The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kaduna state

  • Parents of 300 alleged captives besiege Kaduna school

    POLICE evacuation of 300 people including children from an ‘Islamic Centre’ in Kaduna on Thursday took a bizarre turn on Friday with some parents of the affected children protesting the police action.

    The police had taken into their protective custody all the freed people, some of whom were in chains at the centre.

    The police also arrested the founder of the centre and his teachers.

    Angry Nigerians deplored the conditions under which the people were treated at the ‘school’.

    However, the police action has not gone down well with some parents of the children who stormed the centre on Friday, openly condemning the police

    They stormed the centre, which is still being guarded by policemen, and demanded to be reunited with their children.

    The police had accused the school authority of abusing the children and keeping them in dehumanizing conditions; an allegation the school authority denied.

    Some residents of the area, however, told The Nation that some of the rescued students were drug addicts and stubborn children taken to the centre by their parents for rehabilitation and also to acquire Quranic knowledge.

    A neighbour to the school, Ahmed Balarabe, also denied allegations of sexual abuse on the children.

    He said: “I share a fence with the school and my two sons attended the same school before their graduation, and they never told me anything of such.

    “Being a neighbour that always enters the school, if such a thing is happening, I should have known.”

    One of the protesting women, Maryam Fatika, whose four children attended the school and are now with the police, said: “There was nothing going wrong in the school, because we took our children there ourselves. So we don’t know why the police raided the place.

    “My children have never complained to me about abuse or anything. But we are aware that they were being punished if they did something wrong, because they are very dangerous and stubborn children.”

    Another parent, whose son Jibril has been in the school for six years, said: “The boy became a threat to us his parents, so we took him to the Islamiyya School for rehabilitation, and to God be the glory, he has changed.

    “I used to visit him anytime I took food to him, and I never saw anything wrong going on in the school.

    “My worry now is that we don’t even know where they took our children to, which is why we are appealing to the government and police to return our children to us.

    Read Also: Kaduna church builds bridges

    “We are also okay with the way the children are being handled by the Islamiyya authorities,” she said.

    In her own views, Shafa’atu Zakari, who has six children in the school, said, her children were drug addicts and could not control their behaviour, which was why she took them to the school to acquire Quranic knowledge.

    She said: “We brought the children to the school because we didn’t know what to do with them. Four of my children were among the students evacuated by the police. We demand their release because the founder of the school, Mallam Ismail, is doing everything possible within Islamic teachings to rehabilitate them for us.”

    One of the directors in the school, Mallam Mohammed Auwal  El’Zubair, also denied the allegations made by the police, saying that all the children at the centre were admitted with the consent of their parents.

    He said: “No responsible father will take his child to where he will be molested sexually. We only teach these children the Quran, and we expected the police to investigate us well before invading the school.

    “So we are seeking for justice from the authorities concerned and we leave everything to God who knows what? El’zubair also said that “former Kaduna State Police Commissioner CP Abdurrahman Ahmad, renown Islamic Scholar Dr Ahmad Gumi, Chief Imam of Sultan Bello Mosque as well as General Buba Marwa all visited the school in the past to assess our activities and none of them ever complained about us.”

  • Naval officer murdered in barracks, mutilated body dumped inside well

    THERE is disquiet at the Military Cantonment, Jaji, Kaduna State over the murder of a senior naval officer, Commander Oluwayemisi Ogundana.

    Her dismembered body packed inside a big sack, was found in a village shallow  well close to the cantonment.

    Commander Ogundana was, until the gruesome murder, the Commandant of Armed Forces Command Secondary School  and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji.

    The deceased naval officer with service number NN/ 2367 was declared missing last Friday.

    She was, however, suspected to have been murdered by some persons, including an official of the college she presided over.

    The AFCSC spokesman, Major Umar, could not be reached yesterday, but it was gathered that two suspects, including a teacher at the Command Secondary School, have been arrested.

    A source in Jaji said when the military officer was not seen, efforts were made to reach her via her telephone. But, it was discovered that the phone was left in her room, which was locked.

    According to the source, “the door to her room was forced open because the phone was ringing inside the sitting room and efforts to reach her other numbers failed”.

