The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Zamfara

  • 8 killed in Zamfara over alleged blasphemy against Islam

    No fewer than eight persons were killed on Monday in Talata-Mafara community in Zamfara State  after violence erupted over alleged blasphemy against Islam by a student of Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata-Mafara.

    Governor Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari joined hundreds of people to bury the deceased who were killed when an angry mob set fire on the house of a man who tried to rescue the student.

    The student was alleged to have made a blasphemous statement against Islam and Prophet Muhammad and was consequently attacked by a mob.

    The boy was said to have been beaten to pulp by the mob. The man, whose name was simply given as Tajudeen, took him in his car and rushed him to a hospital.

    A witness said the mob, angered by Tajudeen’s act, moved to his house, set it on fire and killed eight persons.

    The governor, who called for an emergency Security Council meeting over the incident, expressed sadness and vowed that “no stone will be left unturned until all those behind this act are brought to book”.

    The police have imposed a 12-hour curfew in the community, from 7p.m. to 7a.m. daily until further notice, with warning that anyone caught violating the order would be prosecuted.

    NAN

  • Zamfara Assembly withdraws impeachment notice against Yari

    The Zamfara State House of Assembly has withdrawn the impeachment notice against Governor Abdulaziz Yari, conditionally.

    Speaker Sanusi Rikiji spoke in Gusau yesterday after a stakeholders meeting, including the 24 lawmakers and traditional rulers.

    The monarchs were led by the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad.

    Rikiji told reporters at the end of the meeting that the lawmakers gave Yari conditions before they agreed to suspend the impeachment threat, adding that the intervention of traditional rulers and the state leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) helped in addressing the issues.

    Yari described the cause of the face-off as “the handiwork of the devil”.

    “The cause of the misunderstanding was addressed at the meeting and we have agreed to put aside our differences, and work together for the advancement of our state,” he said.

    The legislators had threatened to impeach the governor for alleged abuse of budget implementation, misappropriation of bailout funds, deductions in workers’ salaries and his failure to pay the salaries of the 1,400 youths employed by the government two years ago.

  • Zamfara: 2019 and the politics of impeachment

    Zamfara: 2019 and the politics of impeachment

    THE last is certainly not yet heard about the impeachment drama in Zamfara State, where Governor Abdulaziz Yari, who is also the Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum(NGF), is battling to save his job as members of the state assembly insist he has committed impeachable offences and as such, would be removed by a popular vote of honorable members soon.

    In the weeks ahead, the key actors in the drama and their supporters are likely to be battling hard to achieve their intentions. While the Governor and his allies are expect to intensify the public appeal for support which they were forced to start after days of brushing aside the threats of the legislators as empty, the lawmakers are most likely to attempt to convene a plenary of the House with the aim of continuing the impeachment process of the governor.

    More revelations should be expected concerning what motivated the legislators to move against Yari, their fellow party man in the ruling All Progressievs Congress (APC). But, at the moment, and going by what is filtering out from government and security circles, there seems to be no letting down in the political brouhaha.

    Some observers are however very keen to submit that permutations ahead of 2019 elections in the state should not be ruled out as one of the causes of the crisis. According to a party source, the governor has fallen out with some prominent party chieftains and consequently, clandestine efforts are on to checkmate him ahead of the next election in the state.

    “Yari’s problem is not really with the Assembly. It is largely with some prominent party leaders who are angry with him and have decided to checkmate him. If you understand the composition of the state assembly, you will know why it is easy for the lawmakers to be incited against him. Most of these legislators got into the House through one chieftain or the other,” our source said.

    But the Zamfara House of Assembly would want Nigerians to look beyond insinuations that members are being used against the governor. According to a statement released on Wednesday by the Houselisted Yari has committed several impeachable offences and these are the real reasons lawmakers are pushing for his impeachment.

    Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Information, Mannir Gidan-Jaja, accused the governor of misappropriating billions of naira from the state coffers. He listed the money allegedly misappropriated to include N11 billion bailout fund, N1 billion agricultural loan released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and “corrupt abuse of local government funds”.

    The assembly also accused the governor of failing to remit funds deducted for pensions and gratuities to pension fund administrators as provided by law. According to the statement, the governor had also ignored a resolution of the assembly not to appoint Murtala Jangebe as Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board.

    It said that the assembly had passed a vote of no confidence in Jangebe, after he was allegedly found to have misappropriated over N1 billion belonging to the board in 2014. The statement accused the governor of frequent foreign trips which have had negative impact on the day-to-day running of government, apart from imposing financial burden on the state.

