The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger

  • Security operatives, others killed in Niger attack

    A Police inspector, a superintendent of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), and six others were killed by suspected herdsmen in Rafin Gona and Gbagyi villages in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State.

    The attack left 6,000 people displaced and property, including farm produce, houses and belongings worth N700 million destroyed.

    Sources said the officers went on a rescue mission.

    Chairman of Bosso council Isah Wakili said after killing the villagers, the herdsmen set their farm produce ablaze.

    Wakili, who visited the area with Senator David Umaru (Niger East) and House of Representatives member, Salihu Shandafi, said more bodies were still being recovered from a nearby bush.

    “I can tell you that almost all the houses in the villages, including yam and corn barns, were completely burnt in the attack. We put the estimate of all damaged properties to over N700 million,” he said.

    Senator Umaru described the attack as barbaric, inhuman and a dastardly act.

    “What I have seen is heart breaking, it is an act of wickedness and complete disregard to human live. This is a very serious problem; a lot of people have been displaced. Most of them have fled from their houses and even if they were here, they would not have anywhere to stay because their houses have been burnt, including cloths and food barns. This kind of situation is not acceptable,” he lamented.

    Umaru called on the state government to take decisive action to stop a recurrence, adding that government should also provide relief materials to the victims.

  • Police Inspector, eight others killed by herdsmen in Niger

    Nine people including a Police Inspector and a a Superintendent of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSCDC) have been killed by Fulani herdsmen in Rafin Gona and BCC Gbagyi villages in Bosso local government area of Niger state.

    The weekend attack also left 6000 people displaced and properties, including farm produce, houses and belongings worth N700 destroyed.

    Sources said that the Inspector of police and an Assistant Superintendent officer of the NSCDC went on rescue mission but were killed during the attack.

    The attack is the latest in the spate of attacks by Fulani herdsmen on Gbagyi and other communities in the state which have left over 200 people dead.

    The Chairman of Bosso local government area, Alhaji Isah Wakili said that after killing the villagers, the unknown herdsmen set their farm produce, which includes yams, maize, guinea corn, grand-nut and millet ablaze.

    Speaking to newsmen after conducting a sympathy visit along with Senator representing the area, Senator David Umaru and the House of Representative member, Salihu Shandafi, Wakili said that more bodies were still being recovered from nearby bush.

    ” I can tell you that almost all the houses in the villages including yam and corn barns were completely burnt in the attack. We put the estimate of all damaged properties to over N700m”.

    Senator David Umaru representing Niger East Senatorial District at the National Assembly described the attack as barbaric, inhuman and a dastardly act.

    “What I have seen is heart breaking. It is act of wickedness and complete disregard to human life. This is a very serious problem, a lot of people have been displaced. Most of them have fled from their houses and even if they were here, they would not have anywhere to stay because their houses have been burnt including cloths and food barns. This kind of situation is not acceptable”.

    He called for the state government to take decisive action to stop the reoccurrence of such attack adding that government should also act fast in providing relief materials to the victims to prevent humanitarian crisis in the affected villages.

    He assured that the attacks of the herdsmen will soon come to an end adding that a lasting solution will be found by the Senate towards ending herdsmen/ farmers clash in the senatorial zone.

    “The Senate has set up a committee on this Fulani herdsmen and communal clashes I will liaise with the committee to also look into this problem in this constituency”

  • Herdsmen kill three policemen, six others in Adamawa, Niger, Delta attacks

    Herdsmen kill three policemen, six others in Adamawa, Niger, Delta attacks

    The herdsmen’s reign of terror continued at the weekend with attacks in Adamawa and Niger States, causing the death of three riot policemen and two other missing A man was killed in Niger State, many were injured

    In Delta, no fewer five people have been found dead in some communities, believed to have been killed after the herdsmen’s attack.

    The police Adamwa in Adamawa State yesterday confirmed the killing of three riot policemen and the disappearance of two others in an attack by suspected herdsmen in Demsa Local Government Area.

    The policemen were among those drafted to secure Kwayine, Gidan Dadi and Karlahi communities after clashes that followed the killing of 47 cattle in the area.

    Spokesman of Adamawa police, Mr. Othman Abubakar, said four rifles belonging to the policemen were also missing.

    “Fulani militia attacked the three villages and we lost three of our gallant MOPOL while two are missing.

    “We have constituted a high-powered search team and by the special grace of God, we are going to recover our men.

    “On the side of the civilians, two bodies have so far been recovered,” Othman said.

    The spokesman said the police had succeeded in killing scores of the militias who however escaped with their dead ones.

    Abubakar said more policemen had been drafted to the affected areas.

    In Niger State, one person was killed and 15 others were injured – some seriously – in a midnight attack by cattle rustlers in Angwar Umadi Village in Shiroro local government area.

    The attack came barely 24 hours after the state government had assured the people of Shiroro and Rafi local government areas of its readiness to tackle the upsurge in cases of kidnapping and cattle rustling.

    The deceased identified as a 19 year old senior secondary school (SSS11) pupil, was shot at close range by the armed rustlers.

    A source said the boy came out to ease himself, unknown to him that the bandits were operating at about midnight.