    It was further learnt that blood stains were observed on her beddings, clothes and the floor from the bedroom to the bathroom. Her vehicle, a Toyota  SUV, was also missing.

    The source said military authorities in Jaji kept some of her immediate staff members and family members under close observation, which paid off when two persons were arrested in Zaria while trying to dispose of her car.

    During interrogation, they confessed to participating in the gruesome murder of the senior military officer and subsequently led the investigators to Agwanloyo by the railway inside an abandoned shallow well near the Deeper life Church in Jaji cantonment.

    Commander Ogundana joined the Navy about 16 years ago. Her dad, it was learnt, retired as a Rear Admiral. He died about three years ago.

    The deceased was married with three kids, who are in their Lagos residence with their father, who is a lawyer.

    According to the source, this is not the first time an officer was murdered in Jaji. Lt. Commander Solomon Derikora from Rivers State was killed in May.

    Commander Ogundana  was said to have had a running battle with a teacher, who she had removed, following his shady practices.

    The source added: “When she took over as Commandant, she went through the records and discovered that the said teacher, who was in charge of Parent Teachers Association (PTA), was engaged in some illegal dealings. So, she removed him and handed him over to the military police for investigation.

    “Obviosly the teacher was not happy and he planned with another person to kill her and they cut her body, put it inside a bag and dumped it in a well inside the cantonment.

    “They then sold her car. The car had got to the fifth buyer when it was detected and investigation traced the initial sellers to the teacher she had removed and one other suspects. They have both been arrested.”

    The search for Commander Ogundana had been on for some days without success until around 9am on September 19 when a civilian driver packed her Toyota Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the Air Provost Squadron in Kaduna.

    Read Also: Troops rescue eight kidnap victims in Kaduna

    “He went outside the base to get fuel, but returned the next day to pick up the Jeep. The Air Police, on getting information that the Jeep belonged to the missing Commander in Jaji, arrested the driver and took him into custody. He confessed during interrogation that he was given the SUV to sell by someone in Jaji.

    “Early this morning (Sunday), the teacher was apprehended and he confessed to the killing. He said he killed the Commandant at Angwan Loya Village around 1am on September 15 because she promised him N2.5 million but failed to give him.

    “He also confessed to have picked fights with the Commandant because she sacked him as PTA Chairman alongside others.”

    It was gathered that the deceased officer’s lawyer husband and her relatives were demanding a thorough investigation into her murder.

    The Nation gathered that the search for Ogundana had been on for several days without success until around 9am on September 19 when a civilian driver packed her Toyora Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the Air Provost Squadron in Kaduna.

    “He went outside the Base to get fuel but returned the next day to pick up the vehicle. The AirPolice on getting information that the vehiclebelonged to the missing Commander in Jaji, arrested the driver and took him into custody. He confessed during interrogation that he was given the SUV to sell by someone in Jaji.

    “Early this morning (Sunday), the  teacher was apprehended and he confessed to the killing. He said he killed the Commandant at Angwan Loya Village around 1am on September 15 because she promised him N2.5 million but failed to give him.

    “He also confessed to have picked fights with the Commandant  because she sacked him as PTA Chairman alongside other staff,” said another source.

     

  • Trycicle rider brutally murdered in Kaduna

    The body of one Benedict Garba, a resident of Maraba Rido in Kaduna has been found lying dead at Kamazou,  along Ibrahim Yakowa Expressway, Kaduna State Police Command confirmed.

    Garba, aged 45 years and a tricyclist was said to be found with some marks of violence on the head and facial region, the PPRO of the command, DSP Yakubu Sabo said in a statement.

    He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ali Aji Janga has ordered investigations on circumstances surrounding Mr Garba’s death and the command is making efforts to apprehend the culprits.

    According to Sabo, “On 09/09/2019 at about 0900hrs, The Command received an information through DPO Sabon Tasha that, an unidentified corpse was found lying dead at Kamazou along Ibrahim Yakowa Expressway.

    Read Also: Police deploy detectives as gunmen kill six in Kaduna

    “Detectives were immediately mobilized to the scene where the corpse was observed with some marks of violence on the head and facial region.

    “This gave the detectives a cause to suspect a foul play. The corpse was later identified as one Benedict Garba a 45 year old resident of Maraba Rido who is a tricyclist. The Photograph of the corpse was taken and the body was recovered and deposited at Sabo General Hospital.

