Headlines

The Kano State Police Command, on Monday, banned all forms of protests in the state, with immediate effect.

This followed intelligence received by the Command that the two dominant parties; the New Nigeria People’s Party, and the All Progressives Congress have assembled a crowd to embark on a protest, without the endorsement of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

At least 23 local government areas in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states are battling to survive as kidnappers, cattle rustlers and bandits make life difficult for them.

Findings by News Agency of Nigeria states that affected residents were being forced to migrate, enter into an agreement with the criminals or live a life of uncertainty.

Similarly, residents said local government areas worst affected are Isa, Sabon Birni, Gwadabawa, Illela, Tangaza and Goronyo in Sokoto state.

NAN gathered that residents had been forced to abandon their farms, while some villages had been deserted across the affected LGAs.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, Mallam Abubakar Bawa, said the state government was aware of the enormity of the situation

Bawa said, “We are giving priority to ensuring a safe environment. Addressing security challenges has remained top on our administration’s nine-point agenda.

“Our target as a government is to ensure that citizens sleep with their two eyes closed and continue to live and relate peacefully with one another.”

Bawa further noted the Nigerian Army, police and other security agencies had been sustaining efforts to secure the areas.

Also, the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufai, said the Commissioner of Police, Ali Kaigama, had been engaging residents to facilitate the flow of actionable information to address banditry and other criminalities.

The police spokesman said local governments in the eastern parts of Sokoto State were mostly affected by the security challenges.

Also in Zamfara State, a civil society activist, Faruk Shehu, said many communities in the 14 LGAs of the state have been displaced, with residents of Maru, Anka, Shinkafi, Maradun, Zurmi, Gusau and Bungudu LGAs worst affected.

Shehu said previous attempts at dialogue with the bandits had failed, resulting in the escalation of the security challenges in the state.

“The security challenges in the state started as cattle rustling and later transformed into banditry and kidnapping,” Shehu said.

He expressed the hope that the ongoing engagement started by Governor Dauda Lawal with the military and other security agencies would lead to an escalation of attacks on the bandits to secure the areas they have dominated.

The situation in Kebbi State has already claimed the lives of at least 2,500 people between 2019 and 2023, according to Bamaiyi An’iko, the Secretary of Zuru Development Foundation.

An’iko said the 2,500 people were killed in Danko, Wasagu, Fakai, Sakaba and Zuru LGAs, all under Zuru Emirate.

He said bandits have been attacking and displacing rural communities in the emirate, adding that some communities around Bena, Danko, Wasagu had come under siege or total control of the bandits.

“Some communities had to sign an agreement with the bandits,” the foundation’s secretary said, adding that, “There are a lot of Internally Displaced Persons requiring urgent provision of relief materials, including food and toiletries, clothes and mats.”

The state Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Tafida, said the government was determined to end the security challenges and would continue to provide support for victims of bandits’ attacks who have been forced to leave their homes.

He said, “The state government, under the leadership of Dr. Nasir Idris, will leave no stone unturned in making sure that banditry comes to an end in the state.”

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor,  Ahmad Idris, said, “The government is doing its best to ensure that the situation is fully tackled.”

The Director,  Defence Media Operation, Maj. Gen.  Edward Buba, admitted that insecurity is widespread in the North-West region.

He added that the military had deployed troops to various locations in the region to address the scourge.

Buba said, “The issue of insecurity is quite widespread in North-West of the country.  It is for this reason troops are strategically deployed to address the situation through Joint Task Force Operation Hadrin Daji; and Operation Whirl Punch, both of which are in the North-West.

 “Periodic reports that have been made available to the media have indicated incremental improvements in the security situation as a result of these operations.”

President Bola Tinubu has refushuffled the portfolios to some of the ministerial members of his cabinet.

A statement released on Sunday,, August 20 by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale stated that Abubakar Momoh was redeployed from the Federal Ministry of Youth to the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and Adegboyega Oyetola was redeployed as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

Ajuri, further, expressed that the Federal Ministry of Youth would be reassigned to a minister-designate soon.

Other intending cabinet members include Bunmi Tunji-Ojo and Hon. Sa’idu Alkali who were redeployed as the Minister of Interior and Minister of Transportation respectively.

Disclosed that both Ministers of State in the Oil & Gas sector have been domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources,Ajuri stressed that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has been assigned the portfolio of Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources, while Ekperipe Ekpo was named the Minister of State (Gas), Petroleum Resources.

“The president has approved the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management as the Federal Ministry of Environment. All aforementioned changes take immediate effect by these directives of the President,” the statement added.

A Human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has demanded the immediate release of the embattled Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa.

Leadingreporters earlier reported that Bawa was invited by the State Security Service and probed for alleged financial impropriety under his watch.

He has been in the custody of the Department of State Services for exactly 67 days since June 14, 2023.

In a statement issued on Sunday August, 20 in Lagos, Falana said the remand order for Bawa had expired, stressing thatthe Department of State Services lacks the legal backing to continually detain Bawa.

“In view of the fact that Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa has not been charged with any criminal offence whatsoever, the State Security Service ought to have released him from custody. I am not unaware of the claim that Mr. Bawa is being detained on the basis of a remand order issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory.

“It ought to be pointed out that the remand order has become spent, invalid and illegal as no magistrate has the power under Section 493 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 or Section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria to authorise the detention of a criminal suspect for 67 days without trial.he added.

According to the statement, “Indeed, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the cumulative lifespan of a remand order is 56 days.

Noting that Bawa’s detention has exceeded the permitted period by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the Constitution of Nigeria, Falana advised the State Security Service to release Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa from illegal custody without any further delay.

“The Federal Government should ensure that the rights of Messrs Emefiele and Bawa are respected by the State Security Service and the office of the Director of Public Prosecution in the Federal Ministry of Justice, even though the duo had a penchant for disobeying the orders of the courts when they were in office.

“The plight of both suspects should be a lesson for all public officers in Nigeria who always behave as if there will be no tomorrow. However, the Government which rules by law is under a legal obligation not to breach the fundamental rights of citizens except in a manner prescribed by the Constitution of Nigeria.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Friday launched a book documenting the COVID-19 Vaccination Experiences of Northern States in Nigeria to mitigate impact and response to vaccine acceptance in the country.

Executive Director, CITAD Dr. Yunusa Ya’u represented at the book launch by the Coordinator Public Education of COVID-19 Vaccine, Hamza Ibrahim stated the book is important to decipher the issues of disinformation and misinformation regarding response to vaccine.

Ya”u, noted that during the last COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the nation, people were reluctant to accept the vaccines due to rumors about its effect which was widely spread on social media.

He further explained that the issue of hesitancy is not only around COVID-19 vaccine, but it’s also around immunisation and a host of others hence the need to document
experiences regarding vaccination exercise in the 19 Northern states while taking into consideration various hindrances and challenges specific to the entire states.

His words:

“The prevalent misinformation or disinformation or hindrance to accepting the COVID-19 will be different from one state to another. And we think this, if documented, can help in future initiatives aimed at addressing the future pandemics.

“So these are experiences of vaccination exercises from nineteen to northern states. And they are beautiful experiences because they have been collated from the primary health care development agencies.

“There are many issues and this is the reason why we came up with this book, and we highlighted the number of strategies that different states developed and has worked for them in the vaccination exercises.”

He added that the book will serve as a learning tool and serve as a way for people to respond to vaccination issues in future.

“In case anything comes up in the future, this book really vital, it is well-detailed with several strategies that can help to respond to vaccination issues.

“Today we are happy to say that we are formally unveiling the book to be distributed to different states and libraries for people to read and benefit from what has been implemented”.