Author: Sani Nura

THE bandits, who abducted 16 students of a Qur’anic school in Sokoto State have demanded a N20 million ransom. The proprietor of the school locally known as Tsangaya, Liman Abubakar, revealed this to our reporter on Tuesday. “I received two calls from them this morning (Tuesday’s morning). In the first call, they asked me whether I don’t care about the plight of my students that was why I didn’t contact them. I told them I didn’t have their contact. “They then asked me to wait for another call around 11am. Some minutes after 11am, they called again and directed me…

TRAGEDY struck in Borno on Tuesday as fire gutted the Muna Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the Muna area of the state. The incident that happened in the Muna Alamdari IDP camp in Maiduguri led to the loss of two children’s lives. As of the time of filing this report, the remote cause of the fire could not be ascertained. Also, the Borno State Police Command or the state government are yet to comment on the incident. Borno has been ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency for over a decade which has left thousands dead and displaced many people.

AS the Ramadan fast commences today, the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State,  Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has urged the Muslim Ummah and the entire citizenry to utilize this sacred month for fervent prayers, seeking relief amid present economic hardships, and praying for peace, development, and prosperity of Gombe State and Nigeria at large. In a goodwill message, Governor Inuwa called for collective efforts in finding new solutions to the security and socio-economic challenges facing the nation, acknowledging the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governors to address the current difficulties. He…

NINE out of the 102 Gamboru-Ngala, Borno State IDPs reportedly abducted by Boko Haram insurgents while fetching firewood in the bush on Sunday, March 4, have returned home. While media reports confirmed by locals that the young IDPs were abducted Boko Haram, with further confirmation by the UN, which condemned the abduction of over 200 IDPs, the Borno State government dismissed the abduction narrative, arguing that they only lost their way back home from the wilderness. “In fact, we don’t even believe that they were abducted,” Dr. Barkindo Mohammed Saidu, the Durector-General, Borno SEMA, who led the state government fact-finding…

BANDITS have reportedly kidnapped dozens of Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso in Gada local government area of Sokoto state. Our reporter gathered that the students were abducted from their school around 1:am on Saturday. The propiretor of the school, Liman Abubakar, told our reporter that 15 students were unaccounted so far but “we are still counting.” According to Abubakar, the bandits invaded the town around 1am, shot one person and abducted a woman. “As they were leaving the town, they sighted our students rushing into their rooms and they kidnapped many of them. “We have so far counted 15 who…

THE Federal Government has raised the alarm over maternal and infant mortality in Sokoto State, saying 44 out of 100 newborn babies in the state die. It, therefore, sought homegrown solutions to maternal and infant fatality in and across the state. The Special Adviser in charge of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Health, Salma Ibrahim, made the recommendation during a courtesy call on Governor Ahmed Aliyu on Thursday. She disclosed that Sokoto State still has the highest burden of maternal and infant death in the country. “Most of the newborn deaths occurred in the state. According to the NBS survey…

THE Area Controller of the Sokoto/Zamfara Area Command of the Nigeria Customs, Comptroller Kamal Mohammed, has assured stakeholders at the Illela border that all is set for the reopening of the border pending the last order from higher authorities. Speaking at the Nigeria Customs Illela border Station during a working visit, Mohammed said with the lift of ECOWAS sanctions on Niger Republic and subsequent restoration of power supply to Niger Republic, the reopening of the border will follow sooner than later. Accompanied by members of his management team, the Comptroller appealed to members of the border community to remain calm…

CONCERNED by the epileptic supply of electricity in Kebbi State, Governor Nasir Idris has invited the Managing Director of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) for a roundtable discussion on how to achieve 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to the state throughout the holy month of Ramadan. Governor Idris, while expressing dissatisfaction over the electricity challenge in the state, said he has entered into agreement with the electricity distribution company to ensure regular power supply to the state during the Ramadan. “I have invited the managing director of KAEDCO for a roundtable discussion. We need to put smiles on the faces…

BOKO Haram insurgents have reportedly abducted dozens of female internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ngala, the headquaters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, a local source told Daily Trust. A security source, who confided in our correspondent, also confirmed the abduction but said, “what we heard is around 113” were abducted. However, a source from the Babban Sansani IDPs camp, told our correspondent that the incident happened last Sunday, when the women went to fetch firewood in the bush for domestic and commercial purposes. “They were surrounded by the insurgents in Bula kunte bush in the western part of Ngala…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intercepted 21 food trucks heading to neighbouring countries. Announcing the seizure in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency said the items were heading towards N’djamena, Chad Republic, Central African Republic and Cameroon. According to the statement, the seizure was made by operatives of the EFCC Maiduguri Zonal Command. “The trucks were intercepted in a sting operation at major exit routes along Kalabiri/Gamboru Ngala and Bama roads, Borno State,” the statement read. “Investigation showed food items cleverly concealed in the trucks that would have gone undetected but for…