    “While efforts to apprehend the perpetrators are being made, the Commissioner of Police CP Ali Aji Janga psc has ordered for a discrete investigation into the circumstances of the killing. Update on the ongoing investigation will follow accordingly please.” he said.

     

  • Six killed in fresh attack on Kaduna village

    NOT less than six people have been killed in a fresh attack on Fadaman Rimi village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The Nation gathered that the attack occurred in the early hours of yesterday as the armed bandits who were in tens stormed the village with rifles and started shooting sporadically.

    Though Kaduna State Police Command was yet to confirm the casualty figure as at the time of filing this report, its spokesman, DSP, Yakubu Sabo, told our correspondent that he was still trying to gather facts about the incident.

    Sabo however said he would issue a statement to that effect before the end of the day.

    Read Also: JUST IN: Six killed in fresh attack on Kaduna village

    Meanwhile, an eye witness told The Nation that six people were killed by the attackers, while many other villagers sustained various degrees of injuries, including gunshot wounds.

    According to the source, “The attackers came to our village around 6:00am and killed six of our people and even stole our property and rustled our cows. When they came, we were inside our houses when they started shooting at everybody they saw.

    “Many of us escaped by miracle because as people ran for dear lives, they shot at us. It was a terrible situation,” he said.

     

  • Between el-Rufai and free speech

    LEFT to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, he would not mind being regarded as the most tyrannical governor and politician in Nigeria. He simply doesn’t care how he is perceived, nor what anyone thinks about him as an elected person who has done his utmost to destroy the foundations of the democracy that has given him so much publicity and probably undeserved relevance. Speaking during the presentation of a book, Digital Wealth, by blogger Japheth Omojuwa in Abuja last Tuesday, Mallam el-Rufai insisted he would force those who tweet or re-tweet fake news about Kaduna State to be brought to the state for prosecution, if the tweets lead to loss of life or pandemonium. Hear, hear.

    The haughtiness with which he phrased his threats is both damning of his disputed credential as a democrat and frightening about what fate awaits democracy in the hands of politicians like him. Hear him in full and unedited: “We should not confuse freedom of expression with freedom to kill. If you tweet something that is fake or you tweet something that is reckless without checking and it leads to the death of people, then you deserve to be tried at least as an accessory before or after the fact of murder. In Kaduna State we have done that very aggressively because there are things that have been put on social media that have led to the death of people. So, we take it very seriously. You cannot sit in Port Harcourt or Lagos and start posting stuff that leads to societal instability in Kaduna and we let you go. We will file charges, we will go and collect you from Port Harcourt or Lagos and bring you before a judge in Kaduna and the judge will decide whether you are guilty. We’ve done that two or three times. The people we have done this to are still being prosecuted. If you want to tweet something about Kaduna, be very careful because I am watching.”

    Despite the ruling of the governorship election petition tribunal, there is still no incontrovertible evidence that Mallam el-Rufai won the last Kaduna governorship poll. He is not liked, he is irascible, has shown no sentiment for democracy or the rule of law, promotes Fulani exceptionalism, and talks nineteen to the dozen, declaiming upon subjects far beyond his ken, indeed on subjects like religious practices which he has no business meddling in. Now, in addition to this burdensome cargo, he is seeking to regulate free speech and, being an exponent of unitary system of government, plans to cross state borders to effect arrests and violate the rights and freedoms of Nigerians in the same atrocious way he has hobbled Kaduna State. Hopefully, his fellow governors will make him realise that simply because the police are the public and ignoble face of Nigeria’s unitary system does not entitle him to ride roughshod over other states. One state is enough for his tyranny.

    Indeed, in his remarks during the Abuja book launch he used Lagos and Port Harcourt as examples of states where he believes the fake news practice predominates and where freedom of expression is abused. It is clear what chicanery he has afoot, especially as he has boasted that, using the state’s cowed judicial system, he is already dealing with a few people who had crossed his path. If in their political battles with him Senators Shehu Sani and Suleiman Hunkuyi could not get the protection the constitution vouchsafed them and the justice they deserved and demanded, and the people of Southern Kaduna are short-changed and alienated, how can those he has dragged before his state’s judicial system ever hope to get justice under the nose of a man who gloats at his opponents misfortune? Not only is federalism misinterpreted and misconceived in Nigeria generally, it is also being misused in Kaduna in particular.

