The numbers tell us that the Nigerian State is being overwhelmed by gun wielding terrorists, bandits and militants. On Wednesday, Kaduna State presented its 2020 security report. The numbers are frightening – 937 people were killed, 1,972 people kidnapped for ransom and 7195 cattle were rustled just last year. The most affected area in the State is Birnin Gwari, the Emir of which described graphically the “normal” reality they live in – 200 to 300 heavily armed men will surround a village; kill, abduct, steal, burn their food stores regularly. Rape and sexual violence have also reached industrial levels. The…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis says payment of outstanding community levies for the development of ECOWAS institutions will be the focus at the Extraordinary Session on March 23, in Freetown, Sierra-Leone. Tunis disclosed this at an interactive session with newmen on Thursday in Abuja in commemoration of the first anniversary of the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament. The Community Level Assessment Report by the ECOWAS Commission, Member States owed about 797 million dollars as outstanding community levy in the last 16 years. To address this, Tunis said that strategies on ensuring outstanding and subsequent payments would be…
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for collective engagement, commitment and synergy among stakeholders to end the scourge of school invasions by criminal elements in the country. The President of the association, Mr Sunday Asefon, made the call in Abuja on Thursday at the national inauguration of the newly elected officials of the association. Asefon said the nation had witnessed the unfortunate bullying, kidnapping, sometimes killing of school kids both males and females within the learning premises. “This time calls for collective engagement, efforts, commitment and synergy to end this scourge of school invasions. “This ridiculous trend…
The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria has called on the Federal government to urgently address the nation’s security challenges. The traditional rulers, who made the appeal at the end of a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja on Thursday, expressed concern over cases of kidnappings and banditry in some parts of the country. The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, who spoke on behalf of the traditional rulers, said their meeting with the president harped on the need for the government to urgently curb he menace. He said: “We gathered ourselves and feel that…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Africa is poised to surpass four million COVID-19 infections this week, since the first confirmed case on the continent was announced in February 2020. WHO Regional Office for Africa disclosed this in a statement issued from its headquarters in Brazzaville, Congo, on Thursday. The statement stated that Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, disclosed this at a virtual press conference that the fight against the virus was receiving a boost with the arrival of vaccines. “The year-long battle against the virus, which has also claimed over 106, 000 lives, is now receiving…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors forum, has pledged to support the Federal government in tackling security challenges in the country. Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, who led his counterparts for the meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, told newsmen that the nation’s security challenges, including banditry and insurgency, required the cooperation of all, irrespective of party difference. He assured that PDP governors were ready to work with the Federal government in tackling the problem. The governors in attendance at the meeting, which held at Sokoto Governor’s Lodge included Mr Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Bello Muhammad (Zamfara), Ifeanyi…
The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA) has written to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking justice for one of its members recently murdered by kidnappers back home. The victim, Prince Dennis Abuda, was abducted on the Auchi-Benin road in Edo on Jan. 30, while returning to the U.S. after visiting his home town of Fugar. Four days later, the police found his decomposing body with bullet wounds on the Lagos-bound bypass in Benin after ransom was paid on him. The kidnappers reportedly shot him dead after he slumped while being forced into the forest. Nothing has been heard of the case…
Bauchi state has received the first batch of 80,570 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccine, which arrived the state via the Yakubu Gowon Airport Jos on Tuesday, was received at the Bauchi Cold store by the deputy governor and chairman taskforce committee on COVID-19, Mr Baba Tela. Commending the Federal government for the allocation, he said the vaccines would be administered first on political office holders, traditional and religious leaders, security agencies and frontline health workers. “The political office holders and traditional leaders will be vaccinated to demonstrate that the vaccine is safe”. The vaccines will be distributed to…
The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been given the final approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for its demutualisation exercise. The NSE said in a statement on Wednesday that the demutualisation process had been completed with these final approvals. Under the demutualisation plan, a new non-operating holding company, the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (‘NGX Group’) has been created. The Group will have three operating subsidiaries: Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX Limited), the operating exchange; NGX Regulation Limited (NGX REGCO), the independent regulation company and NGX Real Estate Limited (NGX RELCO). The statement said…
The Vice Chancellor of Sokoto State University, Prof. Sani Dangoggo has said that 36 of the 1,473 students that would graduate in a combined 1st, 2nd and 3rd convocation, will be conferred with first class degrees. He stated this during a pre-convocation press conference at Board room of the university on Tuesday. According to Dangoggo, 1,473 students were graduating from 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and 2019/2020 sessions, adding that the convocation, scheduled for Saturday, would be the first since the university establishment in July 2009. According to him, while the convocation lecture will be delivered by vice president Yemi Osinbajo will on…