The Kaduna Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said one person died and three others were injured in Wednesday’s accident at the Olam axis of the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.
Sector Commander Kabir Nadabo said N8.7 million was also recovered from the scene.
According to him, a Golf salon car (SBG 87 XB), travelling from Minna, Niger State, rammed into an unnumbered trailer moving towards Kaduna.
He said: “Initial investigation revealed that the cause of the crash is over speeding, fatigue and loss of control; a rescue team from RS1.16 Kakau conducted the rescue.
“Six people were involved in the crash, three sustained injuries while the driver died. The injured were conveyed to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna for treatment.”
Nadabo added that the N8.7 million recovered was with the command pending identification of the owner.
Stakeholders demand answers on what the money was spent on
Last weekend, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, announced he inherited a debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities from the administration of his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai. It wasn’t a casual disclosure but a cry from the heart about how lamenting that the massive debt had hobbled the state’s federal allocation and made it virtually impossible to pay salaries. Sani’s disclosure has set off a slew of questions from the state’s stakeholders. Sam Omatseye writes.
As he sat at the town hall meeting, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, belonged by breeding and background to the other side of the hall with labour leaders, social activists, media types and workers. That was his natural ecosystem. In his former version, it was cooler in that universe.
That side of the hall did what Uba Sani always did best. They could ask questions. They could doubt, they could jeer and boo, they could stage a walkout. For charity, though, they could clap and applaud. But charity was in short supply for such a species.
The side he was on was supposed to do the heavy lifting. Answer queries, parry peering eyes, plough into minutiae of policy, mollify a crowd. His side of the hall advertised sobriety. The other retailed rage and doubt from its warehouse.
That day, on March 28, Governor Sani might have, in the language of the American country singer, Don Williams, wafted the song under his breath, “Lord, I hope this day is good.”
Indeed, days before that, labour leaders had threatened. They wanted what the President Bola Tinubu had promised: their wage awards. If he did not pay, the state would be shut down. Other states were now basking in the new boon. Why were they going to be out of the loop of that stingy prosperity? Strikes therefore loomed. The governor could sit and watch or he could act. Uba Sani the governor, a veteran of the June 12 struggle and mainstay of human rights struggle and democratic ethos, was now in the crosshairs of his familiar crowd.
“The governor had to clear his name,” intoned an aide to Sani.
So, he gathered not just labour activists and agitators, but elders and stakeholders of the state, young and old, hoary and hopeful, personage and folks, assembly across generations. Enter ministers and ex-ministers, lawmakers, emirs, service chiefs, generals, serving and retired senior civil servants, captains of industry, angry and solemn. Enter retired General Zamani Lekwot. Enter Abubakar Mustapha, former Head of Service. Enter Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) chairman, Ayuba Suleiman. Also, his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Abdullahi Danfulani.
But, according to the observers in the state, there should be no need for a controversy since the former governor, Malam Nasir El Rufai, had come clean on how much debt he was leaving the state. He said, he was bequeathing a domestic debt of N85 billion and external debt of $587 million. By today’s conversion rate, even if put at N1,000 to dollar, will stand at not less than N587 billion. That will make Kaduna State not only a dubious elite of debts, but the most indebted state in the country after Lagos.
It is not debt profile, but how that money was spent that is agitating the minds of stakeholders in the state, including lawmakers. The issues are as follows:
1) The whole $350 million has been drawn down to the last dollar as far back as 2021. Yet, the urban renewal project has not been completed.
2) Even though the work has not been completed, contractors have been issued certificate of completion, which means they should be paid what they are asking for, that is the sum of N115 billion.
3) So, if the state has drawn down all the money, what did the El -Rufai administration do with the money it withdrew as far back as 2021?
4) Some lawmakers told The Nation that they are still interrogating the figures because their research reveals that it is not N115 billion but N120 billion, according to claims offered by the contractors.
5) Other than the N115 billion or N120 billion sought for the work done, members of the State House of Assembly assert that the unfinished work tagged as ‘ongoing’ amounts to N160 billion. Which makes a debt to contractors as potentially N280 billion.
6) A month to handover to the new administration of Uba Sani, then Governor El-Rufai obtained a loan of N20 billion and tied it to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). This deprives the state of internally generated revenue until the loan is paid off.
7) The previous administration of El Rufai secured a moratorium on its loans, according to legislative and government sources, until the expiration of the previous administration’s tenure.
8) The state obtained a loan approved by the State House of Assembly for N3.5 billion for security gadgets in view of the escalating insecurity crisis in the state. But they have no evidence of such gadgetry in the state’s armory to fight insecurity.
9) The previous administration obtained $26 million from Indian Exim Bank for over 200 primary healthcare centres and street lights. Most of this needs clarification.
10) N10 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for nomads to establish a ranch and a community. Much of it abandoned. A company Arla was supposed to obtain its dairy from them for processing and marketing. Skipper, an SPV associated with Jimi Lawal, was coordinating this on behalf of the state government.
11) A loan of N8.5 billion for a used power plant project from Dubai has an architecture of ownerships skewed in favour of Skipper that contributed one billion naira but owns 52 percent of the power project while the state that contributes the rest through owns 48 percent. The state loses N400 million monthly from FAAC alone every month from this arrangement.
12) A 300-bed hospital project was initiated by former governor and Vice President Namadi Sambo who secured a loan of $51 million. It was not available until Governor El-Rufai’s time. He obtained the money but the hospital has been abandoned. The state is paying the loans.
This formed the background to Sani’s townhall meeting. The governor, according to labour sources, called the town gathering to avert a strike the major unions had planned.
“We really wanted to go on industrial strike,” said NLC Kaduna State chairman Ayuba Suleiman, adding that his union wrote the government several letters.
“He was forced to voice out the facts,” said TUC Kaduna State chairman Abdullahi Danfulani. “He has been part and parcel of the APC,” he said, “but he revealed the huge debts and uncompleted projects.”
Both men said they persuaded their unions to step down any strikes because of the transparency of the governor.
But they are asking the former governor to come clean on its administration’s expenditure. They think his silence on details does not do him any good.
“It’s about transparency,” said Abubakar Mustapha, former Head of Service. “For the governor (Sani) to say this is the financial situation but he’s incapacitated.”
Referring to Governor El Rufai, he says, “He should come clean to the people. If he feels he is clean, he should say so on the income, expenditure and balance.”
An aide to the former governor says anonymously, “it’s all politics.” He said the former governor also inherited a debt himself, adding, “It’s nothing new.”
According to a top state legislator, members of the State House of Assembly are worried about the profligacy of the previous administration, and have been trying to institute a probe into the finances. “But Governor Sani has been restraining us. The governor thought he could manage the situation gradually until he was able to normalize things. But the labour unions forced him out,” said the lawmaker.
In the early days of this tenth Assembly, the matter almost came to a boil when two lawmakers, Sam Kambai and Henry Marah, were asked out of the chambers because of their insistence on investigating the finances of the former governor.