    Note very well the terrible assault on free speech being masterminded by Mallam el-Rufai. For a governor who indiscreetly announced that some Kajuru natives massacred 66 Fulani people in Southern Kaduna early this year contrary to the evidence presented by the alleged suspects, what does it take him to present fake evidence of a pandemonium or even of death to justify the arrest of so-called fake news tweeters? The problem is not that fake news does not exist, or that tweeters do not sometimes exceed themselves by deliberately concocting falsehood. The problem is that Mallam el-Rufai himself ought to be put on trial for, for instance, paying off murderers by his own admission, demolishing opponents’ houses on trumped-up charges, and lying against a whole people as he did against Southern Kaduna, among other things. The same governor who cannot discipline himself on anything, and who has shown no proper understanding of the rule of law or of democracy, is purporting to stand up for the law. Posting fake news is deplorable, but ruling a state oppressively and undermining its peace and stability is even more deplorable. Who will check the checker, especially someone who has benefited so much from democracy and given nothing in return? Had the Kaduna governor given a presentation on the menace of fake news and suggested ways of dealing with the problem without undermining or curtailing freedom of expression, he would have been applauded and regarded as a sound politician worthy of support. And to think he has interest in the presidency!

     

  • Northern governors dump RUGA for livestock plan

    GOVERNORS of 19 Northern states on Thursday dumped the proposed controversial Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) policy for the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).

    The governors who met in Kaduna, capital of Kaduna State under the aegis of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) said the new plan will tackle regular clashes in the region between herders and farmers.

    The governors also resolved to continue to adopt a sustainable and holistic approach towards tackling the security challenges in the region.

    Forum Chairman and Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong said at the opening that the NGF had raised a committee under the chairmanship of Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari to develop a comprehensive regional action plan to tackle insecurity in the North.

    He said: “Another major issue we shall also deliberate on is the livestock management in the country and, in particular, our region, which has continued to generate discourse, controversy, misinformation and even politicisation.

    “At this meeting, we shall deliberate on the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP), which was commissioned by the National Economic Council chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and seeks to support and strengthen the development of market-driven ranches in the livestock ecosystem for improved productivity through breed improvement, pasture production, efficient land and water utilisation.

    “As a region that holds the comparative advantage in livestock management as an economic and socio-cultural vocation, we need to come up with a common front on how to synergise and draw from the funds available for the programme and ensure that we derive maximum benefits for our people.

    “This is important because of the urgent need to cultivate the buy-in of all stakeholders and provide a conducive environment for nomadic herders and those who rear livestock, using the private/public partnership model to key into the National Livestock Transformation Plan of the Federal Government.”

    Lalong told reporters that the NGF adopted the NLTP, which according to him, “lays out clear path for modernising pastoral activities”.

    He said: “On agriculture, the forum was well-informed about the NLTP and its disparities with the RUGA plan. It is expected that the plan would ensure resettling and addressing the dislocated populations in the key conflict zones to enable them become part of the agricultural modernisation process.

    “In the same vein, it would provide a mechanism for peaceful dialogue and reconciliation in the affected communities towards a harmonious mutually beneficial future.

    “The forum, therefore, adopted the National Livestock Transformation Plan which lays out clear path for modernising pastoral activities. It further encouraged other states not included as pilot states to endeavour to join the plan.”

    On the security challenges, Lalong said: “The current challenges of insecurity which seems to be persisting despite the concerted efforts by all tiers of government was also deliberated based on insightful analyses and the best possible ways to address the menace which is currently bedeviling the region.

    “Consequently the forum resolved to continue to adopt a sustainable and holistic approach towards tackling this challenge in the region.

    “It is the forum’s unwavering determination to rescue the region and reposition it to meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people, especially in the areas of security, economy and social development.”

    Lalong said the forum has received a brief on the almajiri phenomenon in Northern Nigeria, which he said, is not only endemic but pandemic.

