Author: AbdulRahman Tahir, Maiduguri

BORNO State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has made clarification on his Tax Reform Bills statement, saying he only called for broader consultation on the proposed bill. The governor also added that he is not against President Bola Tinubu’s tax policies. Recall Zulum had alleged that only Lagos and Rivers states stand the chance of benefitting from Tinubu’s tax reform bills when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, adding that the position was based on research and calculations by northern governors. He also explained why the northern governors advised President Tinubu to hold on before pushing the…

BORNO State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Sunday said the Federal Government and security forces have succeeded in containing 90 per cent of Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East. Nigeria has been battling insurgency for over a decade with several people killed and many others kidnapped in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. Zulum, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics monitored by News Point Nigeria, admitted that there were still some pockets of insurgents operating in his state. “As of now, insurgency has been reduced to over 90 per cent in Borno State but this did not happen in a day.,”…

A POLICE officer has been injured in a suspected Boko Haram attack on a police station in Borno State. The facility – Jakana Divisional Police Headquarters – was attacked on November 28 in the wee hours of the day. Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirming the attack in a statement on Sunday, saying police operatives attached to the Borno State Command repelled the attack, “The group of unknown armed individuals attacked the Jakana Divisional Police Headquarters, Borno State, at about 01:00 AM. “Fortunately, the group was met with strong resistance from gallant operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, who successfully repelled…

BORNO State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has voiced strong concerns over the proposed tax reform bill, warning that it could have devastating consequences for the Northern region and other parts of the country. In an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, Zulum criticised the speed with which the bill is progressing through the legislative process, drawing comparisons to the Petroleum Industry Bill, which took nearly two decades to pass. “Why the rush? The Petroleum Industry Bill took almost 20 years before it was finally passed. But this tax reform bill is being transmitted and receiving legislative attention within a week. It…

THE Nigeria Police Force says its Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit has recovered unexploded military ordnances in Maiduguri, Borno State. A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi says following reports from vigilant residents, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal – Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) team of the Force was deployed to secure the affected areas, and all ordnances were safely evacuated without any loss of life, injury, or property damage. The statement added that in the Dala Kacchallah area, the operatives recovered six unexploded projectiles and one mortar bomb near an uncompleted building which were washed ashore by…

A MILITARY camp was subjected to a major attack by Islamic State fighters in northern Nigeria, resulting in deaths and significant material losses. Military sources told this newspaper that Islamic State fighters attacked the Nigerian Army camp in the town of Kareto in Borno State on Saturday with various weapons. Although there is no official confirmation of the casualty figures, sources said about 20 soldiers were killed. The sources added that the violent clashes erupted between the fighters and army forces, including a suicide bombing with a car bomb. They explained that the attack led to the destruction of a…

AT least, 23 communities in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State have been reportedly sacked by bandits. The affected communities were said to be within the military training ground in Kontagora LGA. The member representing Kontagora II in the State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Isah, made this known in a motion of urgent public importance he presented on the floor of the house during the plenary on Tuesday. He said the ground extends from Kontagora LGA to part of Mariga LGA, saying that the affected communities had been deserted due to frequent attacks by bandits. “Bandits have established at…

SPEAKER of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, has said the life of Vice-President Kashim Shettima is at risk as a result of the “faulty” presidential aircraft he uses to represent President Bola Tinubu in official engagements across the globe. He said this after Nigeria’s number two citizen cancelled his trip to the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa over an incident at an airport in New York, United States. According to the presidency, Shettima could not proceed to Samoa because a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport in New York. Bayo Onanuga,…

THE Yobe State Police Command says it has apprehended one Hamsatu Modu, 54, of Morami Village in Jakana Konduga LGA of Borno State with 350 rounds of ammunition. This was contained in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim. He said the suspect was arrested by the police operatives ‘A’ Divisional Police Headquarters, Damaturu, the state capital. According to him, the police command received credible intelligence regarding a suspected gunrunner en route to Damaturu. “Swift action led to the interception of a Golf 3 saloon car, and a thorough search revealed 350 rounds…

THE Borno Police Command on Wednesday says it has recaptured a 24 year old Auwalu Aminu, also known as “Auwalu Kirkir.” Aminu is an escaped convict who had been serving a jail term for criminal conspiracy and theft. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, Aminu was one of the inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodian Center in Maiduguri following a jailbreak caused by the collapse of the prison’s fence during the devastating floods in September this year. Daso said that the police received a credible tip-off that Aminu had been sighted in Banki town,…

