Author: Sani Nura

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has vowed to discipline, dismiss and prosecute the officer of the command, Maikano Sarkin-Tasha, who was arrested by the police for supplying ammunition and drugs to bandits in Zamfara State. The Zamfara State Commandant, Sani Mustapha, who made the statement while addressing the media at the command headquarters, in Gusau, Zamfara state, has condemned the alleged barbaric behaviour of the erring officer. “We condemned this act in all ramifications as our command is known for integrity in service delivery, discipline and compliance with ethical standards,” the Commandant said. “The command has zero tolerance…

THE Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, okayed a suit seeking to compel the Federal Government to investigate the alleged link between the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle and the operation of bandits in Zamfara State. Cited as 1st to 3rd defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1434/2024, which was brought before the court by a Zamfara state-based human rights activist, Abubakar Dahiru, are; President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Inspector General of Police. Specifically, the plaintiff, through his counsel, Mr Ojonimi Apeh, is praying…

THE Kebbi State Government is appealing for support over the flood in the state, saying 329,000 houses have been destroyed by the disaster while 858,000 hectares of farmlands have been washed away. The farmlands, it said, contain crops such as rice, millet, guinea- corn, sorghum, beans, and other varieties. The Kebbi State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Yakubu Birnin Kebbi, gave the statistics, at a briefing in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. Birnin Kebbi made it clear that the enormity of the flooding, the consequent havoc caused, and the level of mitigation required, have overwhelmed the state government despite what it…

TWO bandit kingpins, IT Savvy, Sani Black and Kachalla Makore have been confirmed killed in Zamfara. The two bandits were responsible for banditry attacks in Dansadau districts and environs as well as other parts of the Maru Local Government Area of the state. Confirming the killing, the Senior Special Adviser to Zamfara State Governor on Media and Communications, Alhaji Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, said Sani Blalck was killed on Sunday at Yar-Tasha village while Kachalla Makore was eliminated on Tuesday at Kunkeli village both in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Kaura explained that the two notorious bandit leaders were…

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), says ten communities have been displaced by flood following heavy rains in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi. Mr Aliyu Shehu-Kafindagi, the Head of Operations of NEMA, Sokoto Office, made this known when he led a joint assessment team to the affected areas on Wednesday. He added that the incident left no fewer than 2,000 people homeless, who had no option but to flee to safer areas. “The incident, which occurred between Sept. 17 and 22, was caused by heavy rainfall and the coming of more water from River Niger, which submerged some communities.…

THE Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, on Tuesday, said the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and President Bola Tinubu were aware of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle’s alleged involvement with the banditry in the state. The governor added that he had reported the minister to the NSA and the President and presented some facts to them. This is coming after Matawalle, a former Zamfara governor, denied having ties with bandits in the state. Speaking on Channels Television, Matawalle had challenged Governor Dauda and General Ali Gusau(retd.) to swear by the Holy Quran that they have no involvement…

FORMER Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle has dismissed allegations of aiding banditry levelled against him by the state Governor, Dauda Lawal. Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence, challenged politicians including Zamfara Governor to swear on the Quran to prove their innocence in the banditry crisis plaguing the state. “I was the only governor to swear on the Holy Quran that I have no hand in banditry. “I challenged all the politicians, including General Ali Gusau and Dauda Lawal, to do the same. None of them could take the oath, and if they don’t take the oath, that means they…

STUDENTS and staff members of Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, who were kidnapped by bandits, have regained their freedom after seven months in captivity. Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, confirmed the release in a report via X on Monday. The victims were reportedly kidnapped during an attack in the Gusau area in February of this year. However, Zagazola did not further explain the circumstances behind their release, and whether or not a ransom was paid. He added that security forces were said to have played a crucial role in their rescue “Abducted students of Federal University Gusau…

RESIDENTS of towns and villages along river Benue in Taraba State have started relocating and harvesting their crops as water begins to submerge farms following the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon Republic. Findings revealed that the volume of water has started increasing in River Benue as farms located close to the river are being submerged. Jalo Ibbi, a boat operator in Ibbi town which is located by the River Benue, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview that volume of water in the Rivers had started increasing in the last 20 hours. He said rice farms which…

A SOKOTO Chief Magistrate Court has granted bail to Shafi’u Umar, who is standing trial for allegedly circulating falsehoods against Governor Ahmad Aliyu and his wife on social media. Umar, 37, who was the Special Assistant to former Gov Aminu Tambuwal, is charged with circulating injurious falsehood defamatory content against the incumbent governor and his wife. The prosecution said the defendant circulated a video of the governor’s wife, Fatima Aliyu, “ spraying” money during her birthday ceremony despite the present hardships faced by citizens. The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was earlier remanded in a correctional…