    Read Also: Zamfara to spend N8.6b on RUGA settlement

    He said: “We noted the challenges of the system despite its conception on high religious and moral importance. Currently, many children are increasingly exposed to vulnerability and resultant exploitation, thereby making them susceptible to criminal activities.

    “The forum after in-depth discussions, resolved to collaborate with experts in this field with a view to finding implementable recommendations to solve the almajiri phenomenon and take children out of the streets.”

    Benue State Deputy Governor Benson Abuonu gave a condition for the implementation of NLTP.

    The deputy governor, who represented Governor Samuel Ortom at the meeting, said: “One thing is fundamental, as far as the implementation  is concerned, whichever state that has keyed into the programme will have it as its own programme, in other words it is going to be owned by the state even if some help regarding the funding is going to come from the Federal Government.

    “Of course, it depends on whichever state is willing to key into it. But at this initial stage, there are seven states at the pilot stage but with regards to Benue, whatever is going to happen in this area of animal husbandry that thing has to be in conformity with the local laws of Benue that is in existence.

    “Principally that law says there should be no open grazing and there should be ranching of animals that anybody is going to rear.

    “Therefore, as long as the programme is in conformity with our laws then it would be acceptable to us.”

  • Police nab suspect for alleged armed robbery, kidnapping in Niger

    The Police Command in Niger has arrested one Samaila Abdullahi of  Fulani Camp in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State for allegedly committing armed robbery and kidnapping in Paikoro Local Government  Area  of Niger.

    The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Muhammadu Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Minna.

    Abubakar said the suspect, Samaila Abdullahi, 30 years of age and of  Fulani Camp in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State was arrested for allegedly  kidnapping one  Yahaya Hamza  of Fulani camp of  Karaye Local Government Area of Kano State on Aug. 31, in Ishau village, Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger.

    Read Also: High population eats up Nigeria’s forests

    ” The victim who was en-route  Kano to Niger when he was accosted by the suspect who happened to be his friend and convinced him to pass a night at Ishau village.
    “On reaching the village, the suspect conspired with two of his accomplices now at large and took him hostage, robbed  him of N 15, 000 and other valuables worth N16, 500 and demanded for the sum of N7 million as ransom,”,he said.
    The police spokesman said the victim was rescued unhurt without paying any ransom, and that investigation into the case had begun.

  • We watched helplessly as bandits killed our kinsmen, torched our houses

    After a long period of relative peace in southern part of Kaduna State, bandits on Thursday last week, attempted wiping out Zangang village in Kaura local government. Seven persons were reported killed during the attack, while several houses were torched. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE brings the sad accounts of survivors.

    “I heard gunshots. I rushed towards the scene. I saw tens of gunmen, shooting every living soul around. Only then I realised how curiously stupid I was.” Those were the words of Emmanuel Kushwai.

    Kushwai is not just a member of the attacked Zangan community. He is the Head of the village’s vigilante group. But, like the proverbial bulldog, himself and the entire team of security men he commands are toothless. Worse than the bulldog that at least barks, the security watched their attackers with fear of raising alarm.

    According to him, goverment had in the heat of crises in southern Kaduna stopped all vigilante groups from carrying arms. “So, our work is now more of surveillance. When we see anything or observe any suspicious movement, we report to the authority.” He said.

    Narrating the incident, Kushwai said, “Around 4:30 in the evening of Thursday 29th August, 2019, I was in the village, when I heard gunshots. As the head of security, I rushed towards the scene, then I saw many gunmen, shooting every living soul around.

    “Then, I suddenly realized how stupid I was in my curiosity. I was carried away by my position as a security man and the spirit of defending my people, not realizing that, I didn’t have what it takes to confront the attackers.

    “We are the community vigilantes, but we don’t have guns, government stopped us from using guns. What we do is that, whenever we see anything, we inform the Police and wait for the police to take action.

    “From my hiding, I saw the attackers bearing AK47 rifles. They were many in number. By my estimation, they were up to 100. They were actually on their way to to the village, so they met some people in the farm and opened fire at them. Some of the farmers escaped.

    “I saw as they fired at our defenceless brothers, but I could not do anything but just hide. All of a sudden, I decided to take another route to the community to alert the people of the coming danger.

