Nigeria has sent back home 18 immigrants from neighbouring Niger Republic for not possessing valid documents to stay in the country.
The Nigeriens were deported from Niger State, according to the Comptroller of Immigration in the state, Tamuno Oyedeji.
She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna, that the service and the state ministry of women affairs and social development provided vehicles for the transportation of the illegal immigrants to Zangon Daura, a border post in Katsina State.
She also said the immigrants were handed over to the Niger Republic immigration officers at the border post.
Adedeji stated that the immigrants were repatriated “because they did not have valid documents.
“Their presence constituted security threat to the residents of the state,” she said.
“They did not have legal valid documents to back their staying here, hence the need for us to send them back to their country.”
Oyedeji said the command would continue to adopt proactive security measures to ensure the safety of all residents of the state.
According to her, more personnel had been deployed in Babana border post to prevent illegal immigrants from coming into the country from the Republic of Benin.
Tag: Niger
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Nigeria repatriates 18 illegal immigrants to Niger
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Minister urges Sahel-Sahara states to unite against religious extremism
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali , has called on Ministers of Defence of Sahel-Sahara states to work closely in dealing with the growing threat of terror and religious extremism in the region.
Dan-Ali made the made the call at the 6th annual meeting of the ministers of defence of Sahel-Sahara states in Abidjan, a statement by Col. Aliyu Gusau, his Public Relations Officer, said.
The minister, however, noted that good governance was key to addressing security challenges across Africa.
Dan-Ali, who also called for provision of job opportunities for youths to enable them have better means of livelihood, said this would check exposure to cyber crime which often made them potential recruits for terrorists.
He gave an assurance that Nigeria was committed to the realisation of the objectives of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States CEN-SAD.
Nigeria also endorsed the establishment of Regional Counter Terrorism Centre with headquarters in Egypt, saying it would support the initiative.
The CEN-SAD ministers also unanimously agreed Nigeria should host its 7th meeting in 2018.
CEN-SAD, which was established in February 1998 by six countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Niger and Sudan, now has 27 members.
One of its main goals is to achieve economic unity through the implementation of the free movement of people and goods in order to make the area occupied by member states a free trade area.
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Niger woos Chinese investors
In a bid to rejuvenate the state economy, Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has said his administration will partner with Chinese investors in the most critical areas of the state.
The governor was speaking at the just concluded Nigeria-China Governors’ Investment Forum in Guangzhou, China, assuring investors of adequate security, friendly tax regime and protective legislation in his state.
In a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the governor, Mr. Jide Orintunsin, Governor Bello also said he would like the Chinese to re-energise the small and medium enterprise and reposition agriculture in the state.
The governor held meetings with a vast spectrum of Chinese investors, seeking their cooperation and investment in infrastructure projects such as energy, highways, railways, airport, agriculture, tourism, youth and women empowerment.
The governor noted that having the largest arable land mass in the country and with the highest collection of water bodies, Niger State is open to investors, even those in agriculture.
“Ours is an agrarian state. Our land is fertile for virtually all farm produce, the large collection of water bodies make investment in the agricultural sector of the state a viable and profitable one.
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Baby Buhari to undergo surgery in UK for genital
The baby whose step mother cut off his genital, Buhari Dauda will soon undergo another phase of surgery where a genital implant would be carried out on him.
The Director General of the Niger state Child’s Rights Agency, Barrister Mariam Kolo who disclosed the plan toThe Nation said that the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has taken responsibility of the medical bills of the baby.
According to her, the Baby who just finished another round of surgery in Bida will be taken to the UK within the year.
She said that the culprit, who is Buhari’s stepmother, Bara’atu would soon be arraigned the high Court for prosecution.
Baby Buhari was two months old when his genital was cut off by his stepmother, Bara’atu Rabiu who used a knife to carry out the act without giving a cogent reason for her action.
The baby who is now 11 months may grow up with a functional manhood after the possibility of having one has been ruled out by medical experts.
The DG also said that one of the primary responsibility of her agency is to ensure the protection of children from all forms of abuse.
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Ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu remanded in prison
Former Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu and the People’s Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate of the 2015 general elections, Umar Nasko have been remanded in the Minna Medium Security Prisons by a Minna High Court Judge, Justice Aliyu Mayaki.
The duo are to remain in Prison until the May 3 when a hearing for their bail application will be heard and ruled upon.
The decision to keep them in prison was taken after six hours of fierce exchange by Counsel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gbolahan Latona and counsels to Aliyu and Nasko, Ayodele Oladeji and Mamman Mike Osuman.