    The lawmakers condemned the arrest of the Speaker, his Deputy, Majority Whip and supporting staff of the assembly by the Department of States Security Services. According to the lawmakers, intimidation of its assemblymen by the Governor will not save him from being removed from office given the weight of the atrocities he is being accused of.

    The unfolding political crisis in the state peaked during the week when the Speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji, his deputy, Muhammad Abubakar Gumi, the majority leader, Isah Abdulmumini and the chief whip, Abdullahi Dansadau were arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and detained in Abuja over an alleged plan to impeach Governor Yari.

    It was gathered that the remaining 20 members of the Assembly have fled to Kaduna, where they issued a statement, calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in what they described as abuse of office by Governor Yari. The detained lawmakers were released on Thursday reportedly on the intervention of the same Governor Yari.

    “They have been released on bail after the Governor intervened. The governor was forced to intervene by pressure mounted on him by party leaders,” our source said.

    On Friday, speaking on the crisis in his state, the Governor said the moves and clandestine plot to impeach him by the State House of Assembly was tied to the politics of 2019. The embattled governor described the move to impeach him by the state legislative arm as one aimed at fulfilling their personal gains and ambition.

    Yari who made the remarks shortly on arrival at the  the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, from Abuja told reporters who sought his comments that ‎” I cannot even understand what they are doing or what they want. One may wonder why they are making such moves after one year into my governorship. I sincerely don’t understand”, he wondered.

    He also denied all allegations of wrongdoings levelled against him by the lawmakers. Yari also denied that his frequent travels out of the state were for his personal gains. The Governor rhetorically asked” Why are they supposedly taking this action now? I believe they are just pursuing their selfish, personal economic and political interests.”

    He sought the understanding of the lawmakers in resolving the crisis amicably. His words: ” We should cooperate together to make life easier for the people of the state. We will do everything humanly possible to amicably resolve the impasse between us, in the best interest of the state.”

  • Troops kill nine bandits in Zamfara

    Troops of 223 Battalion, at the weekend, killed nine bandits around Madaka village in Maru Local Government of Zamfara State.

    Three AK-47, two AK-47 magazines, three rounds of 7.62mm (special) ammunition, machete and 24 motorcycles were recovered.

    Army spokesman Sani Usman said this was part of activities marking the Nigerian Army Day Celebrations (NADCEL) 2016.

    He said troops involved in training, codenamed “Exercise HARBIN KUNAMA”, have intensified patrol of forests in Zamfara.

    Usman noted that local vigilantes at Yargada village in Gusau council, apprehended a bandit and handed him over to troops deployed at Magami.

    “In a related development, troops have raided a bandit camp at Gangamai village in Dansadau council. During the raid, there was an exchange of fire and the bandits escaped with wounds.

    “The troops recovered two dane gun bags containing marijuana. Another team raided cattle rustlers and  bandits camp at Gidan Mai Jaja in Dansadau. The culprits fled on sighting the troops, abandoning 85 cows, 37 sheep and a donkey,” he said.

    Usman said another patrol team raided a bandit and cattle rustler’s camp at Gobirawan Kwacha, where they killed two and recovered a machete.

  • Declare state of emergency in Zamfara, Senator urges Fed Govt

    •Accuses governor of incompetence

    Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau has asked the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State to halt the mass killing going on there.

    Senator Dansadau, who represented Zamfara Central in the fifth and sixth Senate, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to invoke his powers under Section 305 (3) and (S) of the Constitution and declare a state of emergency in Zamfara, and appoint a competent administrator for the state.

    Dansadau, in a letter sent to President Buhari, with copies sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, reads: “By Sections 4 (2) and 176 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the executive powers of a state are vested in the governor. By Section 215 (4) of the Constitution, the governor is the Chief Security Officer of the state.

    “The Constitution envisages that to perform these onerous responsibility, the governor is expected to be resident in the state and give his full attention to the governance of same.

    “I wish to bring to the attention of Mr. President that since the incumbency of Governor Abdulaziz Abubakar, which began five years ago, public perception is that the governor has spent only about 20 per cent of that whole period in Zamfara, and had utilised the other 80 per cent junketing from one part of the country to the other, and shuttling around the globe.

    “All matters of state that require action are kept waiting until he returns. Consequently, intelligence and security reports are kept in abeyance. For instance, at a period, out of 60 straight days, the governor spent only two days in Zamfara.

