The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kaduna

  • Buhari, security chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met behind closed doors with service chiefs.

    The meeting started at the President’s office in the State House around 11am.

    Discussions at the meeting would dwell on the security situation in the country.

    It would specifically address the increasing banditry attacks in the North Western states, killings in Kaduna state and kidnapping in other parts of the country.

    Read Also: Court rejects pro-Buhari group’s name in N40b suit against Atiku

    With the upsurge in banditry in Zamfara State, the Federal Government, apart from deploying special team and equipment, on Sunday linked the banditry to the illegal mining in the state.

    It then ordered suspension of mining activities in Zamfara state and its environs and specifically called on foreigners to quit mining sites in the state.

    In a statement on Tuesday, President Buhari had condemned the recent violence in Kaduna state, which led to the death of 20 members of the Adara community.

    The meeting with the security chiefs was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Police confirm killing of 21, rustling of 50 cows in Kajuru

    The Kaduna State Police Command on Monday confirmed the Killing of 21 persons and rustling of 50 cows in an attack by gunmen in Banono and Anguwan Aku villages in Kajuru Local Government Area in Kaduna State.

    The Command Public Relations officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, gave the confirmation in a statement issued in Kaduna.
    Sabo said the said incident happened on April 8, at about 0930Hours.

    “We received a distress call that a group of armed men in large number on motor bikes entered Banono and Anguwan Aku both are remote neighbouring villages in Kufana district of Kajuru LGA.

    “The attackers started shooting sporadically attacking the villagers and in the process shot and killed twenty one persons, injured three others and destroyed ten 10 houses.

    ” The bandits also rustled about fifty 50 cows,” he said.

    Sabo disclosed that a combined teams of Police Mobile Force personnel, conventional Police, Army and the local Vigilante were promptly mobilised to the area.

    He said they repelled the attack and evacuated both the dead and the injured to hospital.

    Read Also: Police identify those behind Rivers cult killings

    According to him, while efforts are on to apprend the fleeing criminals, reinforcement of more Police Operatives have been drafted to the area for intensive combing and patrol with a view to forestall further breakdown of law and order/reprisal and arrest the perpetrators.

    Sabo said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmad Abdurrahman is saddened by this attack and has reiterated the Command’s commitment to apprehend the culprits.

    “He sincerely condoled the affected families on the irreparable losses.

    “The Command appeals to members of the public to continue to assist the Police with useful information that could help in addressing these challenges and for the possible arrest of these criminals.” Sabo said.

  • Buhari condemns latest violence in Kaduna

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the recent violence in Kaduna State, which led to the death of 20 members of the Adara community.

    These unfortunate deaths are the latest incident between the Adara and Fulani peoples in the state, who have a long history of mistrust between them.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also condemned the resurgence of cultist killings in Rivers State and ordered for increased community and law enforcement action against its escalation.

    He appealed for peace and decries the on-going culture of ‘an eye for an eye’ that has fuelled a number of attacks and reprisal attacks, with the two communities at different times, suffering casualties in Kajuru and Kachia local governments in Kaduna States.

    The President also appealed to indigenes of Kaduna and other Nigerians to refrain from comments in the traditional and social media, especially by people who have little knowledge of the history of the longstanding conflict.

    Such comments, he noted, can fuel further conflict in the area and between the two groups.

    Read Also: ASUP to Buhari: sign Polytechnic act into law

    Buhari made a special appeal to traditional and religious leaders to be cautious with their comments on the conflict, insisting that whatever words they share publicly should not be inflammatory but be inspired by an interest in peace.

    The President condoled with those who lost loved ones in the attacks: “The entire nation grieves with you. The Nigerian army and police are already in the area to ensure that peace and security are restored.”

    In response to reports of the resurgence of cultism leading to loss of lives in Rivers State, President Buhari called on law enforcement agencies to intensify their efforts to end the menace before it further escalates.

    The President urged quick and effective intervention by community and civic leaders in support of law enforcement efforts, in all such areas bedeviled by cultist attacks and inter-communal violence.

  • Wife drags ex-husband to court for allegedly denying pregnancy

    A 28-year-old divorcee, Bilkisu Aminu, on Monday dragged her ex-husband, Muhammad Jibril, to a Sharia Court I siting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna, over alleged denial of her pregnancy.

    The case was earlier mentioned on April 1 when the Judge, Dahiru Lawal, ordered the wife to go for a pregnancy test to ascertain the pregnancy.

    Lawal, after going through the pregnancy test result confirmed the pregnancy and ordered the parties to appear before the court on April 15 for further hearing.

    Earlier, the complainant, who resides on Benin Street, Kaduna, told the court that she got married to the defendant for three months before they were divorced.

