Author: Aliyu H. Mohammed, Minna

THE Niger State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kumar Tsukwam, has confirmed a tragic road crash that claimed the lives of 14 people and left six others injured on the Lapai-Agaie-Bida Federal Highway. In a statement, Tsukwam attributed the crash to excessive speeding and wrongful overtaking. The accident, which occurred at 10:59 am on Saturday, February 22, 2025, between Kusobogi and Nami, involved a Toyota Hiace bus travelling from Minna to Agaie and a DAF tanker heading from Lagos to Kaduna. According to the FRSC report, the driver of the Toyota Hiace bus, in an attempt…

A GROUP of suspected bandits abducted a council secretary and four others during a late-night attack in Sarkin Pawa, Niger State, on Thursday. Security analyst Zagazola Makama revealed that the abduction occurred around 10 pm on Thursday night. According to the security analyst, the perpetrators of the attack quietly infiltrated the residence of the Council Secretary, which is located near the riverbank in Sarkin Pawa. He further revealed bandits and other criminals frequently target this area. The abductees were identified as Daina Usman, the council secretary; Deborah Daina, the wife of the council secretary; Sati Daina; Gambo Shagari; and Sorro,…

THE Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Bulus Yohanna, has conducted a mass wedding ceremony for 21 couples in Niger State. The ceremony, which took place at the St. Mark Catholic Church in Nsanji Nkoso, Magama local government area, brought together couples who had completed their traditional marriage rites and undergone three months of marriage counseling. According to Bishop Yohanna, the ceremony was necessary to ensure that the couples were properly married in the eyes of the church. He emphasized that until a couple is joined together in marriage legally and blessed in the church, it is wrong…

ANOTHER gas explosion in Sabon Wuse, Tafa Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State, has destroyed several vehicles, shops, and foodstuffs, leaving business owners counting their losses. The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the incident on Sunday, stating that while no lives were lost, the destruction was extensive. The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. on Saturday when a gas tanker was offloading at a local filling station. Witnesses reported that the blast sent shockwaves through the community, causing panic among residents. The fire quickly spread, reaching a nearby petrol station and engulfing…

AN explosion at a mining site in Sabon Pegi, located in Mashegun Local Government Area of Niger State, has resulted in the deaths of half a dozen people and left several others injured. The explosion occurred on Sunday afternoon when miners had resumed work at the site. The cause of the blast remains unknown, though residents of the Sabon Pegi community have suggested that poor handling of explosive devices by mining companies could be to blame. Community sources report that four bodies have been recovered from the explosion site. However, the total number of casualties is still unclear, with further…

FORMER military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) is set to launch his long-awaited autobiography. The memoir titled: ‘A Journey In Service’, will be released on February 20, 2025, at the event billed for the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. The development is coming 32 years after IBB left office. The regime of the former Head of State was dogged by the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) policy which sparked a nationwide riot among others economic regulations. There was also the unresolved murder of late veteran journalist, Dele Giwa and the June 12 annulment among other controversial issues. While…

THE federal government has ordered the immediate transfer of victims of the recent tanker explosion in Suleja, Niger state, from the General Hospital to tertiary health facilities to ensure they receive advanced medical care. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known during a visit to Suleja, Niger State. He led a high-level federal delegation, including the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, and heads of relevant agencies, to assess the situation firsthand and express condolences to the government and people of Niger State. In a statement, Idris conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s deep…

A 27-YEAR-OLD woman identified as Fatima Dzuma has been apprehended for killing her 25-year-old husband, Baba Aliyu, in Lafiyagi Dzwafu village in the Katcha local government area of Niger State. Dzuma was said to have married Baba three years ago as his second wife after divorcing her first husband, but she had not given birth to Baba, while Baba’s first wife had just given birth, and preparations were underway for the naming ceremony. Sources told The Nation that the deceased and the suspect usually had misunderstandings, and even the night before Dzuma killed Baba, they had a fight in which…

ONE farmer, Dauda Haruna has been reportedly killed while four others, including 3 siblings, were severely injured in bomb explosions in Bassa community, Shiroro LGA of Niger State. This newspaper gathered that the incident happened between Bassa and Gwadara communities on Thursday morning when the victims were going to farm to harvest crops. Residents told this newspaper that the first explosion went up while the 3 siblings, Mali (20), Nehemiah (14) and Jona (15) were on a motorcycle, while the second one went up when the motorcycle of those coming for rescue stepped on it, killing one of the rescuers,…

NIGER State Governor, Umaru Bago, has extended deep sympathy to residents and shop owners opposite NSTA garage, Tunga, Minna over an inferno that destroyed property worth millions of Naira. The governor, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, acknowledged that it was a tragic and trying moment for the victims of the fire incident, adding that he shared in their pains. He, however, encouraged the victims to take solace in God and deepen their faith in Him as He would bless them beyond what they have lost to the fire disaster. The governor observed an increase…