    “The fall-out of this is that threats to the breakdown of public order and safety are left to incubate and fester, until they escalate and become intractable, when simple measures of amelioration could have ensured public peace and security.

    “This dereliction of responsibility by the governor has cost the state unimaginable number of precious lives and property worth billions of Naira. In Dansadau alone, about 360 people have been killed.

    “If the killings in the remaining 23 constituencies are added, the total number of lives lost can better be imagined. All these losses would have been averted were the governor alive to his constitutional responsibilities.

    “There were no killings of tribal coloration until Yari took the reins of governance in. Since then, there has been a trail of daily killings, abductions, rapes, kidnappings, attacks on rustic villages, the scale, regularity and ferocity we have never witnessed before.

    “It is worrisome that inspite of the known identities of these criminals, the police have failed in securing the communities and protect lives and property. The failure of the police to safeguard the people may not be unrelated to the disconnection between them and the governor who is rarely seen to provide leadership as the chief security officer.

    “Sadly, the private security volunteers who have been helpful in defending the villages and protecting the people against these marauders have, by executive fiat, been banned from operating.

    “In view of the foregoing, Mr. President is invited to invoke his powers under Section 305 (3) and (S) of the Constitution and declare a State of Emergency in Zamfara and appoint a competent Administrator for the state until such a time when the President, through the administrator, is satisfied that normalcy has been restored.

    “Anything short of this will turn the thick forest between the southern border of Zamfara State with Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi States into a national park of criminals and killers, worse than what the country has seen in Sambisa Forest.

     

  • Two dead, two injured as car runs into high tension

    Two dead, two injured as car runs into high tension

    Two people were feared dead and two injured as a golf taxi car fell in a dish after running into a high tension on Wednesday at the Tasfe, Guasu express road Zamfara.

    The taxi which was heading to Tasfe from the state capital Guasu, with three passengers including the driver ran into the high tension when a member of the Nigerian Union of Road Transportation Workers (NURTW) in Zamfara asked the driver to give him 50 naira but the driver refused.

    The Union man who became angry and the driver began dragged the steering wheel making the car to loose control and then hit a high tension before falling into the dish.

    Eye witnesses said the Unions Member who was in the vehicle dragged the steering wheel with the driver making him to loose control and then drove into the high tension before falling into the dish which caused the death of two passengers but the driver and the Union man sustained injuries.

    People who arrived early at the scene helped to rescue the passengers and the driver.

    The civil defence and the police force made quick response to the scene, taking away dead bodies, the driver and the unions man.

  • Village head arrested over killing of 13 persons in Zamfara

    The Police Command in Zamfara has arrested Alhaji Muhammadu Danmliga, the Village Head of Wabi in Maru Local Government Area, over alleged connection with the killing of 13 persons.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sanusi Amiru, told newsmen on Saturday in Gusau that the killing of the 13 followed a meeting held in the village head’s house on March 24 by members of the outlawed ‘Yansakai group.’

    According to him, 13 persons were allegedly killed at Tubgar Wabi, a neighbouring Fulani settlement on the evening of that day.

    He said that sources in the village told the police that some ‘Yansakai members’ suspected to have come from Bena in Kebbi held a meeting at the village head’s house before moving to Tungar Wabi for the attack.

    Amiru said that consequently the police swung into action and arrested the district head and four others suspects namely: Basiru Lawali, Sakke Sada, Ibrahim Muhammad and Umar Muhammad.

    The police spokesman said that items recovered from the suspects included six guns, swords and arrows, fifteen cartridges, axes, knives, charms and 10 motorcycles.

    He warned that the police would continue to carry out covert operations as well as use credible information from members of the public against all criminals and their gangs in the state.

    Amiru said all the suspects would soon be arraigned in the court after completion of the ongoing investigation. (NAN)

  • Zamfara blames bank for non-payment of salaries

    Zamfara blames bank for non-payment of salaries

    Zamfara State on Wednesday blamed Ecobank Nigeria Limited for its inability to pay workers’ salaries.

    It said a garnishee order obtained by the bank freezing its accounts has hampered its ability to access its funds.

    The state has appealed against a Federal High Court judgment ordering it to pay Ecobank N3.1billion over an alleged debt.

    Justice Okon Abang had directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Ministry of Finance and Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct the amount from the money accruable to the state from the Federation Account and remit it to the bank.

