Author: Sani Nura

A MEMBER of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Aminu Ibrahim, who represents Kaura Namoda State Constituency, is in police custody over alleged banditry and kidnapping. The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, confirmed the arrest of the lawmaker in an exclusive interview with our correspondent. He revealed also that the District Head of Kaura Namoda, Alhaji Jafaru Abdullahi Kumburki and a former chairman of the LGA, Nasiru Muhammad, are in police custody over similar allegations. The police commissioner said three district heads of Danjibga, Bukkuyum and Unguwar Gyauro in Tsafe and Bukkuyum LGAs, whose names…

GUNMEN on Thursday opened fire on vigilantes who were observing magrib prayers at a checkpoint near Tashar -Fulani in Ukya village in Toto LGA of Nasarawa State and killed one of them. A vigilante, who sustained bullet wounds and was receiving treatment at the Toto General Hospital, said, “Whenever we are about leaving the checkpoint in the evening, we observe the magrib prayers. So, as we were praying, Aminu Adamu went to remove the logs of wood with which we mounted the roadblock. We then started hearing gunshots and Aminu was killed on the spot.” The Chairman of Toto LGA,…

SUSPECTED Boko Haram terrorists have attacked Jakana Police station in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, killing a policeman and a woman, while carting away arms and ammunition. According to security sources, the insurgents also set ablaze two patrol vehicles and a motorcycle. Our correspondent gathered that the attackers, who took the security operatives by surprise, arrived at the police station around 1:00am and engaged in a gun duel with the officers until 3:00 am “They overpowered them and gained access into the police station and looted arms and ammunition and destroyed 2 patrol vehicles.” “One of the vehicles…

THE Sokoto State Government have resolved not to participate in the planned national protest against bad governance. The decision was taken at the stakeholders’ interactive session which was attended by political, religious, and student union leaders as well as labour leaders among others held on Friday. Governor Ahmed Aliyu disclosed their stand, stating the participants unanimously resolved not to participate in the protest because “it is counterproductive”. “The governor expressed concern over the current hardship in the country occasioned by the economic downturn, inflation, and insecurity,” he said. He highlighted some of the benefits his administration has rolled out to…

AN explosion suspected to be a planted Improvised Explosive Device (Bomb) has exploded at the popular Buni Yadi market in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. A resident of Buni, Ali Hassan told this newspaper correspondent via telephone, that the incident happened at around 12.30 pm this afternoon, injuring a girl. The spokesman of the Sector 2 Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Muhammad Shehu also confirmed the incident, saying another IED planted in the market was discovered and successfully detonated by the Army. He further explained the only victim of the explosion, is currently receiving treatment at…

GOMBE State has received an award, emerging with an AA rating in the Climate Governance Performance Ranking among the 36 states of Nigeria. This recognition was bestowed on Gombe State by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) during a high-level event held in Abuja. Gombe State was ranked second in the country, accumulating 128 points, just behind Lagos, which clinched the first position with 182 points. Ebonyi, Borno, and Ekiti states followed in third and fourth positions, respectively. The ranking was based on five themes: Climate Change Institutional Arrangements and Administrative…

THE Arewa Coalition For Justice (ACJ) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider the cancellation of the Katsina-Kankara/Dutsinma-Mararaba road projects. The call was made during a press conference by the group in Kaduna on Monday. According to the group, the cancellation was based on recommendation by the Katsina state governor, Dikko Radda and a presidential aide, Ibrahim Masari, describing the move as anti-people suggestion. “We were elated by this development, as it promised to significantly improve the quality of life for residents of the adjoining communities and stimulate economic activities in a region plagued by banditry. “However, we…

A POLICE sergeant has shot dead his father, ASP Wadzani Ntasiri, who was a retired Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), following a brawl on Sunday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The police sergeant, who was identified as Linus Wadzani, is a mobile police personnel with MOPOL 6 Maiduguri, and serves as a security personnel at the Borno State House of Assembly complex. Confirming the incident to this newspaper on Monday at the headquarters of the State’s police command in Maiduguri, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Nahum Daso, said the murderd father of the trigger-happy policeman served…

THE joint task force in the Northeast, Operation Hadin Kai, has rescued another Chibok girl from Sambisa Forest in Borno State. Theatre Commander, Maj General Waheed Shuaibu, made this known while handing her and her two children over to the Borno State Government at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Monday. According to him, Ehi Abdul, 27, was married to a notorious terrorist, Abu Dada who abandoned her in Gwoza in 2014 and fled to Senegal. Ehi and her two children were rescued by sector one of Operation Hadin Kai in Sambisa forest during an operation.