CORPSES of 10 of the victims of the boat accident that occurred on Saturday at Gummi, Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State have been recovered. The bodies were said to have been recovered Tuesday night. This is even as 22 of the passengers of the accidented boat are still missing five after the mishap. The state emergency agency yesterday said it had extended search efforts to neighbouring villages. The boat capsized in the Mashayar Yan Tauri River and allegedly sank with all the passengers on board. The boat, said to be overloaded, collided with an oncoming empty boat that…

GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON has expressed immense pride in Munyal Simon Kwairanga following her historic performance at the ongoing 8th National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State, where she clinched three gold medals in gymnastics. Munyal, representing Gombe State at the competition, displayed exceptional skill in the Floor Exercise and Balance Beam, as well as securing the overall All-Around Best title. Governor Inuwa Yahaya commended Munyal for her talent, noting that her victory has not only brought honour to Gombe State but also showcased the potential of its youth on the national stage. He noted that with…

GOVERNOR  Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has said nobody can put fire in Bauchi “because we have a volume of water to quench the fire”. He said this when he received a delegation from the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday. He said, “We are together; nobody can put fire in Bauchi. We have a volume of water that will quench the fire, even my friend that said that did so because of he is annoyed. May be I have said something that annoyed him but it is not personal. “My friend is my…

THE governor of Zamfara State, Duada Lawal, has expressed happiness over the recent killing of a notorious bandit kingpin, Halilu Sububu, by the military, stating that other bandits including Bello Turji are now in disarray. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Governor Lawal explained that the remaining bandits in the state lack the capacity Sububu had. “I am one of the happiest persons concerning what we are going through in Zamfara State as far as banditry is concerned. As you know Halilu Sububu was one of the major kingpins in terms of banditry…

FOUR persons have reportedly died from suspected cholera outbreak in Yola North local government area of Adamawa State. Chairman of the local government, Barrister Jibril Ibrahim, confirmed the incident to journalists in Yola on Sunday. Jibrin listed the affected communities with the suspected outbreak to include Alkawa, Ajiya, and Limawa wards, saying 40 other people are receiving treatment at the Specialist Hospital, Yola. The LG chairman added that health officials are closely monitoring the situation, and samples collected from the outbreaka have tested positive for Vibrio cholerae 01 serotype at Yola Specialist Hospital. We need immediate support from the state…

ABOUT forty persons were said to have lost their lives on Saturday in a boat mishap in Gummi town, the headquarters of Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The Director of Emergency at the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), Hassan Dauran, told Channels Television that the boat was carrying about 50 passengers when the tragic accident occurred. He said that only few of them were rescued alive at that moment, while the majority of the passengers, mostly women and children could not make it alive. An eye witness account said the deceased persons were going to their farms…

BANDITS have attacked Kurfi General Hospital in Kurfi local government area of Katsina state, shooting a security guard and abducting four women, including the wife of one of the health officials on duty. A reliable source from the area told our reporter that three of the bandits who entered the hospital around 10:45am unarmed, later engaged the guardsman who intercepted them to inquire about their mission at the hospital. “Whey they started arguing, the watchman quickly went and locked the hospital gate, unknown to him that other armed members of the attackers were outside. “They jumped over the wall fence…

THREE soldiers of the Nigerian Army and four personnel of the Nigeria Police Force have been killed while repelling bandits’ attack on Zamfara highway on Thursday. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Dalijan, said the bandits planned to attack a construction company working along the highway. He said joint security forces of the police and the Army mobilised to the scene, but unfortunately, the bandits laid an ambush and opened fire on them. The police commissioner noted that the troops fought gallantly while repelling the attack. “The bandits had wanted to enter Setraco camp to abduct some staff of Setraco…

ARMED bandits have blocked the ever-busy Gusau – Funtua highway, kidnapping unspecified number of travellers. Yusuf Tsafe, a commuter who is still stranded around the area told this newspaper that the bandits stormed the highway in the early hours of Thursday and mounted a roadblock around the Tazame axis of the road. According to him, the bandits in their large numbers with about 50 motorcycles, each carrying 3 persons, abducted an unspecified number of travellers “They entered the road around 7 am, and till around 9am, they were still there, we just parked by the roadside waiting for the military…

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University branch, has declared a total and indefinite strike over a litany of unmet demands. This is the first time the academic body in the university is taking an internal strike action since the institution was founded in 2003. The decision was taken after a congress meeting held in the institution on Wednesday. Addressing newsmen on Wednesday, ASUU branch Chairman, Dr Suleiman Salihu Jauro, said the strike action became necessary as a result of poor teaching and learning activities at the university. He said over the years, the union had tried…