    The state was also ordered to pay interest on the amount at 30 per cent per annum from March 1, 2013 when the suit was filed, until when judgment was delivered. In addition, the state must pay 10 per cent interest on the judgment sum until it is finally liquidated.

    But the state is praying the Court of Appeal to set aside a garnishee order attaching the state’s money in all banks, pending the determination of the substantive appeal.

    The appellant’s lawyer, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko , argued that while the appeal was pending, Ecobank secured the garnishee order freezing  the account of the state in all banks.

    He told the court that because of the freezing order, the state’s development activities have been paralysed. He said it also resulted in Zamfara’s inability to pay its workers’ salaries.

    Owonikoko argued that it was wrong for the lower court to freeze the account of a government institution without obtaining a fiat from Attorney-General of the Federation.

    He urged the court to allow the application and set aside the garnishee order.

     

  • Appeal Court reserves ruling in Zamfara N3.1b debt case 

    Appeal Court reserves ruling in Zamfara N3.1b debt case 

    The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division presided over by Justice Sidi Bage Wednesday reserved ruling in the appeal by Zamfara State Government against the judgment of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which ordered it to pay Ecobank Nigeria Limited, a debt of N3.1 billion from the federal allocation accruable to it.

    Zamfara State also prayed the court to set aside a Garnishee Order attaching the money of the state in all the banks, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive appeal.

    In his judgement, Justice Abang ordered the Zamfara State to pay a judgment sum of N3.159, 017,940.71, to Ecobank Nigeria Limited, being the outstanding indebtedness to the bank.

    Justice Okon Abang gave the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the bank against Zamfara State Government.

    Other defendants in the suit are the Zamfara State Attorney-General, Zamfara State Ministry of Finance; Accountant-General of the Federation; Attorney-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    Dissatisfied, Zamfara State appealed against the judgment and urged the appellate court to set it aside.

    Wednesday, the appellate court heard arguments on the appellant’s application dated October 30, 2015, asking the court to set aside the Garnishee Order made by the lower court pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.

    Addressing the court, counsel to Zamfara State, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko argued that while the appeal against the judgment of the lower court was still pending, Ecobank went ahead to secure a Garnishee Order freezing the account of the state in all the banks in Nigeria.

    Owonikoko informed the court that because of the order, all activities in the state have been paralysed and the state could no longer pay its staff.

    Citing a plethora of legal authorities, Owonikoko argued that it was wrong for the lower court to garnishee an account of a government institution without obtaining a fiat from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

    He urged the court to allow the application and set aside the Garnishee Order.

    In his reply, counsel to Ecobank, Kunle Ogunba (SAN) submitted that the ‘’garnishee of a debtor’s account is an acceptable procedure in the Nigerian legal system’’.

    Ogunba argued that the application to set aside the garnishee order is misconceived and urged the court to refuse it.

    The court presided over by Justice Bage reserved ruling on the application and said the date will be communicated to all the parties subsequently.

    Justice Abang had in his judgement upheld Ecobank’s claim of N3.1bn with 30 per cent interest from March 1, 2013 till judgment day and 10 per cent thereafter until the final liquidation of the debt.

    Abang said Zamfara State had admitted to obtaining a credit facility in sum of N1.5bn in 2009 from the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc, which was later acquired by Ecobank.

    The judge said although Zamfara State claimed to have been paying back and had only an outstanding debt of N800m, the state did not say how much it had already paid and at what date its outstanding debt was determined to be N800m.

    Dissatisfied, the state government in its appeal is praying the appellate court to stay execution of the judgment pending the outcome of its appeal.

    The appellant argued that the lower court judge erred in his judgment and that unless there was a stay of judgment execution, the outcome of the appeal would become nugatory.

  • APC sweeps Zamfara council polls

    APC sweeps Zamfara council polls

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won all the Chairmanship positions in the Saturday’s local council election in the state.

    The Chairman of the Zamfara State Independent Electoral Commission (ZSIEC), Alhaji Garba Muhammad said yesterday in Gusau that all the candidates of the party in the 14 councils met all the provisions of the electoral law and had been declared winners of the election in their respective councils.

    He said 14 political parties including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) participated in the election.

    The PDP, however, in a statement signed by its State Chairman, Alhaji Hassan Nasiha on eve of the election, said it was boycotting the election.

    The party also said since it was still challenging the election of the Gov Abdulaziz Yari at the Supreme Court, it would, therefore, not participate in the election.

    Muhammad commended all stakeholders, including security agencies, for ensuring the success of the election.