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Kano Orphanage Co-founder Laments Continuous Detention Of 16 Inmates
The co-founder of the Du Merci Centre Orphanage, Kano State, Prof. Richard Solomon Musa Tarfa, has urged the federal government to intervene in the continuous detention of 16 inmates of the orphanage, forcefully taken into custody by the Kano State Government.
He made the call in Abuja at a media conference.
He also lamented that the condition of the children, made up of seven males and nine females, was deteriorating by the day, due to inadequate care for them from the authorities.
He said that the 16 children, who were made up of seven males and nine females, had stopped schooling, while they have rapidly lost English communication skills, apart from that the religion of the children were been changed against their wish.
He urged the minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, to urgently intervene to ensure the timely release of the childrens.
Prof. Tarfa also urged relevant authorities in Kano to expedite actions to ensure the children are released before May 29, when the present administration is expected elapse, and hand over to a new administration especially now that the charges against him have been quashed.
According to him, himself and wife have suffered untold persecution since their ordeal started in 2002, when he was first arrested, charged with criminal abduction of minors and sentenced to prison before he was later vindicated by a superior court.
Tarfa, who was released from prison in January, 2023, said, it amounted to double jeopardy for the Kano State government to continue to hold on to the 16 children, against the backdrop of the judgment of superior court, which exonerated him.
“Initially, I and my wife were arrested, under the pretext that we were operating illegal orphanage. Du Merci was forcibly closed by the Kano State authorities.
When we eventually proved that the Centre was operating legally, they changed the charges to forceful abduction of minors. They have done everything to rope me but because I did nothing wrong, I have continued to triumph.
“In 2002, and following the intervention of the late Emir of Kano and a legal challenge in the wake of a similar raid, a High Court ruled that the Du Merci Centre was duly registered and was conducting a legitimate endeavour.
It also ordered the return of the children who had been seized. A copy of this ruling is also available easily.
“The pressing issue now is the release of the 16 children at my centre that were forcefully taken away. If their action is based on the allegation that I was operating illegally, now I have been exonerated. I want my children back. They need to be taken care of. They need to go to school,” Tarfa said.
He explained that himself and his wife opened the Du Merci Centre in 1996 to care for abandoned children in the Christian District of Sabon Gari of the state and that the centre provides accommodation for these children, who view them as parents and are educated and cared for until they are able to live successful independent lives.
He said, “The pressing issue now is the release of the 16 children at my Centre that were forcefully taken away. If their action is based on the allegation that I was operating illegally, now I have been exonerated. I want my children back. They need to be taken care of. They need to go to school.”
By Our Reporter
The National Productivity Centre, NPC organized the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2025 Productivity Club Quiz Competition, which brought together students from selected secondary schools in Abuja.
The event, held at the Newton Park hotel, Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja on Thursday, March 6, aimed to test participants’ knowledge on productivity and its concepts.
The competition featured students from eight secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT including: Government Secondary Schools Karu, Wuye, Apo Resettlement, Byazhin, Jabi, and Kurudu; as well as Government Day Secondary Schools Karu and Dutse Alhaji, all in the FCT.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General, Hon. Dr. Baffa Babba Dan’Agundi welcomed participants and observers, highlighting the aim of the programme.
Dr. Dan’Agundi said: “This unique programme is targeted at bringing young students together to showcase their knowledge of productivity they have acquired over the years, through the Productivity Coaching and Mentoring (PCM) Programme”.
Explaining further, he added that “Productivity Coaching and Mentoring Programme is an arm of the Productivity Awareness Campaign programme designed to take productivity messages to secondary schools to drive their productivity consciousness and introduce them to basic Productivity improvement tools and techniques, that would guide them on how to improve their productivity in their academic pursuit”.
The Executive Secretary, FCT Secondary Education Board, who was represented by Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman commended the Centre for impacting productivity knowledge to the students. He also encouraged the students to use the knowledge acquired to enhance their overall performance.
After a keenly contested finale, the quiz competition came to a thrilling conclusion with GDSS Dutse Alhaji emerging as the overall winner.
The second and third positions were secured by GSS Karu and GSS Byazhin, respectively.
The event was graced by distinguished guests, including the Director-General, National Productivity Centre, and his team of Directors, as well as Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman, who represented the Executive Secretary of FCT Secondary Education Board.
Hajia Maimuna Musa Adaji, Director/HOD Corporate Affairs and Information, delivered the Vote of Thanks.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday quizzed the immediate-past Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, for her alleged roles in the misappropriation, violation of procurement process and diversion of public funds of ₦138.4m in the course of disbursing the 2023 budgeted funds for the Ministry.
According to authoritative sources, the ex-minister arrived at the Commission’s headquarters around 11am on Thursday and faced interrogators on her alleged involvement in the fraud.
The sources claimed that investigations by the EFCC showed that funds donated for the funding of P- Bat Cares for Women Initiative were diverted for her self-enrichment.
She reportedly has not been admitted to administrative bail, as the sources added that investigations are still ongoing.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was one of the ministers President Bola Tinubu relieved of their duties in October 2024.
She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs by Tinubu on August 21, 2023.
A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of an Independent Authority for the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to establish a dispute tribunal and regulate the funding of political parties as well as utilisation of the funds.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and another lawmaker, Marcus Onobun, further seeks to ensure transparency and a stable democracy.
At the moment, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria. The roles to be performed by the new independent authority are currently the responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The independence and neutrality of INEC have been questioned by many including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, who decried the influence of political interference on the appointments of electoral commissioners.
“The electoral commission must be fully independent and we must have credible people. Political leaders who are so domineering and over-pressuring you (INEC staffers) to do what is wrong should resign and leave,” Jonathan said at a Yiaga event recently.
Similarly, Jega said, “There is political interference in the appointment or removal of electoral commissioners and other election officials.”
Bishop Isaac Idahosa, the 2023 Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), also lamented that nobody puts INEC in check.
Meanwhile, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has been pushing for the creation of an electoral offence tribunal.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed.
“No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases. Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
“It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that has a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases,” he said.