Author: Mahmud Aliyu Dutse

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded a major upset on Saturday after defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polling unit of Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, during the Garki-Babura federal constituency by-election in Jigawa State. At Polling Unit 001, Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School, where the immediate past governor of Jigawa State cast his ballot under tight security, the PDP secured 308 votes, while the APC managed 112 votes. The minister, a chieftain of the APC, left the venue immediately after voting and declined to speak with journalists. The development has raised eyebrows within…

A GRUESOME incident has rocked Jigawa State as a mob lynched an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps while on assignment at the Shurawin market, Kiyawa Local Government Area. This newspaper reports that the incident, which occurred on Monday at about 2 pm, has left the community in shock. Confirming the incident, the NSCDC Jigawa State Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASC Badruddeen Tijjani, said the officer was attacked while on duty. “The officer was on assignment at the Shurawin market when the incident happened”, Tijjani said in a telephone interview with our correspondent. The incident occurred inside…

GOVERNOR Umar Namadi of Jigawa State disclosed that he reads his oath of office every day as a solemn reminder of his responsibilities to the people, stressing the spiritual weight of leadership and the fleeting nature of life. Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of the new chairman of Gumel Local Government at the Council Chambers of Government House, Dutse, the governor urged all public officials to embrace their duties with a sense of divine accountability. “If you go to my office today, you’ll find that same oath placed on my desk. I have kept it there intentionally,” he said. “Every…

THE Jigawa state government says it has earmarked N4.2 billion to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response services to the disaster. Dr Abdullahi Sa’id, Chairman, Local Emergency Management Committees said this on Wednesday during a town hall meeting in Ringim, headquarters of Ringim Local Government Area of the state. The meeting is being organised by the Jigawa State Environmental Protection Agency and the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency. Jigawa is one of the states predicted to experience floods this rainy season in the Nigerian Meteorological Agency 2025 Seasonal Climate Predictions. Sa’id said the fund has been approriated to mitigate flood…

IN a decisive move to combat the growing challenge of out-of-school children, Jigawa State has launched a statewide campaign aimed at revitalizing the Almajiri education system and reintegrating marginalized children into formal and non-formal education structures. The flag-off ceremony for the campaign took place in the state capital, Dutse, under the auspices of the Jigawa State Advocacy Committee for the Revitalization of Almajiri and Out-of-School Children. The event was formally launched by the Emir of Dutse, His Royal Highness Alhaji Muhammad Hamim Nuhu Sanusi, who was represented by Turakin Dutse, Alhaji Jamilu Basiru Sanusi. The committee’s chairman, Malam Abdullahi Yunusa,…

NINE persons lost their lives in a fatal motor accident in Kyaramma village, Ringim Local Government Area of JIgawa State. According to the Jigawa State Police Command, the accident, which occurred on Saturday at about 2 pm, involved two Golf 3 saloon vehicles and left several other persons injured. In a statement, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Shiisu Adam, revealed that one of the vehicles, with registration number Kaduna MKA 687 AY, was driven by Adamu Sunusi, a 35-year-old man from Hadejia LGA, and heading to Gujungu town from Abuja. According to preliminary investigations, Adam said the vehicles collided…

THE Jigawa State Police Command has announced a major breakthrough in its efforts to combat crime and criminality in the state. This was made public by the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdullahi while briefing journalists on Wednesday at the Command’s headquarters in Dutse, the state capital. According to the Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdullahi, the command has smashed a kidnapping ring, killing five members, arresting 5 out the the 12-member gang and 25 other suspects for alleged and varied crimes in the state. “We have achieved a major breakthrough in bursting a gang of kidnappers around Garki and…

JIGAWA Commissioner for Special Duties, Auwalu Danladi Sankara, has refunded N301 million as unspent funds from the 2025 Ramadan feeding programme to the state treasury. The refund was announced during a state executive council meeting presided over by Governor Malam Umar Namadi. Namadi commended the Commissioner for his boldness in upholding fiscal financial prudence in line with the state’s government financial fiscal discipline. The Ramadan Feeding Committee operated in 634 feeding centers, serving an estimated 5,706,000 meals during Ramadan. It fed 300 individuals per center on a daily basis. It incurred a total expenditure of ₦4,836,546,000.00, with ₦301,522,210.00 saved and…

FORMER Jigawa State Governor and stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has warned against the ongoing efforts to undermine Nigeria’s main opposition party, declaring that the destruction of the PDP could trigger a collapse of democracy in the country. Lamido, who is also a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, predicted that in the next five months, serious things may happen, insisting that the way people are leaving the PDP is very ominous for Nigeria. Speaking after his election as a National Delegate during the PDP Local Government Congress in Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State, Lamido expressed grave…

THE Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, has faulted recent remarks by former Chief of Army Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma, who urged Nigerians to defend themselves in the face of growing insecurity. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, Namadi warned that such a statement could lead to lawlessness. “He (Danjuma) is a very senior security person, and should be respected. But if he says that citizens should be allowed to defend themselves, I think you are causing anarchy. “His words need to be analysed carefully,” Namadi said. Namadi stressed that the government is…