“In fact, the situation is worse than what the governor revealed. He still has to dig further,” commented another lawmaker who belongs to the APC.
“You see, Nasir was not a grassroots person as he lets people think. He allowed the PDP to make strong inroads into the house and they have up to 40 percent of the house,” he lamented.
Some Assembly men are saying the $350 million loan did not secure proper approval from the State House of Assembly.
“If Mallam has approval, let him provide it,” asserted a senior lawmaker. “You need the majority of the lawmakers to approve the loans either local or external.”
The lawmakers also asserted that the money, even if approved, needs appropriation. Whenever a government seeks a loan, it requires not only approval but also, after obtaining the loan, it should seek approval for its appropriation; that is, how it is going to be spent.
There is an ongoing controversy over the role of the present governor in the approval of the loan. Governor Sani was a senator, and he had fought as El-Rufai’s fellow soldier for the loan to be approved on the floor of the National Assembly. Former Senator Shehu Sani had yelled to the rooftop that the loan be not granted. It was seen then as a partisan drivel and sour grapes because both men saw each other as rivals and political foes. It was believed then that Senator Shehu Sani was eyeing the lofty porch of governor and strove to make the state and its governor unattractive to the people. That way, the people would be interested in an alternative and eyes would turn away from the incumbent to him.
So, supporters of the previous administration are saying that Governor Sani should not shed crocodile tears since he was part of the loan for which he is now suffering. Perhaps, according to some observers, that is why the governor did not make any hoopla over the debt burden when he took over the office and tried to dissuade lawmakers from exposing the dirty linen of his predecessor.
“It is because of their friendship that he was trying to tell lawmakers to allow him handle the situation without public noise,” said another lawmaker.
But now that the matter is in the public space, the supporters of the governor have an explanation.
“Uba Sani was in Abuja when Nasir was mismanaging the finances. If a man gives you a job, he will not perform it for you,” said an aide to the governor.
In their own perspective, the senator does not have executive powers and there was no way the governor would be held to account when the finances are under pressure. It was all in the hands of the watchdog, the local legislature, the State House of Assembly to take charge. But reports show that the assembly was like a strangled bear during El-Rufai’s tenure. According members of the eighth and ninth sessions, he divided the lawmakers, ensured the ouster of a Speaker and denuded the august house of funds, including their ability to buy diesel. They did not hold as many sessions as they should.
Meanwhile, Shehu Sani is extolling his prophetic gifts, saying he has been vindicated. He was ousted as senator by the manoeuvres of El-Rufai. His namesake and incumbent governor replaced him at the primaries and election.
Many see El-Rufai’s manoeuvres as a selfish ploy to get the loan.
Shehu Sani stated in a tweet, “The looting of Kaduna State cannot be remedied by revelations alone but by courageously constituting a probe panel headed by an independent professional accountant or auditor who will invite;
“…and investigate ex-government officials and their proxy contractors to account for the millions in dollars and billions in Naira that were misused or out-rightly stolen, including the $350 million loan.
“Kaduna State is at its hour of reckoning with the truth I foretold and the truth for which I was vilified,” he said.
But lawmakers say they have not reached the stage of instituting a probe yet. They are still finding facts, asking questions, unearthing new revelations. When they get to that stage, the world will know.
“People should have patience with us,” another lawmaker said.
But not all lawmakers have that streak of endurance. Honourable Kambai is one of such.
“We in the ninth assembly agreed for him to take the loan,” he said, but he is disappointed. “The quantum of money collected is nothing to be compared to what was done,” referring to infrastructure work done. Referring to Kafanchan, he said the government did a shoddy job.
“He graded the road and then abandoned it,” he said. “We are trying to form a committee and anyone that is involved in fraud should answer for his wrongdoing.
He was particularly miffed, since he comes from the southern part of the state with wanton killings by hordes of bandits. “What of the money drawn on security?” he asked. “We approved N3.5 billion for security gadgets. Where are the gadgets?
He insists the matter of the state finances is beyond partisan quarrels, “I am PDP,” he says, “but we are happy the governor is taking the right step. The assembly is in total support of the governor.”
The origin of the project has its roots in the profile of Kaduna State not only in the north but across the country. The former governor drummed up support for the loan because he wanted to engineer the emotion of the rebirth of the former imperial grandeur of the state. Kaduna, he said, had lost its old appeal as the number one state and city in northern Nigeria. It was time, he said, the state returned to its magisterial perch. Borrowing from the mantra of the American politician and former president, Donald Trump, he said he wanted to make Kaduna great again. It was the city of great power and prestige. It was the capital and emporium of the Northern Region. It was the city in the North during colonial times. It had the best schools, best hospitals, best facilities. It inspired the appellation of Kaduna Mafia.
That is no more. Hence El-Rufai tried to ginger up that memory and revenge against its dying song. His dreams made enemies of Shehu Sani who stood in the way. Uba Sani, according to his supporters, keyed into that future and backed the governor as senator. But was the governor turning a grand idea into an opportunity for self-aggrandizement? Or was it pure ineptitude? Or did he just lose his way?
When he sought the loan, he was a great evangelist of the idea. He made this known when he was attending the send-off party for the World Bank representative Ben Massaoud.
“I had a problem and I didn’t know what to do,” El-Rufai said.
“I took pictures of all the schools and converted the images into an album. Then I approached Ben Massaoud who asked me what I wanted to do.”
The governor said he told Massaoud that he needed help. The representative who was the country director called on him the day after. El-Rufai saw his opportunity and quickly obliged.
He said they held a meeting and brainstormed on the way forward on how to advance issues like the state’s education and health sectors. Massaoud chaperoned him on how to move forward on the matter. Like a man leaping over the wall to see his coming bride, he promptly went to work.
El-Rufai advised his governor colleagues to also approach the World Bank with solid evidence of their major challenges, so long as they could abide by the terms of the bank.
He, however, lamented the difficulties he encountered while processing the funds, saying “it took almost nine months before the funds were approved and it took the National Assembly almost two years to consent and give assent to the loan.”
But it is like an anticlimax after all the big hopes for the state and the taking of the big loan. Neighbours like Kano and Katsina are receiving more money than Kaduna because of the debts that the former governor piled up for the successor with much of the work undone and all the money spent.
Governor Uba Sani reported that the state receives N11.1 billion from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (often called FAAC), that disburses monthly allocation to the states. He said at the end of each month, the Debt Management Office (DMO) deducts N7.5 billion. That leaves the state with about N3.6 billion. Yet, the salary bill is N5.2 billion. There are some bills the government has to pay to keep the system running. One of them is N1 billion to keep some institutions afloat like the schools, hospitals, secretariat, overhead cost, etc. If the running cost is added to the wage bill, its burden rises to N6.2 billion.
Neigbouring states become envy of Kaduna citizens who wonder why Kano gets about N12 billion after deduction, Borno gets N10 billion and Katsina gets N9 billion.