    The cattle rustlers who were about 40 were said to have operated for about an hour shooting and stabbing villagers who tried to escape.

    One of the villagers, Isaiah Baga said that 212 cattle and a number of sheep were taken away. Seven new motorcycles were also taken away.

    He said security agents were yet to come to the village after the villagers had reported the incident to them, “we have reported the latest attack to the authority but we are are yet to hear from them”.

    This attack is said to be the 20th attack on communities in Shiroro Local Government in recent months, leaving   over 100 people killed and over 1,500 cattle and sheep stolen.

    No fewer than five farmers were feared killed in Abraka and Obiaruku communities, in Ethiope East and Ukwuani council areas in Delta State, during clashes between farmers and suspected herdsmen.

    It was learnt that farmers in the communities had been in a long-drawn faceoff with the herdsmen over incessant destruction of the farms by grazing cattle.

    According to community sources, tension increased  during the week following the clashes, which had claimed lives of four men and one woman.

    According to sources, the victims in the Abraka incident included two cousins; Akpovona Felix and Sunday Akpupu, who were indigenes of Eku community, but residents of Abraka.  Two of them were killed in their farms.

    Akpovona and Sunday’s  bodies were discovered on their farm on Wednesday after they had gone for clearing on Tuesday and failed to return home. Their bodies were recovered by community scavengers on in a bush said to be prone to herdsmen attacks.

    Akpovona, a father of five, was said to have been shot while his cousin was hacked to death and his finger cut off.

    The second incident happened in a farm around a forest reserve on the Abraka-Benin Road, a boundary area between Urhoka-Abraka and Obiaruku, claiming the lives of two men and a woman. The victims were indigenes of Obiaruku community.

    “They went to the farm last Tuesday; when they did not return, the next day, a search party was sent to look for them only to discover their bodies at separate locations by a river bank near their farm”, Progress Aganbi, who lives in the community, said.

    Police spokesman in Delta State, Andrew Aniamaka, said “I could only confirm that of Abraka, where two persons were killed. It was first reported as a case of a missing person. On the third, one Akpovena Godwin reported about his brother. They are from Eku community.

    “We found the deceased and that of Sunday Akpokpo.  Akpokpo was 40 years while Felix Akpovena was 39 years. It was a case of murder. There’s the suspicion that it might have been a reprisal attack. We are still not giving up,” he said.

  • Breaking News: Ex- Niger governor Kure dies in Germany

    Breaking News: Ex- Niger governor Kure dies in Germany

    A former Governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure is dead.
    According to a family source, Kure died in Germany where he went for medical treatment.
    The source said Kure was flown abroad last week following a relapse of an undisclosed illness.
    The deceased was a two-term governor of the state from 1999 to 2007.
    He was also the 12th governor of the state and the third civilian governor after Emir Awwal Ibrahim(1979-1983) and Dr. Musa Inuwa( 1992-1993).

  • Niger empowers 250 girls, women

    250 unemployed young girls and women are being trained by the Niger State government to acquire various skills.

    Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development Mrs. Roseline Abara said the participants would be empowered after the programme.

    She said Governor Abubakar Sani Bello was passionate about improving the lives of people in the state.

    The commissioner said the governor is so concerned about the poverty rate of the people that he continuously works out plans to reduce their poverty rate.

    “The governor is not sleeping. He is improving the lives of the people to make them less dependent by empowering them. He is determined to create opportunities that women in the state are self employed and no longer go begging for food,” she said.

    She called on the participants who were drawn from the 25 local government areas of the state to pay attention to their training so that they can use it to improve their families and the society.

    The wife of the Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Sani Bello, said government’s focus on the issue of women development was to improve the economic growth of the state.

    She said she believed the training would have a ripple effect on the socio-economic development of the state, urging the participants to embrace the skills training and justify the confidence the government has in them.

    The 250 young girls and women will be trained in the three senatorial zones of the state on cosmetic production, perfume production, fish and poultry farming, rice farming and processing, tailoring, catering amongst others.

     

  • Niger Rice Mill to create over 10,000 jobs

    Niger Rice Mill to create over 10,000 jobs

    Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has said the unemployment rate in the state will reduce next year as no fewer than 10,000 workers will be engaged at the Niger State Rice Mill.

    He spoke at the inauguration of the multi-million dollar Integrated Rice Processing and Milling Complex built by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Bida, the state capital.

    He said the Rice Mill will also boost agriculture in the state with the production of 1.5 metric tonnes of rice daily.

    “It is expected that the Rice Mill will generate over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, when it comes fully on stream and this will engage our youths and women as from next year,”he said.

    Bello said the bumper harvest recorded this farming season was a result of the policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration aimed at repositioning agriculture as the mainstay of the economy and to ensure national food security.

    He, however, called for caution on the export of essential farm produce to neighbouring countries for monetary gains, saying that such ventures may expose the country to food insecurity.

    The governor said plans were underway by the state government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to buy off the major food items and store them to ensure food security.