    “By the time I arrived the community, some of the farmers who escaped from the farm had arrived the village too. So, we asked people to quickly leave the community. You know, like I told you, we don’t have guns to retaliate.

    “That was how everyone quickly left the village. Women and children were quickly taken to the neighbouring communities. But, some of us went into hiding, to study the movement of the attackers.

    “When they entered the community, they opened fire again, shooting at buildings. They were obviously disappointing that, they did not meet people in the village. Then, they started burning houses. They did not even spare the church and the hospital.” He said.

    Another resident of the village

    Benjamin Bala told Saturday Nation that, the attackers were ruthless and were not prepared to spare anyone if they had met them in the village.

    According to him, “Our saving grace was that, we heard the gunshots before they could enter the village. So, as we heard gunshots, we sensed trouble, then, we started evacuating the women and children. After that, we went to hide too to see what exactly the attackers were up to.

    “When they entered our village, they were close to 100, almost all of them carrying guns, while few of them carried machete and swords. So, if not that we heard gunshots, they would have rounded us up and wiped out the entire village.

    “But, unfortunately, some of our people were caught up in the farm by the attackers on their way to the village. They opened fire at them and killed them. Some of them escaped to the village too.

    “So, when they discovered that, we had run away, they looted our property, including food stuffs and set the houses on fire.” He narrated.

    Also speaking on the attack, the Councillor of the area, Mr. Godwin Cletus said, “after a relentless search for the two persons who were initially declared missing during the attack, their bodies were found between Zangang and Ryom two days after the attack and they have been buried.”

    He however said that, despite the heavy security presence in the village and it surroundings, people of Zangang village have continued to flee for safety as they were seen  packing their belongings and leaving the village for fear of unknown.

    “Even though security agents are doing their work and safety and normalcy have returned, people are still seen packing their mattresses, food and other valuable items and leaving the village.

    “The Zangan people who deserted the community are still afraid of returning because they think the criminals may come back and relaunch attack on them. That has been the way they operate.”

    “Before the incident, villagers noticed suspicious movements of Fulani herdsmen relocating with their cattle and wives from the village, but they assumed there was no cause for alarm.

    “On Tuesday, prior to the attack,  something happened. There was a sign that, the Fulani people came to the area and had a meeting. So some people in the village began to suspect them that, it is any time they want to launch an attack that they will begin to move their cattle, wives and children out of the village.

    “A villager adept in security measures observed a gathering of Fulani men and quickly notified security men and probably he might not have followed the right channel. Even after the security men came, they told the Council Chairman that the place is safe and immediately they left, around 4 o’clock, the bandits came in large number and attack the villages when the people were harvesting in their farms.

    “Almost all the village was burnt down. They burnt hospital and before doing that, they packed all the items in the hospital like drugs. When they entered people’s house and noticed there is a good mattress, they take it.

    “The villagers observed that these people used to come from Ryom, after they finish attacking, they will go back to a village called Ganawuri. And they hide in that community and so it will be very difficult for security men from Kaduna to arrest them inside Plateau state. Any time they are being pursued they run into Plateau and constitutionally, there is no any way they can be apprehended.

    “When these people come for attack, they first divide themselves  into three and start shooting. Immediately there is no response from security, they start attacking.

    “There would have been more casualties on that very they if not that the villagers devices a tactics of hiding their relatives inside their corn farms.

    While disclosing that, they have submitted some report to security agents that can aid in arresting the perpetrators, Cletus argued that, the only way to stop the incessant attacks on Zangan village is for security agents and government to  question the chief of Ganawuri on why the criminals are being harbored in their place.

    President of Kaura Youth Coalition, Darek Christopher who also condemned the attack said, “killers who crossed the border in their hundreds surrounded the village and burnt about 36 houses, including St. Peters Catholic and Anglican Churches, and killed seven natives.

    “The attackers who were unmasked stole livestock, and burnt food stuffs.” He said.

    Christopher alleged that, the main  objective of the bandits is land grabbing, arguing that, “another Attakar Chiefdom’s settlement of Kirim-Mayit in Ryom Local Government Area of Plateau State was attacked and its people were displaced into IDP Camps and their lands were being farmed by some people who were believed to be from Ganawuri.”