    READ ALSO: Woman drags ex-husband to court over abandonment of daughter

    “He divorced me on Feb. 6, but after few days at home, I went to a private hospital and the doctor confirmed that I am pregnant.

    “I called Jibril to inform him of the pregnancy; he told me that he will visit me which he never did,” she said.

    Jibril, 32, who resides along Zaria Road in Kaduna told the court that he was not responsible for the pregnancy.

    He said he had no sex with his divorced wife for over two months during their three-month marriage.

    “We had series of misunderstanding within the few months of our marriage, we did not have sex at all while in the third month of our marriage,” Jibril said.

  • GOtv expands local content offering to subscribers in Jos, Kaduna

    Digital Terrestrial Television service provider, GOtv, has announced the addition of nine new local channels to its subscribers in Jos and Kaduna from today and Thursday respectively. The channels will be available to subscribers on GOtv Max and Plus packages. The channels to be added are Spice TV, MiTV, WAP TV, ITV Benin, BISCON, Liberty TV, Tiwan Tiwan, R2TV and Rave.

    Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, said the additional local channels to subscribers in northern Nigeria is in line with the company’s commitment to promoting Nigeria’s heritage, through making diverse cultural content available across its platforms.

    “One of our value propositions is to ensure that we have a varied range of local channels that cut across different genres for a more wholesome viewing experience for our customers. These channels offer originally produced programmes that cater to the different tastes and preferences of our customers. We are also excited to offer these channels as part of our efforts in enabling Nigeria achieve a speedy digital switch over,” he said.

    Ugbe also stated that no digital terrestrial television operator in Nigeria has shown more commitment and support for local content made in Africa for Africans than GOtv.

    GOtv currently has over 20 local channels across different genres, including news, movies and general entertainment on its Max package.

    With over 100 hours of new programming monthly, showcasing the latest trends, major international fashion shows, designer events and professional highlights of the fashion industry, Spice TV (channel 10) offers the most comprehensive and fastest review of fashion and lifestyle shows.

    MiTV (channel 94) broadcasts an array of entertainment programmes, news, family, business, music, sports, education, health and development issues from across the country, while WAP TV (channel 102) is a top-quality family entertainment from the stable of Wale Adenuga Productions of the SuperStory fame and other esteemed TV content producers across Nigeria.

    ITV Benin (channel 107) and BISCON TV (channel 108) are local television channels that showcase sports, business, politics, lifestyle, culture, arts and general entertainment programmes.

    Liberty TV (channel 110), a Kaduna-based television station, delivers a unique mix of English and Hausa content, while Tiwan Tiwan (channel 111) is a Yoruba language music and lifestyle channel.  R2TV (channel 112), a 24-hour entertainment channel broadcasting in English language, feature originally produced and licensed music, fashion, theatre, dance, drama, movies, talk shows, cooking shows, docuseries and reality shows.

    Youth-oriented RAVE (channel 113) is a unique blend of content aimed at harnessing the energy and talent of the younger generation.

     

  • Restoration Church donates to Kaduna attack victims

    General Overseer of Restoration Bible Church, Kaduna, Rev. Tunde Bolanta has called for immediate help for victims of the recent attack on communities in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna state.

    Rev. Bolanta told The Nation on phone after visiting the victims at an IDP camp in one of the Adara communities that what he saw inside the camp was very pathetic.

    He said “Today we visited the Adara town hall a base for 2500 IDPs who lost their houses and family members to violent attacks. According to the chairman of the IDP base Mr Musa Magaji several Christian Communities in villages have been attacked and sacked the people are now residing in different camps in southern Kaduna.

    Read Also: Kaduna, Enugu, Lagos, Abia, Anambra top reformed states in 2018

    “While I was presenting donations of foodstuffs today, Mr Magaji could not hold back his tears as we were surrounded by widows who had horror tales to share.

    “I heard many pathetic stories like the woman with eleven children, whose husband was hacked to death, those who had machete wounds and escaped by the skin of their teeth. They need food, tools for work, health care, children need to get back to school. Let’s do something”.

  • Kaduna, Enugu, Lagos, Abia, Anambra top reformed states in 2018

    Five states of the Federation on Wednesday night received awards for been top five reformed states in the year 2018.

    The states in descending order included Kaduna, Enugu, Lagos, Abia, and Anambra.

    They received their awards from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Awards 2019 held at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    Anambra State improved its score from 47 to 53.50 by making it easier to start a business and to register property in the State.  –  Abia State improved its score from 46 to 53.90 by making it easier to start a business and to register property in the State.  –  Lagos State improved its score from 48 to 54.90 by making it easier to start a business, register property and obtain construction permits in the State.  –  Enugu State improved its score from 47 to 56.82 by making it easier to start a business, register property as well as enforce contracts in the State.   –  Kaduna State improved its score from 55 to 65.97 by making it easier to start a business.