That was why he convened the meeting. “It is beyond politics,” said an aide.
He has also had to go cap-in-hand to the president for help because of the precarious finances. The president has obliged.
“But he cannot keep going to the president,” he said, although some state officials say they are grateful that his governor colleagues appreciate his circumstances and do not complain over his presidential support.
The whole debt profile is on the DMO website, says Muktar Ahmed Monrovia, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, and a former lawmaker.
“What Governor Uba Sani did was to do his responsibility and say we are in debt,” he said. “He wants to see how we can settle the debt to our contractors.”
He said the governor has set up a committee to that effect. He added that the state is looking to restructure the external debt.
He said it was without malice, what Governor Sani is doing. “He is not doing this with a view to witch-hunting anyone, but politicians make it seem so. The gentleman says, let’s see how the contractors will account for the work they claim to have done. What’s wrong with that?”
He said the governor answers to the people and he is aware of that responsibility. “His intention is to let people know the state of affairs in our commonwealth.”
He said that some of the contractors have been found wanting. “Each time they say they have finished a work, we send our guys to do monitoring and evaluation to ascertain their claims.”
He confirmed that all the money from the loan of $350 million from World Bank was drawn as far back as 2021.
“It’s funny that some contractors will cheat,” he said.
The NLC chairman, Suleiman, says “we really sympathise with the governor. He said he was “open and we were convinced on the issue of the debt. He had demonstrated an appreciable level of transparency.”
He said he allowed them access to his office and they had frank discussions on the state of the state’s purse and what it can afford and what it cannot. He laments the N20 billion loan, and was more vexed that his predecessor tied it to the IGR.
“Some people may say we want to be political but we have confidence in his ability to engage stakeholders,” he said.
The labour community is happy that the governor has made them part of the administration by appointing a Special Adviser on Labour Matters. Some in the community say it is because he knows their importance in quelling crisis, a strategic move. But Suleiman said the Special Adviser, Adamu Samaila, will represent them and serve as a point of contact and liaison.
This is the first time we have had this in the past ten years,” he said.
He also credits the governor for resolving a number of issues. One of them was the recruitment of 300 nurses, and their agitation for salaries were resolved as well. In the last three months, he paid pensions and gratuities. It was paid in two tranches. The first was N3.2 billion. In the last two weeks, he paid N3.4 billion.
He said former governor El-Rufai fired about 21,000 teachers through “shady tests.” He said the labour union was now involved in dialogue with the Primary Education Board to restore about two thousand who were sacked.
“These were administrators, not classroom teachers,” he explained. He said one of those fired was the president of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), who was from the state.
He commented on the work done by the government in infrastructure in furtherance of the loan project, but he was not impressed.
“Of late, I visited Kafanchan. They started the road, and drainages. But they have not done up to 30 percent of the work. They have abandoned the work.”
He asked: “What did the previous administration use the World Bank loan for?”
He said the workers have started getting salaries in spite of the challenges. He said, in spite of his commitment to urban renewal, “he has started to go to the rural areas.”
He said the organized labour has held meetings over the situation and have decided to be patient with the governor.
“We are civil servants. We need to tighten our belts and rally round the government.”
Are they compromised? “No, we are not compromised,” he deadpans. “The government is ready to listen to us. We are really working together.”
Suleiman said after Sallah, labour will issue a communique and explain its position in a press conference.
TUC’s Danfulani said in meetings with the governor, they thrashed out a number of issues, especially regarding the stewardship of the former governor.
“Let him do what he can,” he said, referring to Governor Sani. “We are hoping he will do his bit.”
He lamented that the former governor disengaged about 30,000 workers, though he engaged others. He is unhappy that he did not pay them their pensions and gratuities. He violated the severance law. He praises the governor for taking over without too much anxiety in spite of the huge debts, and has paid salaries, although they are still awaiting the wage awards.
He also is impressed that Sani has introduced a N500 million revolving loan for works. This loan is to help workers access credit for some little needs.
“Nasir stopped it,” he said. It was called Civil Service Micro-loan and it was first introduced by former Governor Ahmed Makarfi. It helped workers soothe their pains. When Sani came on board, he immediately evaluated the pulse of the workers and introduced it.
“He has been carrying workers with him,” he said. “That’s why we reasoned with him.”
He said the government can restructure the N20 billion loan, so that the government can make a lot of headway on IGR.
He wants the debts to be investigated.
“We as labour, we don’t know how the money was spent,” he said. “We don’t support corruption in any form. If there is foul play, anyone who commits it should face the law. Whoever errs, should be brought to book,” he said.
He recalled that “Nasir did same to his predecessor, Governor Ramalan Yero. He was referring to when the former governor dragged ex-Governor Yero to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the use of the SURE-P funds. He was not accusing the predecessor of fraud but for attempt to do so. He was only a governor-elect then. According to a report, he wrote a letter.
In the letter titled ‘The attempt to misappropriate Sure-P Funds in Kaduna State’ and addressed to EFCC Chairman, the Chairman of the Committee, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, informed the commission of steps being taken by the outgoing State Government to legitimize the misappropriation of N2.744 billion Local Government Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) funds, and therefore called on the commission to stop such last-minute looting of public assets.
The letter noted that “whereas the Kaduna State House of Assembly had declined to appropriate the Sure-P funds in the 2015 budget, and promptly removed them from the budgets submitted by the 23 local government councils”, adding that the outgoing governor, “has mounted pressure on the legislators to approve his utilisation of 50% of the Sure-P funds for a road project, while the 23 local government councils would share the balance”.
Referring to that episode, Danfulani said, “no stone should be left unturned.” He said the anti-graft agencies were watching. “If they don’t take action,” he warned, “others will do the same thing.”
He urged the governor to focus on the abundant wealth potential of the state, including its mineral resources and arable lands for nuts and ginger. “He should bring investors to the state to augment revenue.”
He praised the governor for being proactive. “The day he spoke to us at the townhall meeting was 28th March. By 28th and 29th, he started showing results.
The issues do not relate to the $350 million loan alone. For some it is about how the former governor used subtle strategies to seem to amass wealth for the state but the state gets poorer for it. For instance, some members of the House want to know the role of a company called Ronchas, which is associated with his son, Mohammed Bello, who is now a member of the House of Representatives. When asked about what was going on with the loans and the stewardship of his father, he declined to comment, wanting this reporter to focus more on what he has done for members of his constituency.
The lawmakers are interested in three revenues streams. The first is the sale of government properties, the second is international donors and the third is the inflow of investment money.
One source said the cost of the money was frittered away in the name of consultancy. For instance, N80 billion was spent on the computerization of lands department and tax adjustment.
Observers say only about five or six of the 23 Local Government Areas were affected by the loans. We learnt that the areas affected were Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Zaria Local Government Area, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna South Local Government Area, Kafanchan Local Government Area and Igabi Local Government Area. Out of these, only three of them enjoyed as much as 70 percent work done.