“The case is to be opened on June 12, 2017 and to be held day by day till 16th June and the ruling on bail is to be delivered on 3rd May, 2017. They are to be remanded in Medium Security prisons in Minna,” Justice Maiyaki ruled.
The Lead Counsel to the EFCC, Gbolahan Latona levelled a Six count charge against Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu as the first defendant and a five count charge on Umar Mohammed Nasko as the 2nd defendant.
The duo pleaded not guilty to the charges read to them. -
Marching orders to fraudulent cooperatives in Niger
Unscrupulous cooperatives and financial organisations have got their marching orders in Niger State.
The state government told them that the era of disappearing into thin air after taking people’s money has gone.
Such fraudulent operators would be arrested and prosecuted, the government warned, adding that the monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that such fraudsters are exposed.
The Head of Service, Yabagi Alhaji Sule lamented that a lot of people in the state have lost their money to fraudulent organisations and cooperatives while others have had stroke and died due to the shock received when news of the collapse of such financial institutions got to them.
The state government made its position known at a meeting with stakeholders of the Nigeria Union of Teachers Social Security Scheme (NUT ENDWELL) held in Minna, the state capital, declaring that the state government would no longer condone a situation where schemes are formed and used to siphon people’s money.
The Head of Service said that any individual or organisation found wanting would face the wrath of the law while warning the people to be cautious in whatever cooperatives or organisation they wish to put invest their money.
Yabagi commended the NUT ENDWELL Scheme for seeking deliberate shift from the social welfare thinking to coordinated actions designed to protect the contributors from economic and social deprivation arising from retirement from formal jobs and sudden health challenges.
In his address, the Niger state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Comrade Ibrahim Umar said the strategic plan workshop is meant to chart a new path for the organization and transform the NUT ENDWELL towards securing the social economic well-being of its members before and after retirement.
He said that the NUT ENDWELL has 23,184 members drawn from primary, post-primary and other education agencies in the state, adding that the ENDWELL Micro-finance Bank has established a capital base of N100 million.
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Niger to EFCC: declare Ex- Commissioner wanted over N2bn account
The Niger state Government has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare former Democratic Party deputy governorship candidate, Alhaji Liman Kantigi wanted.
The call is coming barely 24 hours after Kantigi’s denial of the N2 billion account linked to him.
The state government made the call on Sunday in a press statement signed by the State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa saying Kantigi should be declared wanted after the EFCC has linked N6billion to him.
Vatsa also said that the former deputy governorship candidate cannot deny that he knows nothing about the N2 billion in the bank account.
“We commend the EFCC, but we know Kantigi has been elusive. We know he is on the run. We want him declared wanted by the anti graft agency. He should appear and tell Nigerians how and where he got the money. The N6billion recovered so far belongs to the Niger state government.
“Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had on Friday told the agency that the funds belong to the state. We hope that the recovered N6 billion would be transferred to the state’s accounts to enable this administration embark on developmental projects”.
Vatsa claimed that the money recovered by the EFCC were funds siphoned from the local government joint account.“We can tell you that the funds were siphoned from the local government joint account of Niger State and also through inflated Hajj subsidies offered by the state government to Pilgrims within the period he served as the Chairman of the Niger State Pilgrims’ Agency.”
Kantigi had however declared that he is not evading the EFCC adding that his lawyers have been in touch with the Commission.“I acknowledge the fact that the EFCC has the constitutional right to investigate anybody they suspect, it is, however not true that I have been evading the commission. My lawyers are in touch with the EFCC and the commission is aware of this, so it is not true that I am evading the commission,” Kantigi stated.
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I’m not the owner of N2bn – Ex- Niger Commissioner
The Deputy Governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 Governorship election in Niger state, Alhaji Liman Kantigi has denied ownership of the N2 billion in a bank account linked to him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to Kantigi, he is not aware of the said account traced to a company account titled Liman and companies in the bank account stating that he is neither a Director nor a Stakeholder in the company.
“For God sake, the media ought to have confirm from the banks if truly my names are there as their customer? I am not a Director of such companies nor Share holder. ”
In a statement made available to The Nation in Minna, Kantigi also denied allegations that he has been evading the EFCC regarding the linked account adding that some group of people have decided to use the media to smear his character as a businessman and politician.