OPERATIVES of the Niger State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the arrest of one Fatiyah Abdulhakeem who works as a panel beater, for allegedly killing an ex-Permanent Secretary of the State Government, Adamu Jagaba. Abdulhakeem, 18, was alleged to have stabbed the victim in the head and made away with his car. Jagaba, who retired from the State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, also operated a block moulding industry at the Eastern Bye Pass in Minna, the state capital, before his death. The victim was said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead…

A DEVASTATING boat accident occurred in the early hours of Friday along the Dambo-Ebuchi sections of River Niger, resulting in the loss of multiple lives. According to eyewitnesses, the boat, which belonged to one Musa Dangana, was carrying over 200 passengers, including market women and farm labourers, en route to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State. Tragically, it capsized, throwing all on board into the water. Rescue efforts are underway with local divers working to recover the bodies of the victims. As of the time of this report, eight bodies have been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue…

NO fewer than 20 passengers in 5 vehicles have been reportedly kidnapped on Mariga-Kontagora road in Niger State. The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, who also represents Mariga Constituency, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji made this known in an interview with journalists. He said the incident happened on Thursday when bandits blocked Mariga-Kontagora road between Baban-Lamba and Beri. The Speaker was reacting to the military refutal that bandits were not on its training ground in Kontagora LGA of the state which also extends to Mariga LGA. Sarkin-Daji said families of the victims previously kidnapped had taken ransom to bandits…

THE Niger State government has approved a new minimum wage of ₦80,000 for civil servants, which is to commence in November 2024. This announcement was made by the state governor, Umaru Bago, following a lengthy negotiation between the state government and the leadership of the state’s labour union. Governor Bago assured workers that the state’s investment in agricultural development would support the sustainability of the new minimum wage. “This is very sustainable. ₦80,000 is sustainable,” Bago emphasized. “With our agricultural strides, we are sure we can pay. We are creating a civil service farm to encourage productivity among civil servants.…

AT least 60 bodies have been recovered following a boat accident in Niger State. According to a release by the Press Secretary to the Council Chairman of Mokwa local government, Abubakar Dakani, the boat was carrying over 300 passengers when it capsised at the notorious Gbajibo River in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State yesterday evening. Dakani said the boat was travelling from Mundi to Gbajibo for the Annual Maulud celebration when tragedy struck. The release also confirmed that Council Chairman Abdullahi Muregi acknowledged the recovery of approximately 60 bodies, while 10 survivors have been found. It added that…

THE National Examinations Council, NECO, has released the 2024 SSCE internal results. This was disclosed on Thursday, September 19, by the NECO’s Registrar/Chief Executive, Professor Dantani Wushishi. He briefed journalists in Minna during the release of the 2024 SSCE internal results. Also, Wushishi said that NECO blacklisted 21 supervisors in 12 states. They also de-recognised one school in Ekiti state for mass cheating in three subjects. How to check NECO 2024 results: Below are the easy steps to check your NECO 2024 results online: 1. Visit NECO portal at https://www.neco.gov.ng. This is the only official platform for accessing your results.…

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Aliyu Gusau, on Sunday, visited ex-Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida at his Hill Top residence in Minna, Niger State. This newspaper gathered that Obasanjo arrived Minna International Airport in Golf Steam 5 Aircraft at about 4:30pm and drove straight to General Babangida’s residence where he joined Abdulsalami and Gusau. A source familiar with the visit said the four elderstatesmen held a closed door meeting that lasted for about an hour after which Obasanjo left Minna around 6:20pm. He said the meeting might not be unconnected with pressing national…

IN the early hours of Sunday, a tragic tanker explosion occurred along the Lapai-Agaie road, approximately 2 kilometres from Dendo Community in the Agaie Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State. The incident, which occurred around 12:30 am, involved a petrol tanker loaded with petrol that collided with a truck carrying passengers and cattle. The trailer, coming from Wudil in Kano State and en route to Lagos, was heavily impacted by the collision, which led to a massive explosion. Two other vehicles, a crane truck, and a pickup van, were also caught in the inferno, intensifying the devastation. Initial reports…

THE Niger State Police Command said it has uncovered a large cache of explosive devices including bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices buried in multiple locations in the state. Although an investigation is going on to unravel the sources of the explosive devices, they are suspected to have been concealed by terrorists and bandits who have been wreaking havoc in several local governments in the state. Some of the local governments where these devices were uncovered include Galadima-Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area, Mutun-Daya in Munya LG, and the Gbeganu Area of Minna. The Command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun who released a…

THE impact of high flooding has destroyed crops in the Argungu Local Government Area and other affected regions in Kebbi and Niger States. This was revealed by the Head of Press and Public Affairs at the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), Nura Wakili in a statement on Tuesday, while extending deepest sympathies to the farmers who were affected by the environmental disaster. The commission said it viewed the unfortunate event as a significant setback to the nation’s efforts in promoting sustainability and ensuring food security. The statement said the Commission’s Managing Director, Abubakar Yelwa, expressed deep concern…