    He said, though, calm has returned to Zangang, as security forces have taken over, leadership of Kaura and Ryom LGA should as a matter of great importance set up a Conflict Resolution or Dialogue Committee to look into the conflicts and proffer solutions that would restore the peace that was once enjoyed.

    He also called on the state government, donor agencies, religious organisations, all community development associations of Kaura Local Goverment Area, humanitarian organisations and individuals to come to the aid of the affected people of Zangang.

  • Kaduna Pastor regains freedom 15 days after abduction

    After 15 days in captivity, Rev. Elisha Numan of Baptist Church, Ungwan Makeri, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state has been released.

    The Baptist Pastor was abducted in his house by gunmen on Wednesday August 14, 2019 at about 2:00am, alongside his son Emmanuel Elisha.

    However, the bandits later freed the son to go home and raise money for his father’s ransom.

    Family sources said the release of the clergyman followed series of negotiations with the bandits who had initially demanded for N20 million ransom.

    Read Also: Gunmen kidnap Kaduna lawmaker

    The source said Numan was released on Saturday evening after the payment of an undisclosed amount of money as ransom.

    “Our brother has been released by kidnappers on Saturday evening after we paid the ransom. We have been in trauma since he was kidnapped on August 14, considering the fact that he was not even feeling well.

    “Since the security agencies seemed to be helpless in tackling these criminals, we can only pray to God to visit His wrath upon the criminals” the source said.

    The source said the pastor  returned home without any harm and was taken to the hospital for medical checks.

    Chairman of the Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, who confirmed the release of the pastor in a telephone interview, on Sunday, called on the government and security agencies to do everything possible to addressed the increasing wave of kidnappings in Kaduna state.

    “Rev. Elisha Numan was released on Saturday night after two weeks in captivity. He was released after a ransom was paid following series of negotiations with the bandits on the ransom.

    “We thank God for His mercies, we pray for God’s intervention in the calamity that seemed to have befallen us as a nation.

    “We  will also continue to call on the government and the security agencies to do everything within their powers to stop the increasing rate of criminality across the country, especially the increasing wave of kidnappings in Kaduna.” Hayab said.

     

  • Triple tragedy of nine-year-old who wants to become pastor

    His future ambition is to become a pastor and preach the gospel, but nine-year- old Kaduna-born Isaac Iliya has had to face many hurdles. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports.

     

    In what looked like a rekindled hope, little Isaac Iliya was full of smiles last Saturday. He was among the 10 survivors of polio given tricycle wheelchairs by the Rotary Club of Kawo, Kaduna.

    However, The Nation’s check revealed that, behind the smile of the nine-year-old boy, is a lifetime of tragedy. Isaac had lost his parents at infancy, dropped out of school at the age of six and cannot walk at nine.

    But, unlike other beneficiaries of the Rotary Club’s gesture, Mrs. Doratthy Kukon, Isaac’s aunty, said his case is not that of polio, as he was never diagnosed for one, though he has never walked in his life.

    His joy at the occasion was informed by the knowledge that with the wheelchair, he will now be able to go back to school and pursue his ambition of becoming a clergy.

    Isaac, The Nation learnt, had to stop going to school when his siblings could no longer carry him on their back to and from the elementary school in their neighborhood. At age six, he had gained more weight and carrying him became difficult by the day.

    His siblings, who were determined to see him become educated like them were, however, enduring his weight, until the private school they all attended was relocated away from their neighborhood. He then had to stop going to school.

    But, despite the tripple tragedy, Isaac’s faith and resolve to become a pastor remained  unshaken. As he said:”I knew that, one day, I will have the opportunity of going back to school. I didn’t how it will happen sooner than expected but I knew it will happen and I will become a pastor.

    “I thank God, I now have the opportunity of going to school again. I will now make new friends. I will read well because I want to become a pastor. I want to preach to people.

    “I’m very happy today. May God bless these people that gave me wheelchair. Now, I can ride my wheelchair to school on my own”, Isaac enthused.

    While recalling the difficulties he passed through going to school earlier, Isaac said: “My sister tried for me a lot when she used to carry me on her back to and fro school. I used to feel her pain too. In fact, I never liked it too; I would have loved to stand on my feet and walk by myself too, but I cannot.”