They are Zaria, Kaduna North and Kafanchan. Kafanchan is disputed by others who refer only to its focus on drainages. But, according to a source, it is precisely Kaduna North that enjoyed it, and it is as much as 80 percent. Even that is termed semi-capital project. “This refers to upgrade with no dispute between road project and land owners and so there were no compensations required or done.” Where the capital project was done was Zaria where there was a lot of compensation.
“To be fair to the governor,” said a lawmaker, “he did some hard work in Zaria. But another source said, “If he claimed that some of the money was in primary health care, he should point out one hospital.” He described what he did was like a woman’s “cosmetic foundation,” which will wash away soon. He meant he merely painted them over and did other cosmetic stuff without equipping the hospitals
Members of the house are looking at the activities of Ronchas and the Chinese firm CCECC, a civil and engineering construction company.
The company was given a contract of N41 billion and paid N39 billion, claimed a government official. They had done only 30 percent of the job before El-Rufai left. Yet, the former governor reviewed the contract and approved another N51 billion, although his successor has not paid it.
Another government source said the former governor did a good job of raising the IGR of the state from N11 billion to 50 billion, and that meant, according to them, he raked in over N300 billion in IGR in his eight years in office. Some others calculate it as up to N400 billion.
“Why all that loan when the IGR alone could have done the job, at least most of it? And what did he do with the IGR?” he asked. He explained that the IGR does not include FAAC receipts, international donor and federal government interventions.
A top lawmaker regrets that all the deductions began with the new governor’s tenure. The role of Jimi Lawal, a former banker, is piquing the interest of some lawmakers. They are interested in his input in a number of projects concerning power, water, housing as well as the building of markets in the state. Investigations show that markets were planned as partnership but the state built the markets across Kaduna but the accounting is still opaque, said Sabiu Ismaila, Special Adviser on Investments under Governor Sani.
Only N15 million is in the accounts, although the government invested billions in building the markets,” said another government source. The source also intimated that ex-Governor El-Rufai sold about five of the over 3,000 government properties. Yet the state is in debt.
Ismaila explained that the role of Lawal has left many questions to be answered. He said on the records, the state government wanted to take over 215 megawatts plant from the federal government but then Power Minister, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) did not agree. In cooperation with Lawal and Skipper the state secured a used plant from Dubai. The pieces are still being put together, he said.
“There is a discrepancy between money paid and money received,” said Ismaila.
Ismaila said the Indian company Skipper’s specialty was only in the area of transformer, but it wanted to do everything in the state. It was also involved in the about N10 billion CBN loan that was meant to relocate nomads. Some solar-paneled homes and some roads built. But the over two acres of land has been abandoned, and the company that was supposed to source cows from them has been frustrated. The nomads are not there and there are no cows to milk.
“Nomads who are used to sleeping on grass have not taken advantage of it,” said Ismaila. He said that Lawal was mandated to get a consultant for the State Executive Council and State House of Assembly to get a consultant to pursue the power project. Rather, as Ismaila put it, Lawal became the contractor, consultant, managing director, chairman and chief financial officer.”
“The governor knew the day would come when reckoning will take place,” explained a lawmaker.
Perhaps that explains why in his handover speech, he said: “My friend and brother, I commiserate with you. You have a huge task ahead of you, but I am confident you will be luckier in the next eight years than I have been in the last eight years. Remember you cannot do this job alone. Your team, if competent and capable, will focus on delivering results and little ease. If you are unlucky enough to choose people you like that have no capacity, they will resort to blaming every other person for failures than the real culprit, which is the team itself. Be careful and watch out for this.”
SOME POSERS
1. N20b loan drains state’s IGR
2. Debt owed contractors may be nudging N280b
3. $350m loan drawn down but Urban Renewal Project uncompleted
4. 300-bed hospital abandoned
5. Questions over $26m borrowed from Indian Exim Bank
6. Queries over security gadgets for which N3.5b was loan was obtained
7. State losing N400m monthly from FAAC over controversial power plant project
Four people have been reported killed and 20 others injured, as members of the proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), otherwise known as Shi’ites clashed in Kaduna.
The Nation gathered that the Shi’ites trooped out in large numbers, on Friday, for a peaceful procession to mark the International Quds Day in the state capital when the law enforcement operatives, particularly the Nigeria Police, stormed the scene to disperse them.
The Shiites had assembled near the Katsina roundabout along Ahmadu Bello Way before the arrival of the Police. This caused unease among the citizens, especially those with businesses situated along the Ahmadu Bello Way as the police fired shots to disperse the protesters.
Eyewitnesses said four members of the IMN were killed, while about 20 others were injured.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Mansir Hasan, confirmed that three Police personnel were injured during the incident and had been taken to the hospital for treatment.
ASP Hassan also debunked the allegations that the Police operatives killed members of the IMN, noting that no live ammunition was used to dispense the procession.
Speaking earlier during the procession, one of the leaders of IMN, Professor Dauda Nalado, said the Quds day is celebrated annually during Ramadan.
According to him, “The great global leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imaam Ruhullah Al-Musawi Al-Khomeini, Invited Muslims and non-Muslims with humanity at heart to show solidarity with the innocent and oppressed people of Palestine and against the brutality of the usurper, apartheid, and the illegal state of Israel. The imam declared the last Friday of each Ramadan as the International Quds Day.
“Since 1980, the Quds in Britain, France, Sweden, America, Germany, Canada, Australia, and numerous countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, etc. The Islamic movement, under the leadership of His Eminence Sayyid Dr. Ibraheem Ya’qoub El-Zakzaky (H), has been observing this event for decades in Nigeria.
“In fact, one of the reasons for the Zaria massacre executed by the Buhari regime in 2015 was to kill Sayyid Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and crush this noble movement for justice, all due to the staunch support for the Palestinian course. Hitherto, the public could recall that on July 25, 2014, Nigerian soldiers attacked the Quds Day procession in support of Palestine in Zaria, resulting in the assassination of 34 people, including three biological children of this great African leader.” He added,
“For six months now, the Zionist State has killed almost 33,000 Palestinians and wounded almost 80, 000, of whom more than half are women and children. They have destroyed buildings and turned Gaza City into rubble. They have violated all international human rights rules and committed war crimes with impunity.
“It is pertinent to remind us that since the illegal state was carved out in 1948, the Palestinians have been subjugated and subjected to oppressive rule, controlling and humiliating every aspect of their daily lives. This current brutality by the Zionists was launched after a retaliative “Aqsa storm operation” by the Palestinians on 7th October 2023. These developments signal the final blow to Zionism.”
He called on all people and nations with humanity to condemn the genocide against the Palestinian population and stop it saying, “Unfortunately, the United States and the United Kingdom are supporters of this genocide.”
He thanked South Africa and the Axis of Resistance comprising Iran, Lebanon (Hizbullah) Syria, Iraq, and Yemen for their condemnation of the continued brutal genocide of the Palestinian population.