“I acknowledge the fact that the EFCC has the constitutional right to investigate anybody they suspect, it is, however not true that I have been evading the commission. My lawyers are in touch with the EFCC and the commission is aware of this, so it is not true that I am evading the commission.“I want to categorically state that the claim that another N2 billion in a UBA account reportedly linked to me is untrue and figment of some peoples imagination who want to use the media to drag my name to the mud.
“I was Chairman of my Local Government with outstanding performances and a Honourable Commissioner for seven months. How could I have siphoned such amount and pushed to companies as an individual from the government agency as claimed by the medias?, ” he asked.
Kantigi urged the media to confirm from the banks and fault him if he was lying adding that the media reports was being orchestrated by people who would want to spoil his name and associate his name with anything bad by all means.Kantigi appealed to his supporters to disregard all the news trending about him in the media stressing that they are false and unfounded and urge the media to cross their facts very well before rushing to the public.
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Niger spends N39m to combat meningitis outbreak
Niger Government says it has spent N39 million to combat the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the state.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mustapha Jibril, told newsmen on Friday in Mina that the state recorded 33 deaths out of its 123 CSM cases.
Jubril said that a total of 4,100 tablets of Ciprofloxacin were distributed to contacts of suspected cases in the affected areas, including health workers. According to the commissioner, represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Muhammed Usman, 12 local government areas were affected by the epidemic. “Magama LGA had 70 cases and recorded 31 deaths; in Rijau, 17 cases were recorded with one death; Kontagora had a record of 19 cases with one death.
“The remaining nine LGAs are Suleja with six cases; Agwara, two cases; Paikoro, one case; Mashegu one case; Tafa, one case; Mariga, one case; Lapai one; Beji, one; and Bosso Local Government, one case without any death.
“Thirty-three lives were lost in three of the affected local governments,’’ the commissioner said. Jibril said that Outbreak Response Centres had been activated to help curtail the spread of the disease.
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Meningitis: Nigeria need divine intervention to halt outbreak – Expert
Nigeria is in dire need of divine intervention to halt the outbreak of meningitis, which has claimed 745 lives since it’s outbreak in November, 2016.
Reason, the country is facing scarcity of vaccine, Dr. Ben Anyene, Chairman, National Immunization Finance Task Team (NIFT) revealed Thursday. This he blamed on the lack of proper planning on the part of the country.
This is coming barely a week after the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) National President; Alhaji Toyosi Raheem called to question the country’s level of preparedness to response to emergency.
The outbreak currently affects five states— Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger. A total of 500,000 doses of Meningitis C vaccines have been distributed to some of the affected States for immediate outbreak response vaccination while additional 823,970 doses of Meningitis C vaccines are expected from the United Kingdom to support vaccination activities in other affected States.
Anyene said the country effort to contain the outbreak is hampered by shortage of vaccine, and the implication is that Nigeria is facing vaccine scarcity.
He said, “There is scarcity of vaccine or do Nigeria produce vaccine? Zamfara needs about 3million doses of vaccine and they gave them 300,000 doses, those that mean it’s available?
He blamed the country’s lack of planning for emergency for the high death toll, saying “the constraint with immunization of meningitis is that there is no vaccine and that is the truth of the fact. The C strain of meningitis is not very common, but it do happen. The sign has been there in the country for the past 3 years but nobody wanted to take note.
“For countries that plan, you don’t have to wait to have a situation, through their planning and preventive measures, they have these vaccines stocked. You heard them talking about vaccine coming from Britain, Britain doesn’t have meningitis but because of planning, they have some stocked but Nigeria don’t have such. We need to build up our system because vaccine is not a commodity on the shelf that you can just buy over the counter. Vaccine has to be pre ordered and paid for upfront and it takes about six month for it to be delivered to you.
The outbreak of meningitis across the country has called to question the level of Nigeria’s preparedness to response to emergency, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) has said.
AMLSN National President, Alhaji Toyosi Raheem said with the advanced warning that the country should expect adverse weather; those concern ought to have put up a strategy to contain the outbreak.
He therefore called for the establishment of permanent emergency response team.
Besides, he said the country needs to focus on research and development with emphasis on indigenous vaccine research and development, which will help resolve issue like meningitis vaccine shortage as witnessed recently.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja on the occasion commemorating this year’s World Biomedical Day also called for the establishment of national emergency response team, which should be in place on a permanent basis with the responsibility of reacting to emergency issues.
This he said will quicken response to emergency and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, which always lead to heavy casualties anytime there is an outbreak.
He said, “We need to totally address our emergency response strategies even when they have not happened and when they happened we will be able to swing into action without any delay.