assistant Inspector General of Police so that he too can cart billions home on a monthly basis. Also, if he is truly patriotic and concerned about corruption as he now claims to be, would it not have been preferable that he stayed in the force, rise to a leadership position and make a deference as opposed to playing to the gallery.
    Assuming he even somehow managed to sneak a resignation letter into the archives of the Police Service Commission with accomplices doctoring an acknowledgement letter to the same effect, the very fact that he ran away at a time when he could have remained to fight the perceived rot in the system is enough proof that he has a penchant for deserting his responsibility.
    Even the faceoff he got into with the police is evidence of a man who never sticks to what he signed up for. He got the mandate to represent his constituents in the Senate yet he has abandoned that very assignment to do the bidding of the highly place criminals that put him there, since his resources could not have paid for his political activities anyway.
    One must charge the police to eschew the rigmarole of dealing with these pieces of information as bits for media excitement. That would be sending the wrong signal to young officers in the Police Force who will be corrupted to walk in Misau’s way and see deserting as something that would be rewarded with a seat in the National Assembly while fraudsters will think that forgery is cool since the Police did not prosecute one of their own who is guilty of the same offence.
    The police must therefore dispense with this media brickbat and properly charge Misau before a competent court since there is evidence of his forgery.
    On his part, Senator Misau should do the Senate a service as an institution that Nigerians are constantly reminded of as being distinguished. Instead of replying to the media, who are not his accusers, he should dare step forward to the nearest police station to appropriately make his statement and hand himself in.
    By so doing he would get his day in court when he is charged as a deserter who engaged in forgery. He would get the chance to either clear himself if found not guilty and acquitted or pay for his transgressions in prison if convicted.
    Ainoko is a civil rights activist and contributed this piece from Barnawa, Kaduna State.
  • APC youth stakeholders pass vote of confidence on El-Rufai

    APC youth stakeholders pass vote of confidence on El-Rufai

    Group under the auspices of Southern Kaduna APC Youth Stakeholders have expressed satisfaction with the Governor Nasir El-Rufai led administration in Kaduna State and passed a vote of confidence on the governor.

    The group while addressing newsmen at a press conference which held in the party secretariat in Kaduna said, “Our attention has been drawn, on a statement by some group of youths, who are pretending to be members of our ruling party which claimed to regret misleading people into voting for the APC led administration due to lack of projects”.

    Responding to the allegation, the spokesperson of the group, Sabo Douglas Garba who signed the text of the briefing which was read by the Secretary of the group Joy Akut stated that, “we wish to state categorically that we, the youths of APC in southern Kaduna, who have been with the party even from its campaigning days, do not know them.

    According to him, “We may wish to remind the good people of Kaduna state that in just two years of the Nasir el-Rufai led administration, the APC Government has brought about several investments in Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, Education, Environment, Rural and Community development, investments and promotion, Natural resources, Financial prudence, improvement in education, infrastructures to mention but a few.

    “It is worthy of note that this administration is one of only four states in Nigeria that pays its wage bills as at when due and carry out developmental projects alongside despite the limited federal allocation that was caused by the inability to save from monies accrued when oil price was quite high.

    “May we remind the good people of Kaduna state that sometime back before we got into power, Kaduna state was getting as much as Seven Billion Naira Monthly as federal allocation. Today, the state has to make do with as low as Two Billion Naira, our financial prudence and an improved IGR, ensured that Governor Nasir el-Rufai performed astoundingly within this short period of time.

    “In this last two years, the government has upgraded 6 Business Apprenticeship Training Centers (BATC) Schools, to Community Skills Development Centers (COSDECs) and will be equipping each with a minimum of 100million Naira worth of training equipment.

    “Today, we have ongoing road projects in all Local Governments of the State, we have schools undergoing renovation, School desks and chairs are been supplied even as we speak, We have acquired and distributed assorted fertilizers in this farming season at a rate as low as 5,500 Naira per 50kg bag.

    “So far, a record 294 projects are ongoing in Schools around the Southern Region of the state, these projects range from rehabilitation of dilapidated school structures, construction of solar boreholes, construction of toilets, and the supply of furniture to these schools. We are also renovating and upgrading 255 Primary Health Care (PHC) centers one each in every ward across the State.

    “Southern Kaduna has multiple government projects going on in Clinics and Hospitals, these projects includes procurement of surgical equipment, Procurement of Dialysis Machines, Upgrading of Laboratory and Procurement of Containerized modular TB Lab, Supply of Hospital Furniture, Supply, Installation and Commissioning of Central Sterile Supplies, Supply, Installation and Commissioning of Emergency Intervention Patient Transport Equipment for A&E, and a Proposed fencing for each Rural Hospital.

    “The APC led administration has engaged in partnerships to transform Kaduna into an industrial hub by facilitating the establishment of OLAM (Crown Flour Mill) a multi-million Dollars investment in Chikun Local Government and facilitating the establishment of VICAMPRO in Manchok. To  Fulfill  His Excellency’s promise to establish a Ginger corridor in Southern Kaduna, a commodity aggregation centre has been established which will be upgraded to a Ginger platform to empower the people of Kachia Local Government, Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.

    “Sometime ago, we held a press briefing to condemn the vandalism of the Military base that was commissioned by our Governor Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai and the 26th Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai. We want to use this opportunity to thank the government for ensuring that we now have a formidable military base in Southern Kaduna; we also wish to thank the Nigerian Air-force for deploying fighter Helicopters in order to beef up security.