He then called on the Nigerian state to sever diplomatic ties with the “genocidal Zionist” state of Israel. Also, he called for a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive package for the freedom of Palestine.
Meanwhile, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna State Chapter, has called on the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Uba Sani, to launch an inquiry probing the immediate past governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, following the huge financial debts he incurred for the state.
The opposition party said it frowns at the revelations of Governor Sani, about the state of finances and “misappropriation” of funds of the State, by the former Governor of the State, Nasir El-Rufai, during a Town Hall meeting held on March 30, 2024.
In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Abraham Alberah Catoh, PDP said, “Though it did not come to us as a surprise, we believed that this revelation is just a scratch on the surface on the real issues, therein; we encourage him to go full-fledged in this show of transparency.
“We, as opposition party, are in full support of any plan by the government that would bring development to our dear State, bearing in mind that we shall always kick against anything short of that.
“It will be recalled that in 2018 and 2022, the PDP in Kaduna State drew the attention of the Nasir El-Rufai-led government and the citizens of Kaduna State about the improper use of public funds, the criminal sale of landed properties belonging to the people of State and the unconstitutional mass sacked of qualified teachers and replacement of same with unqualified ones that have even deserted most of their duty posts; the PDP has been vindicated.
“The PDP urges the governor to set up and mandate a Judicial Commission of Inquiry for a full investigation into all the allegations to unravel the state of affairs of the $587 million foreign loans, #85 billion local loans and N115 billion contractual liabilities of unpaid abandoned contracts inherited from the Nasir El-Rufai government.
“The judicial Commission of inquiry should also look into the sale of the state’s landed properties in the last eight years of the failed administration of Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna State and those found guilty should be made to refund their stolen monies to the State coffers and also face the wrath of the law.
“And to also set up another high-powered Civil Service Reforms Commission of Inquiry, to review and ascertain the modalities used in sacking the over 27,000 workers from the State Civil Service without payment of their entitlements and the bastardization of the civil service, during the dark days of the administration of Nasir El-Rufai, with the view to doing justice to all and sundry.”
Mass kidnapping of pupils is a challenge that needs to be swiftly addressed. Kaduna remains a hotbed for the menace with its negative impact on education and accompanying tales of sorrow, tears and blood. However efforts have intensified to stem the tide, ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports
Though kidnapping for ransom had occurred in the state, mass abduction, especially of schoolchildren and students dates back to 2019. The Kaduna challenge unlike those of the Northeast, was not initially caused by ideological terrorists, but armed bandits, whose sole objective is financial gains.
Banditry, a major security challenge in the Northwest, started in Kaduna around the Kamuku Forest of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area. At its inception, it was mere robbery, but later transformed into cattle rustling. Despite the resistance formed against the armed gangs by the local vigilance groups, the daredevil groups went into kidnapping for ransom.
It gradually spread from Birnin Gwari to the neighboring Igabi, Chikun, Kajuru, Giwa and parts of Kachia and Kagarko local government areas of the state. The extension of the crime to Chikun, and parts of Kachia and Kagarko, further compounded the security risks posed by the bandits. In these three local government areas, the bandits started attacking travellers along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway and later ventured into breaking homes to abduct people.
Despite the security measures put in place by the state and the federal security forces, the dreaded bandits graduated into mass abduction, especially in schools. The numerous school abductions had not only had negative impacts on education in Kaduna, they have left in their wake tales of sorrow, tears and blood.
Timeline of school abductions in KadunaEngravers College
On October 3, 2019, bandits took their first attack on schools to The Engravers College in Kakau Daji, Chikun Local Government Area, abducting six female students and two staff members. Barely 30 hours after, the abductors contacted the students’families, demanding a N50 million ransom.The victims were released 23 days after, following the payment of N13.6million.
Good Shepherd Seminary
On January 8, 2020, bandits attacked the Good Shepherd Catholic Major Seminary in Kakau, on the Kaduna-Abuja Road. Four seminarians were taken.Three weeks later, the bandits released three of the seminarians but killed one identified as Nnadi Michael, after collecting undisclosed cash as ransom.
Forestry College
Bandits in the early hours of March 12, 2021 broke through parameter fence to attack College of Forestry Mechanisation, Alaka in Igabi Local Government Area. Hundreds of students, male and females, were led into the bush, before the military rescued 172 of them. The attackers, however, went away with 39 students.The bandits demanded N500million ransom, but the students were later released in batches after payment of ransom by their parents. The last batch was released after 54 days in captivity.
UBE Primary School Rama
While the College of Forestry students were still in captivity, on March 15, 2021, bandits stormed Universal Basic Education (UBE) Primary School in Rama, a village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, abducted unspecified number pupils and teachers. Three of the pupils escaped and came back to the community same day, while their abductors were trying to rustle cows.
Greenfield University
On April 20, 2021, bandits invaded Greenfield University, Kasarami village in Chiikun Local Government Area, killing a staff member and kidnapping 19 students and three workers of the university.Three days later, five of the kidnapped students were shot dead by the bandits. The rest were released on May 29, 2021, after the payment of ransom. Though it was not clear how much was paid, some of the parents confirmed payment of cash and provision of eight motorcycles.
Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic
The bandits hit Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Zaria on the night of June 10, 2021, killing a student and abducting nine others, including seven students and two lecturers. Initially, they demanded N10million ransom on each of the victims, but they were later released after spending 28 days in captivity and N10million cumulative ransom payment.
Bethel Baptist School
After breaking through the school fence, bandits on the night of July 5, 2021, abducted 121 boarding students of Bethel Baptist High School, Maraban Damishi, in Chikun LGA. The students were released in several batches, with the last gaining his freedom last November. The Kaduna Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said the church paid N250million to secure the release of the students.
Christ Major Seminary
On the night of October 11, 2021, bandits invaded Christ the King Major Seminary, within St. Albert Institute, Fayit, Fadan Kagoma in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna state, abducting three fourth year seminarians. They were luckier than many of the abducted students, as they were released barely 48 hours after.
Lea/Gss Kuriga
Two years and four months after, when Kaduna people had thought attacks on schools have become history, the armed gangs struck again on March 7, 2024, kidnapping over 140 students and pupils of Government Secondary School and Local Education Authorities (LEA) Primary School, Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area. Some of the school children and a teacher escaped while they were being led into the bush, while others also returned home few days after the abduction. The remaining 137 students and pupils were later rescued by the military in Zamfara State on March 24, 2024, while the only teacher among them reportedly died.
The Army authority said kinetic and non-kinetic approaches were adopted in the rescue of the pupils. It added that no ransom was paid to the abductors for freedom of the young hostages. The military did not say if any of the bandits was either killed or arrested.
What makes schools vulnerable
It can be said that most communities in the frontline local government areas of Kaduna, are vulnerable to bandits’attack, especially rural communities and suburbs of the metropolis. The schools are, however, more vulnerable due to many factors.