    Other companies and individuals that got awards at the ceremony included Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, Corporate Affairs Commission, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion.

    Others are the Senate and the House of Representatives, Court of Appeal, Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, National Assembly Environment Round Table, DFiD, World Bank, Oando Energy Resources, First Bank of Nigeria,

    Omotayo Omoniyi, who returned large sum of money found to the authorities also received award at the ceremony.

    Other awardees are FIRS, Nigeria Custom Service, Nigeria Port’s Authority, Nigeria Shippers Council, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Lagos State Judiciary.

    Banwo and Ighodalo, KPMG Nigeria, Procter and Gamble Nigeria, Deloitte Nigeria and Aluko and Oyebode also got awards at the ceremony.

    Osinbajo said “It really is a pleasure to be here this evening to celebrate the phenomenal successes of the PEBEC reforms but more importantly to recognize specially some of those who made it all possible. Our incredibly selfless and committed private sector partners and the sterling performance of many in the public sector.I n the past three years, Nigeria has implemented more than 140 reforms to make doing business in Nigeria easier.

    “Some of the  successful reforms include the ability to: Reserve a business name within 4-hours, Complete the registration of a company within 24 hours online, Apply for and receive approval of a visa-on-arrival electronically within 48hrs, File and pay taxes online; and, Access specialised small claims commercial courts in Lagos and Kano, The World Bank also reported in 2018 that 32 states of Nigeria improved their Ease of doing business environment led by Kaduna, Enugu, Abia, Lagos and Anambra

    “In 2019, PEBEC set a goal to move Nigeria into the top-100 on the 2020 World Bank Doing Business Index (DBI). To achieve this, we will be pursuing the continued implementation reforms across all indicators, including

    “implementation of legislative reforms, specifically the  passage of the new Companies and Allied Matters Act  and the  Omnibus Bills, the expansion of the regulatory reform program started with NAFDAC and NAICOM to include other regulators, the establishment of a National Trading Platform for ports; and the concession of our major international airports.”

    Stressing that PEBEC has now commenced the fourth 60-day National Action Plan (NAP 4.0) on Ease of Doing Business, he said, NAP 4.0 is running from the 1st of March to the 29th of April, 2019.

    Read also: No controversy over status of Nigeria SEZ Investment Company – Presidency

    “It aims to deepen the reforms delivered over the past 3 years and drive institutionalization.

    “We have highlighted key action items in all of the focus areas to ensure they do not unravel, and to ensure we drive sustainability

    “Some of the targets achieved in the last NAP 3.0 include driving registration for utilization of the National Collateral Registry to facilitate access to credit for SMEs; Clearance of all pending NAFDAC registration applications to improve efficiency; and Creation of a strengthened single joint cargo examination interface in all airports & seaports for import and export to reduce the time spent at the ports.”

    He added “NAP 4.0 will focus on initiatives such as enforcing compliance with SLAs across all indicators/focus areas, driving the passage of the CAM Bill 2018 for improved effectiveness of company law in Nigeria, enhancing efficiency in the small claims court, and enhancing the application and approval system for visas on arrival, to mention a few.”

    The Council, he said, will continue to work extensively with all MDAs, the National Assembly and other key stakeholders.

    He said “All of us who have been involved in this incredible journey will agree that it has been both exciting and fulfilling even if admittedly sometimes frustrating. But that is the way of progress. I congratulate you all for the great successes and thank you all for keeping faith with our joint vision. In particular we must commend our private sector partners who have contributed immensely to the technical output of the EBES through the secondment of professional staff to the secretariat. Let me specially mention the KPMG Professional Services, Deloitte, Procter and Gamble, Banwo&Ighodalo, Aluko and Oyebode.

    “The NBA-SBL was also particularly instrumental in the drafting of the omnibus bill. About 40 law firms worked pro-bono towards this effort. Our nation is truly grateful to you.

    “We must also commend the Hon. Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Dr OkeyEnelamah for his focused and forthright leadership, and the incomparable and tireless Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry Trade and Investment Dr JumokeOduwole and her team.

    “To the rest of us I think we have demonstrated that the work of creating a world-class environment for commerce will be done by like minds in the Nigerian private and public sectors, and these are the  exceptional ladies and gentleman such as yourselves who form the PEBEC family, well-done everyone God bless you.” he stated.

  • El-Rufai’s convoy foils kidnapping along Kaduna-Abuja road

    The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s convoy foiled attempted kidnapping of motorists along Kaduna-Abuja road on Wednesday afternoon.

    The Governor who was on his way to Abuja got to the Akilubu village around 3:40pm, sighted dozens of vehicles parked by citizens alarmed that kidnappers were ahead.

    Security operatives in the governor’s convoy advanced and cleared the road of the criminals who fled into the forest.