    “We therefore uphold a vote of confidence on the Nasir El-Rufai Administration. We are proud to be associated with him. We hereby call on the Government and good people of Kaduna State, to continue the pursuit of giant developmental strides,” the group stated.

     

  • Kaduna partners firm to improve telecom services in 15 LGAs

    Kaduna partners firm to improve telecom services in 15 LGAs

    The Kaduna State Government is working with a telecom company to mount 40 masts across the state to improve telecom services in 15 local government areas of the state, an official said on Wednesday.

    Mr Sheyin Olufade, Technical Assistant to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai on Inter Agency Support, told newsmen in Gyuibi village, Kudan Local Government, after the flag off of the project.

    He said that the project, being implemented in partnership with TYDACOM Telecommunication Company, would also enhance security and the state’s economy.

    According to him, the aim is to promote businesses and prompt response to security concerns in any part of the state.

    “Primarily they should expect three things: One is improved service on the GSM phone, improvement on their social economy, because they would be able to communicate better – their business, farming gets improved- and also better security.” Olufade said.

    He said that work on the installation would be completed within four months, adding that it would create jobs for local people.

    In a separate interview with newsmen, Managing Director of the company, Prof. Akin Akiniyi said the project would cover 15 local government areas in the state that have poor telecom access.

    “Traditionally over the years, they have been trying to provide coverage for these local government areas, but the investment involved is so much and the return so small, but we can do it.” Akiniyi said.

    The Village Head of Gyuibi, Malam Lawal Aliyu, commended government for the project and urged people in the area to support it.

  • NAF aircraft crashes in Kaduna, kills instructor

    NAF aircraft crashes in Kaduna, kills instructor

    A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Beetle on Thursday crashed in Kaduna State while on a mission, killing the pilot.

    The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

    According to Adesanya, the only soul on board the aircraft, one of NAF’s experienced instructor pilots, was unfortunately lost during the mishap.

    The director said that the cause of the incident had not been ascertained.

    Adesanya added that the Chief of Air Staff, (CAS) , Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has immediately directed the constitution of a board of inquiry to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crash.

    “The unfortunate incident is a tragic reminder of the hazards associated with the flying profession.

    “The CAS and the entire NAF family commiserate with the relatives of the late instructor pilot,” he said.

  • Kaduna vows to track those circulating violence-inciting false images

    Kaduna vows to track those circulating violence-inciting false images

    Kaduna State Government on Wednesday said it would punish those circulating false images of crisis victims on social media platforms aimed at inciting people to violence in the state.

    The government spokesman, Samuel Aruwan said at a news briefing in Kaduna that the decision was taken at the end of the State Security Council Meeting.

    He said that the meeting had appraised security situation in Birnin Gwari, Southern Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja Road and Zaria-Kubau-Giwa axis, and adopted plans to enhance security in the areas.

    The spokesman said the meeting was particularly concerned over the massive circulation of disturbing images of dead bodies and injured victims of the recent violence in Kajuru Local Government Area.

    “It is clear, that those circulating these inciting images are hell-bent on deepening the unfortunate incident that occurred last month.

    “The security council condemned the ongoing circulation of the call-to-revenge images and warned those engaging in the act to desist.

    “Anyone found will not be spared and will be prosecuted accordingly without fear or favour.”

    According to him, some of those involved in the Kajuru killings had been arrested, with some being prosecuted while security agencies are close to making more arrests.

    He urged families of victims to ignore those wishing to incite more violence, assuring them that the administration would not spare those involved.

    “While Kaduna state government is involved in multi-dimensional approach towards mediation and peace building, the governor wishes to appeal to the affected communities to resist appeals for reprisals and also refrain from taking laws into their hands. 
    “Furthermore, the government wishes to reiterate, that no one found complicit in the Kajuru killings of last month will be spared.
    “The ongoing prosecution is a testament to the will to ensure justice and rights in the state, therefore, resort to self-help or jungle justice breeds nothing but a vicious cycle of bloodletting and desecration of human life.”
  • NESREA embarks on safety campaign for local miners in Kaduna

    NESREA embarks on safety campaign for local miners in Kaduna

    The National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in Kaduna has embarked on safety campaign to educate local miners to guard against poisoning and spread of diseases.

    Its Kaduna State Coordinator, Malam Sherif Ibrahim, told  the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Monday that the campaign became necessary to check  outbreak of diseases in the state.

    “The campaign is for miners in southern part of the state on safety measures considering the large-scale mining activities in the area.

    “The miners will be encouraged to use Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE), gloves, face masks and safety boots as well as taking foods off site to avoid food contamination.’’

    He said the agency would commence prosecuting individuals and corporate bodies that failed to obtain the Environmental Impact Assessment Certificate (EIAC) on infrastructure.

    The state coordinator said that local miners and construction firms were major violators of environmental protection requirements, especially on flooding.

    He said the agency would start enforcing compliance and advised violators to obtain the certificate from relevant federal authorities.

    “We will continue to seal projects and firms that do not have the certificate to protect the people from flood and environmental havoc.

    “The agency decries the deployment of children between ages of five and 12 to mining activities,” he said.

    Ibrahim said that such situation would be discouraged and prevented “as part of our collective responsibility as an environmentally cautious society.’’

    “NESREA will not relent in counseling parents and miners on the dangers of engaging children in mining activities at Brinin Gwari and Jama’a Local Government areas of the state,” he said.