    Narrating her little niece’s story, Mrs. Kukon said: “I am presently the mother of Isaac. His mother, who is my elder sister, died shortly after giving birth to him. So, I took him right from birth. Since then, he has been with me.

    “Isaac is presently nine years old. But, he can’t walk. I have tried all means possible to see that he walks; I took him to hospital, I took him to neurologists, yet it didn’t work out. So, I decided to leave everything to God.

    “I noticed before he became one year that, something was wrong, because we were trying to see that he moves and starts walking all to no avail. So, I started taking him to the hospital to find out what was happening to him. In all the hospitals we took him to, they didn’t say anything other than that we should go for therapy. We went through series of therapy, but no result. Till date, we have tried all we could, but it didn’t work out.

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    “The hospitals didn’t diagnose him for anything. So, I am sure his own is not a case of polio. The doctors didn’t mention anything like polio to me. And I took him for every immunisation vaccine right from when he was a baby. So, I  wonder till today what could be the problem.

    She said: “Despite his condition, Isaac started school but he had to stop along the line, exactly three years ago, because his siblings could no longer carry him on their back.

    “His siblings, that is, my own children really love him and would do anything to see that he goes to school like them, but the problem was that, the private school they were all going to was relocated away from our neighborhood and Isaac had also gained more weight. So, they could no longer carry him on their back to school.

    “That is why I reached out to this NGO, Daharatu Mismas Foundation, to help us get a wheelchair for him. I’m happy today that they have equally reached out to Rotary Club, which is today giving him and nine others wheelchairs.

    “Yesterday, when I broke the news to him, that he was going to get his wheelchair, he jumped up and said: ‘Thank God. Now, you are going to buy me clothes, shoes and books and I will go back to school.’ I said, by the grace of God, I will do that and you will go to school.

    “Isaac so much desires to go back to school. In fact, since that yesterday when I broke the news to him, he has not eaten till now out of excitement. If I ask him, come and take your food, he would say, I’m okay, let’s just go and take my wheelchair.

    “This is the miracle I was trusting God for, because I really wanted him to go to school, but due to the movement challenge he had to stop, and I cannot afford the daily transport too. Now, with this, I am going to enroll him in a private school close by called Divine Grace.

    “The  real  reason  I  want  Isaac to  go  to school by all means is that, he called me one day and said: “Mummy, I am a pastor”. And I asked him again: ‘Do you mean you want to become a pastor? He said: ‘Yes mummy’. Then, I told him: ‘If you want to become a pastor, you have to go to school. He said: ‘No problem, Im ready to go to school.

    “I believe Isaac will be great in life. He is a child that speaks his mind out, but he doesn’t just talk anyhow. I believe that, there is a divine voice behind him when he told me he will become a pastor. I have been praying for him and I believe he will succeed,” she said.

    Also speaking to The Nation, Hajia Daharatu Ahned Alliyu, founder, Daharatu Mismas Foundation, an NGO that has been seeking assistance for Isaac’s return to school said it was the best moment in the life of her foundation.

    According her, “I am overjoyed today and I shed tears. This is because I see Isaac very happy and smiling. I am also very happy that a chance has presented itself for Isaac, a nine-old-boy, who dropped out of school over three years ago, to return to school. I’m happy today that our foundation, which has been reaching out to get support for Isaac, is today receiving a tricycle wheelchair for him from Rotary Club of Kawo, Kaduna. And we are saying thank you to the District Governor of the club, Mr. Victor Onuwugha,” she said.

    While asking well-meaning Nigerians and organisations to emulate Rotary Club, Aliyu appealed for further support to enable Isaac complete his education.

    Donating the wheelchairs to the 10 beneficiaries at the Kaduna Golf Club, the Dictrict Governor, Victor Onuwugha, said the gesture was part of the many Rotary Club’s ways of assisting the less-privileged in the society.

    He said the beneficiaries were carefully selected to benefit from the tricycle wheelchairs.  “These polio survivors were carefully selected to benefit from this gesture because we have learnt about their struggles to be useful to themselves and the society, despite their disability status.

    “So, this donation is to assist them, to aid their movement in the course of going about their normal businesses. It might interest you to know that each one of them is either working, learning a trade or going to school,” he said.

    He, however, advised them against selling the wheelchairs.