One is that the schools are close to the bush, thereby making it easier for the attackers to whisk their victims away before any security intervention.
Records have shown that the kidnapping bandits most often prefer to operate without resistance.
Therefore, they prefer to attack where they are sure no one will resist them.
Also, most of the schools that were attacked did not have armed security personnel and even where they do, they are usually few. And none had the sophisticated weapons like the bandits.
Besides, most of the affected schools do not have a fence, thereby making access to their premises by the bandits much easier. However, there have been instances where the bandits had broken the schools’ parameter fences to gain access.
Why Kuriga?
As unfortunate as the abduction of the over 140 pupils was, a visit to the Kuriga school showed that the school children and teachers, were sitting duck.The school is vulnerable to such an attack.
Aside having no fence or armed guard and being close to the bush, Kuriga, a border village with Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, is a bandit-prone community. It is a walking distance to Kamuku forest, which has long been identified as one of the major hideouts of bandits the Northwest and Niger State.
Experts said if the school was fenced, it would have been difficult for the bandits to break in unnoticed in daylight. If there were security personnel too, it would also have been easier to foil the attack.
How pupils were abducted, walked to Zamfara
It was one of the usual school days, the pupils of GSS and LEA Primary School, Kuriga had resumed for learning on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
Suddenly, armed bandits stormed their school in large numbers and led them into the bush.
One of the teachers, Sani Abdullahi, who escaped while they were being taken away, said he resumed at 7:47am and as he entered the Acting Principal’s office to sign the Attendance Register, his boss tapped him to alert him of the bandits’ presence who had surrounded the school premises.
“We became confused, we didn’t know where to go. Then, the bandits asked us to enter the bush. So, we obeyed them because they were many and the pupils were following us. So, when we entered the bush, I was lucky to escape alongside many other pupils. Then, I returned to the village and reported what happened to the community. Immediately our vigilance and personnel of KADVS followed the bandits, but the vigilance did not succeed. In fact, the bandits killed one of the members of the vigilance group.
“It was when we came back from that pursuit that we briefed the Village Head and we started making efforts to know the actual number of pupils and teachers taken away by the bandits,” he said.
Meanwhile, the kidnapped students said, they were made to trek through the bush to Zamfara State, just as the bandits tortured their teacher Abubakar Isah, complications of which led to his death in captivity.
One of the students, Jamila Sidiku, who narrated her ordeal amid tears said: “While we were trekking into the bush, they (bandits) kept whipping us at intervals. Even at their camp, they whipped us, especially when they saw you going to urinate. They whipped our teacher directly on his face. It was this kind of beating that led to the death of our teacher.
“The day we were kidnapped, we trekked in the bush to Zamfara. We spent the whole day trekking the bush of Kaduna. We left Kaduna bush around 12 midnight and arrived Zamfara forest at 2:00am. But those of us who could not trek were picked on bikes by our abductors. We were fed twice a day; morning and evening and we were fed with bread most times,” she said.
The rescue mission
From the very first day of abduction, the rescue mission began. The state Governor, Sen. Uba Sani immediately abandoned other state matters and travelled down to Kuriga, where he met the community leaders and addressed the locals, assuring them that, all energies would be deployed to the rescue of their children.
The Governor said: “In my capacity as your elected Governor, I am assuring you that, by the grace of God, all the children will return unhurt. Before coming here, I spoke with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and we are making efforts, the security forces have swung into action and by God’s grace, we will rescue the children.
“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure safe return of these children, even if it means coming to Kuriga to stay with you. The essence of government is protection of citizens lives and property. We recognise the fact that, we are holding this position for the people and by God’s grace, we will protect the citizens’ rights,” he said.
The military thereafter mobilised troops to the forest in search of the kidnapped children. The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun also deployed a Special Intervention Squad from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) to Kaduna on the rescue mission. 16 days after the kidnap attack, the Defence Headquarters issued a statement announcing and explaining how the children were rescued around Dansadau area of Zamfara State.
Psychosocial treatment
Apart from the six of the 137 rescued school children, who were hospitalised at the military hospital , Kaduna State Government did not immediately reunite the remaining 131 with their parents. In a responsive move to ensure the sanity of the children, the government employed the services of doctors and psychologists who gave them psychosocial therapy at the Kaduna State Women and Children Shelter.
Future of the pupils
If the state government and Kuriga community walk their talks, the once vulnerable children, have a bright future. The community people, who were impressed by the relentless efforts of the Federal and State governments towards the rescue of their children, have vowed to put their all to protect their schools against future attacks.
The Governor while reuniting the children with their parents, announced that, he would in his personal capacity through the Uba Sani Foundation support the education of all the 137 pupils up to university level. This was as he disclosed the resolve of Kaduna State Government to give full scholarship to all the children of Abubakar Isah, the teacher who died in the bandits’ den.
If fully implemented, the government’s pronouncements which generated positive reactions among members of the Kuriga community, will not only ensure school retention, but propel the students and pupils to aim for higher education. This is evident as some of the students after their rescue had found mentors and role models among people who assisted them. Two of the students told Governor Sani at the military hospital that they want to become doctors like the people that gave them first aid treatment. While a girl who apparently admired the bravery of the soldiers who came to their rescue in the Zamfara bush, said she wants to become a soldier.
Measures to prevent future occurrence
While the state government had committed to adopting the Federal Government’s Safe School Initiative to protect Kuriga and other schools in the state against future attacks, it has resolved to improve the infrastructural facilities at the Kuriga school.
Sani also said his government would be deploying personnel of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS) to protect the schools, especially those in the frontline areas, just as he promised that the government would be supporting the security agencies to implement the National Safe School Initiative.
For the people of Kuriga, they hope that the abduction of their children will be the last of such mass kidnapping incident in Kaduna and the country.
Bashir’s attack on governor disrespectful, says APC chief
All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Ibrahim Ahmadu, has condemned what he called “disrespectful and mannerless” outburst of Bashir El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, against his successor, Senator Uba Sani.
Addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna on Saturday, Governor Sani had revealed that his administration inherited $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the El-Rufai administration.
He, however, said the situation had not stopped his administration from meeting its contractual obligations.
Bashir, who frowned at the disclosure, attacked the governor via a tweet on X, saying that the governor was only trying to cover his administration’s incompetence.
Bashir tweeted: “These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect.
“From a Governor who is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides who were only rewarded for foolish political reasons.”
But Ahmadu said the governor did nothing wrong in revealing the debt left behind by his predecessor.
Also, Bashir’s brother, Bello, distance himself from the attack, saying that he is loyal to Sani.
Taking exception to Bashir’s outburst, Ahmadu said: “What is wrong is the inability of the former governor’s son to comprehend the rational behind the disclosure to the public.
“His vituperations are unguarded and unacceptable, especially when the man involved has helped the family during hard times of political waves .