A FIRE outbreak occurred at a filling station in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital, on Thursday evening. The incident happened at about 8pm at Shakkotu along Kiyawa Road, Dutse. According to eyewitnesses, the fire erupted when a fuel tanker exploded while offloading fuel at the station. They described the scene as chaotic, with people running for their lives. One of the eye witnesses, Baba Nura, told our correspondent, “I was nearby when I heard a loud explosion. I rushed to the scene and saw that the fuel tanker had burst and the fire surrounded almost everywhere in the filling station.”…

JIGAWA State Pilgrims Welfare Board has fixed 30th January as deadline for registration of intending pilgrims for the 2025 Hajj. A statement from the Director General, Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Ahmed Umar Labbo said the new deadline was as a result of adjustment by National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) of the 2025 calendar directing states pilgrims welfare boards and agencies to remit all collections by the 1st of February. Labbo added that the Jigawa State Board has so far exhausted over 40% of its allocation for this year’s Hajj since the commencement of the registration in September…

TWO weeks after a wedding ceremony in Jigawa State turned tragic, leaving one guest dead and the groom critically ill, events took a new turn with the arrest of the bride and her ex-lover. This newspaper reports that the incident, which occurred in the Jahun Local Government Area of the state, took a new turn following the arrest of the bride and her ex-lover by police investigators. Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the bride’s actions may have been allegedly driven by a personal vendetta. Although the police have yet to officially confirm the motive of the suspects and the exact…

AT least nine people have been killed and four others injured following a violent clash between villagers and Fulani settlers in Jigawa State, according to a statement from the state police command. The incident occurred after a group of miscreants, suspected to be Fulani, reportedly broke into a shop in Gululu village, Miga Local Government Area, and stole hibiscus and other provisions. In retaliation, some villagers traced the suspects’ footprints to a Fulani settlement camp in Yankunama village, Jahun LGA. Upon arrival, the villagers were met with an attack by Fulani settlers armed with bows and arrows, resulting in injuries…

A WEDDING in Jigawa State has turned tragic after a bride allegedly poisoned food served at the reception. The incident is said to have left the groom critically ill and one of the wedding guests dead. The incident occurred in the Jahun Local Government Area of the state. Eyewitnesses told this newspaper that the bride’s actions may have been driven by a personal vendetta. Speaking to this newspaper on Friday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Shi’isu Adam, confirmed the incident and said an investigation was underway. “We received a report that the bride had tainted the food served at…

JIGAWA State Governor, Umar Namadi, on Sunday, remarked that his son, Abdulwahab, and mother, Hajiya Maryam, died about a week after he gave out the hand of his daughter, Fatiha, in marriage. This newspaper reported that the governor’s son died last week in a road crash barely 24 hours after his mother died of an illness. On Sunday, Gombe State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Muhammadu Yahaya, led a delegation on a condolence visit to Kafin Hausa town in Jigawa State, to sympathise with Namadi. In his remarks, the Jigawa governor thanked his Gombe counterpart for…

DIRECTOR GENERAL of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has called on policymakers to leverage the unique strengths of their states to drive economic prosperity. The NITDA boss spoke at a capacity building workshop held at the FutureMap Academy in Hadejia, Jigawa State, on the theme “AI for Office Productivity, Design Thinking, Agriculture, Health, Education, Energy, and Climate Change.” Addressing the participants, including academics, professionals, startup founders, students, government officials and non-governmental organizations, Kashifu emphasized the need for policymakers to identify and harness resources. The DG cited Jigawa’s large pool of computer science graduates, saying they could…

TRAGEDY has once again struck the family of Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, following the death of his eldest son, Abdulwahab Umar Namadi, in a fatal car accident. The incident occurred barely 24 hours after the governor lost his mother, Hajiya Maryam Namadi. According to eyewitness accounts, Abdulwahab was returning from Kafin Hausa to Dutse with his friends when the vehicle he was driving lost control, causing it to somersault. While his friends sustained various degrees of injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Dutse General Hospital, Abdulwahab was pronounced dead at the scene. A close family source, who spoke…

ARRANGEMENTS have been concluded for a successful conduct of Annual General Meeting of Birnin-Kudu Old Boys Association (BIKOBA), the umbrella of the Old Students of Government Unity College, Birnin Kudu, Jigawa state, one of the famous Secondary Schools/Colleges in Northern Nigeria. This was disclosed by BIKOBA, National Publicity Secretary, Mahmud Ibrahim Kwari in a statement On Thursday. According to him, the  occasion scheduled to take place on Sunday the 29th day of December, 2024 by 9:00am at the Murtala Mohammed Library Hall along Ahmadu Bello Way Kano, will feature Public Lecture to be delivered by Prof. Ibrahim Baba Mohammed, a…

HAJIYA Maryam Namadi, the mother of Jigawa State Governor Mallam Umar Namadi, is dead. She died in the early hours of Wednesday. This was announced by Hamisu Mohammed Gumel, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, in a statement on Wednesday, According to the statement, her burial rites will take place at 4:30 PM in her hometown of Kafin Hausa, in accordance with Islamic traditions. The statement said the governor and his family requested prayers for the repose of her soul.