THE Katsina State Police Command has announced a substantial reward of N50m to any individual who provides valuable information that will lead to the arrest of two bandits’ kingpins in Katsina. The wanted individuals, according to a statement issued by the police spokesperson in Katsina, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, are Modi Modi and Jan Kare, both operating within Katsina State, particularly in the regions of Kankara and Safana Local Government Areas. “The safety and well-being of the residents of the state are of paramount importance and the Katsina State Government and Katsina State Police Command, as well as other sister…

ZAMFARA State Government says it has verified 3,079 retirees in an effort to pay the backlog of gratuities owed by previous administrations. Retired state and local government workers in Zamfara State have not received their gratuities since 2011, which have accumulated over the years according to the state government. A statement by the spokesperson for the Zamfara Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that a total of 1746 pensioners from both the state and local government received two tranches of payment amounting to N2,312,841,065.08. The statement added that the second tranche of verified pensioners’ gratuity payments began last Friday, bringing relief…

GOMBE State is set to host the Vice President of Nigeria, Sen.  Kashim Shettima, on Monday, March 4th, 2024. VP Shettima will be in Gombe to launch the Outsource To Nigeria Initiative (OTNI) and commission the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Centre. The BPO center, the first in the Northeast sub-region and the biggest of its kind in Nigeria, is set to provide not less than 2,000 job opportunities to the vibrant and talented youth population of Gombe state in line with the visionary leadership of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya. With the BPO center now established in Gombe, located at the…

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed cement companies to go back to the status quo as regards to the price of the commodity. Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, revealed this to newsmen shortly after inspecting BUA cement factory in Sokoto on Thursday. According to him, during a meeting with the manufacturers, the president directed them to revert to the earlier price of cement. “I want to encourage them to abide by the directive of Mr. President so that we can achieve massive housing programme and the renewed hope agenda of concrete roads of by the President,” he said. Umahi…

ABOUT 250 schools across Zamfara State will benefit from scores of educational materials to be distributed by the Zamfara State Government across the State. This was revealed by the State Governor himself, Dauda Lawal at a handing-over ceremony in the state on Thursday. While presenting the learning materials to the beneficiary schools, Lawal explained that the educational materials were a result of collaborations between the Universal Basic Education (UBEB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Lawal described education as the “bedrock” of civilization, hence, the need for collaboration. “This gesture is one of the many Zamfara stands to benefit…

THE Katsina State Police Command, in collaboration with the Military, has rescued ten kidnap victims between Kukar Babangida and Yan Gayya Feeder Road in the state. This was coming on Sunday 25th February 2024, at about 10:40 hrs, after a joint patrol team, while on routine patrol along the feeder road, came under serious fire by some suspected bandits in their numbers, armed with dangerous weapons such as AK-47 rifles. A statement by the Katsina Police Command spokesman Abubakar Aliyu on Tuesday noted that the operationally competent patrol team promptly returned fire and succeeded in foiling the attack thereby rescuing…

SEVEN out of the twenty-four members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly at a sitting on Monday suspended sixteen members who threatened to impeach the Speaker of the House Bilyaminu Moriki last Thursday. They accused the members of breaking into the offices of the clerk of the house and sergeant at arms and destroying things at the assembly complex The House under the leadership of its Speaker Moriki described as illegal, the legislative sitting by eighteen members last Thursday. They called on residents of the North-West state to disregard the news making the round that the speaker had been…

THE Zamfara State House of Assembly has impeached its Speaker, Bilyaminu Moriki, and appointed Bashar Gummi, as the pro-tempo speaker. This followed a motion by a member representing Maru Constituency, Nasiru Abdullahi, and endorsed by 18 out of the 24 members. The 18 out of 24 members unanimously agreed to impeach the speaker during an emergency meeting held on Thursday night. The Speaker, according to the members, was suspended due to security challenges affecting the state without any attempt by the House to stop the menace by the House. The members urged the appointed pro-temporal Speaker to use his position…

GOVERNOR Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya CON, has been presented with several prestigious awards earned by him and other MDAs in recognition of his outstanding leadership and steadfast dedication to good governance in Gombe State. The awards, garnered across diverse sectors including education, good governance, e-governance, Hajj performance, peace and security and more, were presented to the Governor by his deputy, Dr. Manasah Daniel Jatau, at a brief ceremony shortly before the commencement of today’s State Executive Council meeting at the Government House Gombe. The awards presented include The Sun Newspaper Governor of the Year 2023, The Telegraph Newspaper Governor of the…

BANDITS on Tuesday afternoon kidnapped over 26 travelers along the Gusau-Sokoto highway. The bandits who were said to have blocked the road around Kwaren Kirya village under Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State abducted all the passengers from a Toyota 18 seater bus and a Volkswagen golf vehicle A resident of the area who pleaded anonymity for security reasons told News Point Nigeria that the situation is getting worrisome as the bandits now block the road daily. “As I’m talking to you now, about 30 minutes ago, these bandits have blocked another side of the road. They cleared the…