“Was is it wrong for Governor Uba Sani to address Kaduna citizens at a town hall meeting where he said he inherited a huge debt burden that was eating deep into the state’s allocation?”
He added: For us as citizens of the state, we cannot accept a situation where N7bn out of the N10bn allocation for the state in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.”
Bello el-Rufai: I’m loyal to governor
Bashir’s brother, Bello, in a tweet, distanced himself from his outburst and reiterated his loyalty to the governor.
Bello, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, said: “It’s a known thing in politics that some people won’t rest unless there are fights between one another. I am in the middle, and I could even be meeting with the governor tonight in thirty minutes.
“Two weeks ago, I had to call my brother and tell him to drop a tweet. I did that today, but he refused. He is over 30 years old. People should stop confusing our handles.
“I am loyal to Governor Uba Sanni, and I will not criticize him publicly. No one will make me do that. He mentored me, gave me my first government job, and believed in my election. This too shall pass. The rural development being done in Kaduna State is impressive.
“Nigeria, as a whole, not just Kaduna, is facing financial constraints. As leaders, we are all elected to do what we can with what we have and improve it. I honestly do not see what the fuss is about.”
He added: “The governor is the leader of the state, and for the sake of transparency, even though Mallam as the outgoing governor put it in his outgoing speech how much money he is leaving in the state, it is within the governor’s—let me take that back—it is the duty, of course, for the sake of transparency, to let the citizens of the state know the financial condition.
“And now, let me clarify, social media attacks will never shake my boss, Governor Uba Sani. So, a few attacks from people for obvious reasons coming at him is not the reason he did what he did.”
Kaduna-based politician and activist, Hon. Ibrahim Ahmadu, has condemned what he called “disrespectful and mannerless” outburst of Bashir El-Rufai, son of immediate past governor of Kaduna State, against Governor Uba Sani.
Ahmadu said the tone of Bashir’s tweets in reaction to Governor Sani’s declaration on the state’s finances were not only myopic but also smacked of poor upbringing.
Addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna on Saturday, Governor Sani had revealed that his administration inherited $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the El-Rufai administration.
He, however, said the situation had not stopped his administration from meeting its contractual obligations.
But no sooner did Governor Sani make the declaration than El-Rufai’s son, Bashir, attacked him via a tweet on X, saying that the governor was only trying to cover his administration’s incompetence.
Bashir tweeted: “These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect.
“From a Governor who is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides who were only rewarded for foolish political reasons.”
But Comrade Ahmadu, in his reaction to Bashir’s viral tweets, said there is nothing wrong with Governor Sani revealing the amount of debt left behind by his predecessor.
“What is wrong is the inability of the former governor’s son to comprehend the rational behind the disclosure to the public,” he said.
“His vituperations are unguarded and unacceptable, especially when the man involved has helped the family during hard times of political waves .
“Was is it wrong for Governor Uba Sani to address Kaduna citizens at a town hall meeting where he said he inherited a huge debt burden that was eating deep into the state’s federal allocation?
“For us as citizens of the state, we cannot accept a situation where N7bn out of the N10bn federal allocation for the state in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.
“And for an ill-trained son of a former governor of the state to attack the incumbent governor is unacceptable.”
The Kaduna state government said it has improved in Tuberculosis case detection and reduced the risk of spreading the disease, as 32,297 cases were detected in the state in 2023.
The state commissioner for Health, Umma Kaltume-Ahmed disclosed during a press conference to mark the World Tuberculosis Day celebration in Kaduna.
She said Tuberculosis case detection in the state has increased, from 21,557 cases in 2022 to 32,297 in 2023.
“This represents an increase of 49.8 percent compared to 2022. This case detection rate represents 159 percent of the state TB case detection target.”
According to her, the development shows a significant improvement in case finding compared to 53 percent obtained in 2022 and reflects the improved support the State TB program receives from the State Government and the development partners.
The Commissioner said, the 2024 World TB Day themed “Yes, We Can End TB”, and with the Slogan “No Gree For TB, Check Am O.” is a follow-up call to the commitment made by Global leaders at the UN high-level meeting on TB in New York 4 years ago to support the target to end the TB epidemic by the year 2030 via supporting the scale-up of TB access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, sustainable financing including research and ending stigma and discrimination against people affected by TB.
She however noted that tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. “Each Day, over 4,100 people lose their lives to TB, and close to 28,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
“Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 66 million lives since 2000. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made in the fight to end TB. For the first time in over a decade, TB deaths increased in 2020.
“This conveys the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve global leaders’ commitments to end TB.
“This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put End TB progress at risk, and to ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. She added that more investment will save millions more lives, accelerating the end of the Tuberculosis epidemic.
“We must continue to remind ourselves of the dreaded effect of Tuberculosis, which continues to cause untold morbidity and mortality among our populace. World TB Day provides a unique opportunity for continuous sensitization of Tuberculosis. She said the state has scaled up the number of facilities providing TB services to 78 percent coverage.
“We will continue supporting this until every facility in the State provides TB services. She also said the State’s treatment success rate is about 98.4 percent indicating that the diagnosed cases of TB were managed successfully,” she assured.
The commissioner however stressed: “The fight against TB is a collective one. I call on all well-meaning residents of Kaduna State and public and private organizations to join the Kaduna State Government in investing in ending TB and saving lives. I also call on everyone to use the opportunity and get tested when coughing for two or more weeks be rest assured that the disease is curable, and the diagnosis and treatment are free and readily available in the state.”
Acting on intelligence reports, the Kaduna State Police Command has arrested four notorious child trafficking syndicates operating within the state.
The command’s public relations officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, said in a statement that the individuals arrested include Shehu Sani (40 yrs) residing in U/Rimi Kaduna; Tskan Isiaku (43 yrs), also residing in U/Rimi Kaduna; Angela Onazu (44 yrs), residing in Sabo Kaduna and Hafsat Hussaini (24 yrs), residing in U/Rimi Kaduna.
The PPRO said the operation resulted in the rescue of one victim, identified as Zainab Abdulhameed, aged 2 years.
The syndicate members, apprehended in the operation, confessed to their involvement in the heinous crime.
According to the police spokesman, the modus operandi of the syndicate involved targeting underage children who are alone on the streets or running errands.
He said: “Therefore, parents and guardians should remain vigilant and mindful of the whereabouts of their children or wards. The recent arrest highlights the sobering reality of the dangers faced by children when left unsupervised, even for a brief moment. By staying informed and actively involved in their children’s lives, parents and guardians can play a crucial role in safeguarding them from potential harm,” urged.
“CP Ali Audu Dabigi PSC commended the diligent efforts of the police operatives involved in the operation and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to partnering with communities to ensure the safety and security of all residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of society. Together, through increased vigilance and cooperation, we can build a safer environment for our children to thrive.”
Six pupils of Kuriga School freed from kidnappers’ den are receiving treatment in Kaduna, the military said yesterday.