KATSINA State Government has introduced “Iddah Period Law”, to enable female civil servants to stay home for four months and ten days should they lose their husbands. Islamically, Iddah Period is observed when a woman loses her husband. The introduction of the new law came after the State House of Assembly passed a motion, seeking the state government to look into the issue of Iddah Period which was graciously approved by the Executive Arm, working on recommendations tabled by the Executive Council Members. The Katsina State Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Falalu Bawale disclosed this in an exclusive interview with…

A MAX airline aircraft lost six tyres while attempting to take off from the Yola Airport in Adamawa on Sunday evening. The airline’s Director of Public and Consumer Protection Bimbo Oladeji said the aircraft was carrying 119 passengers and six crew members. “This evening, Max Air’s flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 with registration 5N-ADB, carrying 119 passengers and six crew members, was cleared for takeoff from Yola Airport en route to Abuja,” she said in a statement late Sunday. “During the takeoff roll, a loud bang was heard, identified as the bursting of the rear gear tyres. Initially, two tyres…

POLICE anti-bomb squad, Friday night deactivated an improvised explosive device planted near a primary healthcare centre in the Maiduguri metropolis. The IED was discovered by residents around Mala Kachalla General Hospital at the federal low-cost along Baga Road around midnight. According to an eyewitness, the IED did not explode as it was discovered on time. The police anti-bomb squad was alerted and they deactivated the device without any casualty. “We discovered this bomb planted near Mala Hospital around midnight. We called on the police anti-bomb squad and they mobilised and got to the place immediately but they could not deactivate…

GUNMEN suspected to be bandits have ambushed and killed the Chief of Chanchanji HRH Alhaji Tanimu Kunbiya, and his son Yusuf Tanimu. The incident happened on Friday evening when the traditional ruler and his son were returning from a funeral service in Takum. A press statement issued by the special adviser to the governor on media and digital communication, Emmanuel Bello, said Governor Agbu Kefas received with deep sadness the news of the death of the traditional ruler and his son. The governor described as tragic how the late revered monarch was hacked to death. According to the statement, the…

GOVERNOR Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State has signed into law six new bills, including amendments to the Sokoto Local Government and Chieftaincy Law, which has stirred controversy within and beyond the state. One notable change in the amended law is the removal of the Sultan’s authority to appoint district and village heads. During the signing ceremony held on Thursday, Governor Aliyu stressed that the amendments were not intended to target any individual or group but rather to enhance governance in the state. “We have observed with concern the unnecessary tension caused by our proposal to amend these laws. Some reactions…

THE Taraba State Government has suspended seven school principals over alleged involvement in sabotaging Governor Kefas’s free education policies. Their offences range from collecting WAEC and NECO fees to asking students to pay for examination numbers before sitting for exams. This follows a series of investigations and in some instances, they were caught in the act. Though the names of the affected principals were not made public, the institutions they head are Government Day Secondary School Kofai in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; Salihu Dogo Secondary School in Jalingo, and the Government Day Secondary School’s Kununi in Lau, LGA. Others are…

THE Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Katsina State, Prof. Armaya’u Bichi, has alleged that some of the university’s staff are serving as informants to bandits. This newspaper reports that bandits have been attacking the area, kidnapping students and staffers of the university as well as their family members. Exactly a week ago, bandits stormed the residence of Dr Tiri Gyan David, Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development of FUMA, killing him and abducting his children. Briefing newsmen on Tuesday, Bichi said the contacts of suspected staff had been given to a security agency for further…

BANDITS dressed in a ‘Hijab’ otherwise known as Abaya have kidnapped 26 persons mostly women and children in an attack on the Runka community of Safana Local Government Area, Katsina State. Runka community is just a few kilometres away to the dreaded Rugu Forest which has over the years been harbouring criminals. A source in the community told Channels Television in a telephone call on Monday that the hoodlums invaded the area on Saturday night at about 10:00 p.m. He said the assailants shot sporadically in several places around the community. He claimed that the attack was a result of…

A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Kaduna State has adjourned to July 17th to hear the case filed by the former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, against the State House of Assembly and the Attorney General of the State. El-Rufai is challenging the House committee’s report which accused him of corruption. At the commencement of the hearing of the case on Monday, counsel to the first respondent, the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Sani Katu, SAN, informed the court that they are in the process of filing a notice of preliminary objection, challenging the court’s jurisdiction to hear the…

GOMBE State Governor,  Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON is set to receive a distinguished award for excellence in governance. The award will be presented to the Governor by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR during the 2024 Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja tomorrow, Saturday, 6th July, 2024. Inuwa Yahaya will be honoured as the best performing Governor in Governance, Health Sector, in recognition of his significant contributions to healthcare development in the state. He was nominated for this prestigious award by the Presidency through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the…

THE Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Usman, on Tuesday, led residents to perform rain-seeking prayers widely attended by the residents in their numbers. The prayers held at about 8:00 am at the Eid Prayer Ground Mosque, were led by the Chief Imam of the Katsina Central mosque, Imam Gambo Mustapha. Participants attending the prayers called for the intensification of such prayers by the residents, to ensure a bumper harvest, for the ease of economic hardship, and a decrease in food prices, including the resolving of insecurity currently bedevilling the state. One of the participants of the prayer, Malam Abdurrahman Bature,…