    Read Also: I’ll lead with fear of God, says Nasarawa Governor-elect

    El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan told newsmen that, after the clearing the road, Governor El-Rufai directed that travelers who had been wounded by the criminals be rushed to the nearest hospital.

    The Governor also directed security agencies to intensify patrols and permanently clear the road of the bandits.

  • Herbalists using vulgar languages on us, residents cry out

    Residents of Kaduna metropolis have decried the use of vulgar language by traditional medicine sellers (herbalists) while marketing their products.

    In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Sartuday, the residents expressed their disgust.

    One of the residents, Malam Musa Goro, who resides at Tudun Wada, regretted that the herbalists used obscene language to advertise their products.

    “The words which these traditional medicine sellers use in advertising their products are very immoral, irreligious and contrary to any cultural styles.

    “Honestly, these words are also offensive to the moral, religious and cultural lifestyles of responsible people ,” he said.

    However, Rabiu Muhammad, a resident of kinkinau, said the herbalists further used public address systems to say all sorts of offensive words to the hearing of everyone, not considering the ages and calibre of the audience.

    “These people shamelessly use microphone to say all these words in the presence of children, women and the elderly persons; these are against our cultural beliefs.

    “Honestly, they must be regulated by the appropriate authorities,” Muhammad said.

    Malam Zakariyya Usman, a cleric, says the herbalists usually take advantage of places where Friday congregational prayers are performed.

    “It is unfortunate that those herbalists advertise their products even in places of worship; we always preach in sermons about bad utterances and their consequences in the hereafter.

    “Every human must account for his words on the judgement day, it’s better to keep mute than speaking vulgar.

    Those herbalists should be regulated by the appropriate authorities; we have done our part”, Usman said.

    Another resident, Abdullahi Bala, told NAN that the activities of the herbalists were in conflict with norms and values of conscious people.

    READ ALSO: Ritual killings: Police declare war on herbalists, others

    Bala noted that the words being used by the herbalists were unacceptable.

    “We send our children on errand to all these spots where these people sell their products.

    “And as children, there are some words or utterances they are not supposed to be hearing at their age, so religiously and culturally, this is not a good development at all.

    “They even go further to use loudspeakers for advertising the herbal medicines and our parents and wives clearly hear all these bad languages they use.

    That is very bad to the upbringing of our children,’’ he lamented.

    Some of the vulgar utterances are usually related to sexual matters, depicting obscene ways of taking to illegal conjugal affairs.

    The residents, therefore, called on concerned authorities to check the excesses of the herbalists as well as regulate their activities.

    “This, they said, would assist in promoting and inculcating good cultural values in children.

  • INEC presents certificates of return to El-Rufai, 34 lawmakers

    As it presented certificates of return to Kaduna state Governor Nasir El-Rufai and 34 elected house of assembly members in Kaduna on Thursday, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why inconclusive elections has become the order of the day in Nigeria.

    The election management body, noted that though, inconclusive elections did not start with the present commission, it became rampant because elections have become highly competitive.

    National Commissioner supervising Plateau, Niger, Kaduna States and FCT, Professor Antonia Okoosi-Simbine stated while presenting certificate of return to the Governor and the lawmakers.

    According to Professor Okoosi-Simbine, “Our democracy is deepening incrementally having conducted the sixth successive election without an interregnum; there is improved integrity in the electoral system; the elections are becoming more and more competitive and the margin between winners and runners-up are decreasing to the extent that in many instances elections into the Executive and Legislatures are increasingly becoming inconclusive.

    “This explains why the phenomenon of inconclusive elections appears to have Increased. To be sure, it existed prior to the existence of the present commission. We cannot expect less when a few big parties are contesting for power at every level.” He said.

    She also noted that the election was marred by violence through, “a new trend, in which some parties and candidates engaged in violent behavior, including manhandling election duty officials and intimidation of voters, collation and Returning Officers.

    “The Commission views this trend with grave concerns and will continue to work on greater voter enlightenment for mandate protection as well as with the security agencies to curtail this ugly trend.”

    She however advised politicians who felt aggrieved in the just concluded general elections to seek judicial remedy in law court.

    “The commission advises disgruntled persons and parties to feel free to seek judicial remedy where they believe they have genuine case(s) to pursue.

    “Indeed, seeking judicial remedy is not only a part and parcel of the electoral process in Nigeria; it is consistent with the culture of democracy as opposed to resorting to self-help.

    However, the INEC boss called on governor El-Rufai to ensure the people of the state enjoy dividends of democracy.

    “I encourage you to deliver more materials benefits to the diversity of people in Kaduna in order to meet their governance expectations,” she told El-Rufai.

    Shortly after receiving the certificate, El-rufai said in a remark that he would carry everybody along in governance irrespective of political differences.

    He assured of security of lives and property, just as he expressed gratitude to the people for re-electing him to serve them for the second term.