One hundred and thirty-one of their mates were handed over to the state government.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) First Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Mayirenso Saraso handed the children over to Governor Uba Sani on behalf of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ).
He said the military used kinetic and not-kinetic methods in securing their release from the kidnappers in Zamfara State where they were taken.
He confirmed that six pupils, one male and five females, are on admission at the Darlet Barracks military hospital.
The children spent 16 days with their abductors. They were made to trek a long distance from Kaduna to neighbouring Zamfara.
The release of the kidnapped children was secured without ransom payment, the Federal Government said.
The children, who were reunited with their parents at a dinner, are scheduled for psycho-social therapy at Kaduna State Women and Children Centre before being taken back to Kuriga.
The 131 students, who arrived at about 2:07 pm in three coaster and two 14-seater Hiace buses, appeared medically stable, except for some of them who were limping as a result of leg injuries believed to have been sustained following the long trek in the forest.
They were clad in new dresses and shoes provided by the authorities.
Presenting them to Governor Sani, the GOC gave an account of how they were rescued.
He said: “We successfully freed 137, but you will discover that six of them are not with us here; they are being attended to medically in our facility at Darlet Barracks; one male and five females.
“When they get better, they will join their 131 colleagues to complete the figure of 137.”
Reflecting on the rescue mission, Gen. Saraso said: “It was through the sustained and coordinated application of both kinetic and non-kinetic efforts by the security agencies under the strategic guidance of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“The abducted Kuriga school children were safely rescued early Sunday after spending about 16 days in captivity.
“On Thursday, 7th March 2024, some violent extremists and insurgents (VE/I) infamously called armed bandits invaded the LEA Primary School and the Government Secondary School, both co-located at Kuriga, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they criminally abducted several pupils and students including a staff member of one of the two schools.
“The students were initially received and administered first aid at the Nigerian Army Troops Forward Operating Base Dansadau, in Zamfara State, before being served refreshments and subsequently conveyed from there under escort to Kaduna.
“In all, there were 137 children and one staff member, making 138 persons altogether that were abducted from the co-located schools. “Unfortunately, the staff member, Mr Abubakar, is not here with us today because he died while in captivity.
“The breakdown of the figure of the rescued children shows that there are 76 females and 61 males, making the total of 137 (less the teacher that died while in captivity).”
The GOC thanked President Tinubu, Governor Sani, Ministers of Defence, NSA, the CDS and the Service Chiefs/Heads of other security agencies for their joint efforts.
Sani hails security agencies
Receiving the children, Sani frowned at the propaganda that trailed their rescue.
The governor said the most important thing was that the children had regained their freedom.
He said: “We worked with security agencies closely, sharing a lot of intelligence reports.
“I also want to caution insecurity merchants and conflict merchants to be cautious with their utterances because, before the release of our children, a lot of people came with a lot of permutations on how these children were released.
“The important thing for us in Kaduna is that the children are here with us. This is more important.
“The government exists to protect the life and property of our citizens. And under my government, Kaduna State will continue to prioritise our security because security is the number one agenda of our government.
“We should not politicise the issue of insecurity. It is not good to undermine the efforts of security agencies.
“I want to caution the media and some elements in the society about permutation. The families of these children are already happy and they are celebrating.
“We are all happy because we had 16 days of sleepless nights, but today, we are happy the children are back.
“We will continue to make security efforts so that all our local government areas and communities are saved.”
Children not molested, says Aisha
On Sunday night when Governor Sani visited the children at the Military Hospital, a pupil, Aisha confirmed that all of them were rescued.
She also said none of them was molested by their abductors, as the bandits had zero tolerance against molestation.
She said: “We have returned completely; nobody is missing. We were 138, but 137 of us came back. The one that didn’t come back was our teacher, who died in the captivity.
“We were not molested. They (bandits) don’t touch women. They even warned themselves not to molest any female; they said whoever molests any female is not forgiven and God will judge the person.”
Asked about her future ambition, Aisha said: “I want to study medicine and become a medical doctor.”
Another female pupil said she hoped to become a soldier so that she could rid Nigeria of insecurity.
The figure of 287 was given by a teacher on the day of the incident while briefing Governor Sani.
ACF: guard against reoccurrence
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) called for proactive measures against future occurrence of tragedy.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said in a statement that the rescue was a welcome development.
He added: “Details of the process that led to the release of the students are unavailable, understandably for security reasons.
“Without prejudice, however, for ACF the development hopefully signals a new dawn in anti-terrorism measures being applied by the government.
“Specific to Kuriga, the rescue of the innocent kids is highly commendable. As alluded to in the statement from His Excellency Senator Uba Sani, the operation was made possible by a needed collaboration between various stakeholders including the security forces, the Kaduna State Government and locals.
“This is as should be, as many have indeed been stridently calling for such an approach to stamping out for good, the menace of terrorism and banditry that as existential threats to communities in Nigeria.
“Efforts should be intensified to have all remaining captives, everywhere and anywhere released.
“For Kuriga, this is vital, because the number of victims released is at variance with earlier figures of abductees as indeed reflected in various news reports.
“The adoption of simple but effective community-based measures, including simple or user-friendly gadgets, incorporating solid intelligence gathering and processing, for early warning, early response strategy to secure all vulnerable communities and facilities”.
Freed without ransom, says minister
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told reporters in Abuja after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that no ransom was paid for the release.
He also said the controversial Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, is not above the law, adding that he can be reprimanded for making reckless comments.
Idris said the President and FEC had expressed their appreciation to the NSA, the security chiefs and others who participated in the process that ensured the freedom of the captives.
The minister said the Federal Government will reinvigorate the anti-kidnapping war, fish out the kidnappers and bring them to book.
Idris said: “Mr President and members of Council were happy to note that, as promised by Mr. President, these children have been rescued and in keeping with the commitment of Mr. President, no ransom was paid.
“The Federal Executive Council and Mr. President are very grateful, especially to the NSA, the Service chiefs and all security agents who participated diligently in ensuring that these kidnapped children are reunited with their families.
“The government is determined to ensure that the lives and property of all Nigerians are protected at all time and Mr. President has also charged security agencies to ensure that these kidnappings are brought to a halt finally.
“Indeed, all those who are participating in this criminal act will be fished out by the security agencies and will never go unpunished,” he said.
On Sheikh Gumi, the minister said he was aware that the Islamic scholar had been a guest of security agents to answer questions in the past, adding that the government will not hesitate to go after anyone who has questions to answer because no one is above the law.
He stressed: “What I can tell you is that the government will not stop at anything to get any kind of information that it requires to solve our problems. Shiekh Gumi or any other individual for that matter, is not above the law.
“If you have suggestions that are constructive enough for the security agencies to take, they will take, but if they think that he is also making some statements that appear to be reckless, he will also be reprimanded.
“When you make remarks, especially remarks that border on national security, it is incumbent on the security agencies to dig further into that, and they are doing just that. No one is above the law in this direction.”