AT least five persons including soldiers and a village head were reportedly killed when Boko Haram ambushed a military convoy in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday. It was gathered that the ambush occurred near new Marte on Monday night, with an unspecified number of people wounded in the attack. According to a security source, the overall chairman of a civilian taskforce in Marte was among the victims. “Five people, including Mai musinema (the village head), Mai Babashehu Mai Musinema, two soldiers, the overall chairman of CJTF in Marte LGA, and two others lost their lives to…

GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum has requested the Borno State House of Assembly for an additional N61b to the initial N358.7b total budget size which was signed into law on January 10, 2024. The governor’s request was read on the floor of the State Assembly by the Speaker of the House Abdulkarim Lawan seeking to amend the 2024 Appropriation Act. The additional funding would specifically target key infrastructures that were severely damaged by the September 10 flood which affected nearly two million people and completely submerged parts of Maiduguri and surrounding LGAs. In addition to the reconstruction of key infrastructure, the supplementary…

THE Borno State Ministry of Health has declared a cholera outbreak in the state. The commissioner for Health and Human Services, Prof Baba Gana while declaring the outbreak at the eye center in Maiduguri, said out of the two hundred samples sent for testing, seventeen returned positive. According to him, the outbreak is a result of the recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the state. The prof named Jere, Mafa, Konduga, Dikwa and MMC local government areas with the recorded outbreak. He said 451 suspected cases were reported from the various LGAs but only 17 were confirmed positive. The…

TROOPS of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) operating under Sector 3 deployed in Borno State have foiled a Boko Haram attack in the North-Eastern state. The Chief Military Information Officer MNJTF N’djamena, Chad, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. He said the troops, acting on credible intelligence, executed a tactical ambush, neutralizing the threat before the terrorists could wreak havoc on innocent civilians. “The troops having positioned themselves tactically along the terrorists’ path of movement, engaged the terrorists as they emerged from a forested area on motorcycles, using an alternative route,” the statement read.…

A “NOTORIOUS Boko Haram terrorist commander” has surrendered to troops in Borno State, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has said. The Chief Military Information Officer of the MNJTF Olaniyi Osoba in a Saturday statement described the move as a “significant development in the ongoing battle against terrorism in the Lake Chad region”. He said the “notorious Boko Haram terrorist identified as Bochu Abacha has surrendered to troops of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) deployed in Kukawa Local Government of Borno State”. Osoba said Bochu is a “key figure in several terrorist operations admitted to being a notorious Boko Haram…

YOUTH enthusiast and son of Nigeria’s president, Seyi Tinubu on Friday sympathised with the people of Borno State over the devastating flood that recently ravaged Maiduguri, the state capital. Tinubu who was accompanied by his brother, friends and associates made a huge donation worth over ₦500m on behalf of his friends and associates. While speaking, Seyi said that the visit was the first step towards contributing to ameliorating the current difficult situation of the young people affected by the flood. He assured that the intervention would continue until Borno State especially Maiduguri saw the light again. Recall that President Bola…

THE University of Maiduguri is set to resume academic activities on Monday after it was shut down due to the devastating flood that rocked the city over a week ago. The registrar of the institution Ahmad Lawan disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. “I write to inform all staff and students that the university. Management has approved the resumption of lectures and office duties with effect from Monday 23rd September 2024,” the statement read in part. Academic activities are set to resume after the flood water has receded and the situation in the state has improved. Lawan added: “This…

THE Borno State government has given an update on the pledges and actual donations from corporate entities, state governments, state and national assembly members, individuals, and non-governmental organisations for the victims of the recent flood in Maiduguri. Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, which serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast, in one of the worst ever floods in Africa’s most populous country. Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria. In…

ELDER stateman and business mogul, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, has donated N1.5 billion to victims of the flood which ravaged parts of Maiduguri, Borno state capital. Dantata made the donation when he led a delegation from Kano to Government House, Maiduguri, on Tuesday. He extended his heartfelt condolences to Governor Babagana Zulum, the government and the people of the state, especially those who lost their beloved ones to the flood. Dantata, 96, who lamented how the deterioration of the economy in the country, urged the elites and political leaders to repent and fear Allah in their dealing. He also prayed…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday announced a disaster relief fund in Maiduguri, Borno State, to assist Nigerian citizens impacted by floods and other disasters. He said the relief fund is already expedient as the climate becomes more unpredictable and many places in the country are vulnerable to its vagaries. Tinubu announced this at the Borno Government House when he visited the state to sympathise with the government and people over the recent flooding from Alau Dam. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed this in a statement, said that Tinubu urged the private…