The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Zamfara State

  • Why North may still stay behind – Yari

    Why North may still stay behind – Yari

    The Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari on Thursday said, North West integration is important and key, considering that the zone has an advantage than any other zone in the country when it comes to agriculture.

    In his words: “We have the land, we have the people, we are the most populous zone, so we have to take advantage of that. When you talk about education, in the north, we are backward but we have a comparative advantage from one state to the other.

    “I have seen one index that shows that about 65 percent of our people are leaving in poverty. As long as we fail to fix education, getting those children out of school back to school and put the necessary infrastructure in place, we will still be behind.”

  • Senate to probe alleged brutalization of NYSC member in Zamfara

    Senate to probe alleged brutalization of NYSC member in Zamfara

    The Senate Thursday asked its committee on Youth and Sports to investigate the circumstances that led to the alleged brutalisation of a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Esi Uwakwe serving in Zamfara State.

    The mandated followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Philip Aduda (FCT) which drew the attention of the upper chamber to the incident.

    Aduda said that the way the alleged brutalisation of Uwakwe, serving in Kaura Namada, Zamfara State, was portrayed in the social media attracted his attention.

    He said that the alleged brutalisation of Uwakwe had been trending in the social media for over two days.

    Uwakwe was said to have been brutalised by the police purportedly at the instance of an influential indigene of the area he was carrying out his primary assignment.

    Aduda prayed the Senate to look into the matter with a view to finding out the truth about the incident and why Uwakwe was redeployed from Zamfara to Anambra State.

    He noted that it would be unbecoming of the police to brutalise a corps member on national assignment if established to be true.

    The FCT senator said that he would not have bothered to raise the issue but for the negative implication of the report.

    He insisted that NYSC members must be protected wherever they were deployed to serve the country.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, said that the first step should be for the Senate to establish the fact of the report.

    Ekweremadu said that would not jump into the matter without finding out the truth about what actually happened to Uwakwe.

    Although he agreed that NYSC members on national service should be protected, Ekweremadu said that the Senate should first resolve to mandate its relevant committee to investigate the matter.

    The lawmakers unanimously adopted the resolution that the Youth and Sports Committee should investigate the matter and report back to the Senate in plenary in one week.

  • Army destroy bandits’ camps in Zamfara

    Army destroy bandits’ camps in Zamfara

    Troops of the Nigerian Army have destroyed camps belonging to cattle rustlers and bandits’ in Zamfara.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Kukasheka said that Troops of 1 Division of Nigerian Army involved in anti-cattle rustling and anti-banditry operations on Aug. 1, carried out clearance operations on suspected bandits’ hideouts in some forests in Zamfara State.

    He said the troops carried out raids at Batara and Ajah forests in Birnin Magaji and Gusau Local Government Areas of the state.

    “Although the armed bandits fled the camps, the troops destroyed the camps, recovered 3 motorcycles and 2 cell phones,’’ It said.

    He said the troops further raided Rimawa forest in Gusau Local Government Area where they arrested 2 wanted armed bandits – Aliyu Abubakar and Umar Ibrahim.

    Kukasheka also said that in Bini village forest, Maru Local Government, the troops had arrested a notorious and wanted armed bandits collaborator, Umar Dan Bilbili.

  • Emir kidnapped in Zamfara

    •Security men commence search for him

    Security personnel in Zamfara State yesterday launched a massive search to locate the Emir of Bukkuyum, Alhaji Mohammed Usman, who was kidnapped by gunmen on Friday evening.

    Alhaji Usman, 60, was seized by the hoodlums as he prepared for the Isha’i prayer.

    He was then driven away with his abductors shooting into the air to scare away people.

    The police, the palace and the state government confirmed the development.

    Spokesman for the State Police Command, Sanusi Aminu, a deputy superintendent (DSP), said the kidnappers drove into the Emir’s palace in a Honda Civic car at about 7.30pm on Friday and took him away.

    He said the police have commenced investigation and “efforts are being made to rescue the emir from his captors.”

    He said the police and other security agencies in the state had blocked all possible outlets from the state in order to arrest the abductors.

    “Although we do not know their motive, the action is criminal and we shall arrest them and they will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

    Alhaji Aliyu Muhammad, Secretary to the Bukkuyum Emirate Council and younger brother of the abducted emir, said he spoke on the telephone with the emir.

    He said the emir was in good health and had not been hurt by his abductors.

    Muhammad, however, urged the people of the community to pray for the safe return of the emir.

    He said the abductors arrived in a grey -coloured Honda Civic car and asked to speak privately with the emir.

    Muhammad further said when the palace guards resisted the request, the abductors fired gunshots into the air and ordered all those present to hand over their cell phones which they took along with the monarch

    The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, told the News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN)  that government would give all required assistance to the police to rescue the emir.