    “The development was in fulfill-ment of my pledge to explore all avenues to attract investors and projects to the state, especially through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives. The state Ministry of Agriculture will ensure the proper management of the rice mill by engaging competent hands to manage the facility,” he said.

    The Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Noh Kyu-Duk, said the gesture was informed by Nigeria’s huge potential, the comparative advantage of cultivating rice and becoming self-sufficient.

    Kyu-Duk noted that the non-availability of high rice production capacity was the major obstacle of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production in Nigeria.

    The KOICA’s Country Director, Mrs Sook Hyun Park said the project, which started in 2008, can process 1.5 tonnes of rice per hour with parboiling, drying, sorting and packaging facilities and can be increased to three tonnes per hour.

  • UNICEF renovates 410 schools in Niger

    Over N102 million have been spent by the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) to renovate some primary schools and Islamic Quaranic Centers in Niger State.

    UNICEF Director in Niger State, Umar Ibrahim Nagwamate, disclosed this in Minna during a visit by the School Based Management Committee (SBMC) to the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Honorable Ahmed Marafa.

    Nagwamate said 210 schools were supported with N250,000 each, with same amount for 200 Islamic Quaranic Centers.

    He said the donor partner has expended N15 million to conduct school census and N16 million for schools enrolment drive campaign.

    He called on states’ houses of assembly nationwide to put legislation in place to support the existence of SBMC, adding that government alone could not oversee management of schools in the state.

    Earlier, Niger State SBMC Chairman, Niger State SBMC  Alhaji Isah Saidu, sought the support of the House of Assembly to give legislation to SBMC to carry out its duty in ensuring that schools practices in the state conform to the state and federal government policy on education.

    According to him, the SBMC serves as a bridge between the community and the school, ensures the attendance of teachers and pupils at schools in addition to conducive atmosphere for teaching.

    Marafa assured the SBMC that the assembly would do its best to look into the Bill.

     

  • Niger donates to flood victims

    The Niger State government has donated relief materials worth N65 million to 17 flood-ravaged communities in Mokwa and Edati local governments.

    The materials include food and non-food items, such as rice, maize, vegetable oil, maggi, wrappers and roofing materials.

    According to Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) Ibrahim Inga, more than 500 hectares of rice farm and houses were washed away by the flood.

    Inga said the materials were to assist victims resettle and earn a decent living.

    He promised affected communities the government would continue to support victims of disasters.

    Inga urged benefiting communities to complement government’s gesture by promoting peace and unity in their localities.

    District Head of Wuya Kede Alhaji Ibrahim Yawa lauded the government’s intervention in reducing their suffering.

    On September 19, three wards in Mokwa and one in Edati were destroyed by flood.

  • Crude importation from Niger?

    SIR: There is no doubt the President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) led administration is on a uphill mission against militants who are taking down oil installations in the oil rich South-south. With the global oil price crash, glut, escalating dollar strength against the naira and yawning reality of plundered economy, PMB and his lieutenants in the business of managing a challenged should attract pity. Sadly, some decisions taken by these lieutenants are puerile and without direction.

    One of them is the planned construction of 1000km pipeline from Agadem in Niger Republic to Kaduna refinery.

    Hear Ndu Nghamaduon, Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division NNPC: “Due to challenges with the aged refinery and crude oil pipelines that had been breached severally, the operations of the refinery have been epileptic. This, we are determined to resolve through various intervention methods including evaluation of alternative crude oil supply from Niger Republic through building of a pipelines of over 1, 000 kilometres from Agadem to Kaduna.”

    The wisdom behind connecting crude from Niger Republic is still fussy and for now makes no sense to me. Let’s assume government is going to trade refined petroleum products for their crude and no cash exchange involved, how long will that kind of agreement last? Has anyone thought of the amount of money the project will gulp in this hard time or what that kind of money will do in strengthening the oil sector?

    If vandalization and age-induced rot has affected the pipelines carrying crude form Escravos- Warri to Kaduna, wouldn’t it be cheaper to fix the pipelines, get security operatives, acquire surveillance drones to secure a hitch free flow of crude in terms of retaining national asset, product ownership than the planned perpetual importation? I am very sure other pipeline routes across the country are in need of repairs, is Federal Government going to construct new lines from contiguous countries producing crude?

    About the continuous bombing of oil installations in the Niger Delta, I have opined on several occasions that it is the hand work of past corrupt Nigerians either to distract the present administration or force them to abandon the on-going fight against corruption. My take however is that it is time for government to scale up non-violent actions to end the impasse.

    We must wake up to the realization that even the good intentions of PMB alone cannot take Nigeria anywhere except with the cooperation of people with right thinking mental process to galvanize the economy. We must also realize that continuous hailing under our evolving circumstance can never has never helped any government. It is indeed time to offer patriotic criticism.

    We must think properly to get the ship of nation out of the present economic Tsunami. Already we are on economic ring of fire where all manner of disasters keep bashing the already battered economy of a country well-endowed with human and natural resources. We must wear our thinking cap to realize that whatever plans with Niger Republic on the crude export can never be like maintaining our own oil installations/facilities.

     

    • Israel A. Ebije

    ebijeo5@gmail.com

  • Policeman kills driver over N50 in Niger