Kebbi State went agog penultima week as Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris presided over the mass wedding of 300 couples, with the state government funding the bride price of N54 million (N180,000 per couple).

Ahead of the solemnization, all prospective couples underwent genotype testing, while the brides were examined to ensure they were not pregnant, aligning with Islamic marital requirements.

The Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Iliyasu Bashar, represented by the Magajin Garin Gwandu, Alhaji Aminullahi Umar, acted as the Waliy (guardian) for the brides.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, served as the Wakil (representative) for the grooms, facilitating the marriage contracts.

Governor Idris lauded his wife, Hajiya Nafisa Nasir Idris, for organizing the event through her NANAS Foundation, with the government’s support.

He announced plans for an even larger mass wedding next year as part of his administration’s commitment to social welfare.

The government provided each couple with complete room furniture, including beds, beddings, and household utensils—all free of charge.

Additionally, Hajiya Nafisa donated N20,000 to each couple, totaling N12 million.

The member of the House of Representatives for Suru/Bagudo Constituency, Hon. Bello Dallatun Ka’oje, matched this donation.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, gave N50,000 to each couple—N30,000 for the grooms and N20,000 for the brides—amounting to N15 million.

The marriage rites were performed by prominent Islamic clerics, including Sheikh Mukhtar Abdullahi, Walin Gwandu, Mallam Ahmad S/Fawa, Mallam Muhammadu Yahaya, the Imam of Wala Jumu’a Mosque, Birnin Kebbi.

Islamic scholars such as Professor Mansur Isah Yelwa, Professor Mansur Ibrahim Sokoto, Sheikh Abdurrahman Isa Jega, and Mallam Ahmad Tijjani of the Dariqa movement delivered sermons.

They urged the couples to practice love, perseverance, loyalty, trust, justice, and sincerity in their marriages.

Chairman of the organizing committee, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, who is also the National Organising Secretary of APC, expressed gratitude to Governor Idris and his wife for their support.

He highlighted that challenges learned from previous mass weddings helped ensure a smooth event this time.

Senator Bagudu, the immediate past governor of Kebbi State, commended Governor Idris and Hajiya Nafisa for uplifting the lives of the couples.

The APC National Secretary, Hon. Ajibola Basiru, also praised the initiative not only for joining the couples in matrimony but also for providing them with financial support and empowerment.

One of the brides, Hauwa Abdullahi, from Zauro village, a surburb of Birnin-Kebbi, thanked the Kebbi State government for the support and pledged to respect her husband and support him.

A groom from Gwadangaji village also in Birnin-Kebbi surbub, Bello Gwadangwaji, said the state government had helped him otherwise he won’t be able to get married because he did not have money to sponsor his wedding. He appreciated the wife of the governor and the state government for the assistance, plediging to love and respect his wife.

The official said Maigemu was killed at Kuncin Baba in Arewa Local Government Area of the state.

Combined team of security operatives, including members of vigilance group, killed notorious Lakurawa kingpin, Maigemu, in Kebbi State, a state government official said on Friday.

The state’s Director of Security, Cabinet Office, AbdulRahman Usman-Zagga, said this in a statement on Friday in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.

He said Maigemu was killed on Thursday at Kuncin Baba in Arewa Local Government Area, a remote area with challenging terrain, after a fierce gun battle.

He added that “this success comes just a week after Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State visited Bagiza and Rausa Kade communities in Arewa Local Government to condole with residents over the killing of six people by suspected Lakurawa cattle rustlers.

“During the governor’s visit, he assured the affected communities of immediate security reinforcement and strategic measures to tackle criminal activities in the area.

“Today, his proactive approach has yielded results with the elimination of this kingpin. His corpse is available as evidence,” Mr Usman-Zagga said.

He commended the governor for the commitment to security and the continuous logistic support to security operatives, especially those on special operations.

The director urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by sharing intelligence and reporting suspicious activities for lasting peace in the state.

Lakurawa is a terror group that infiltrated Sokoto and Kebbi states through Niger Republic, exacerbating insecurity in the North-west region.
(NAN)

The Osun State Government has formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the immediate past governor and current Minister of Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, over the alleged misappropriation of a $20m World Bank health grant.

The government also accused Oyetola of money laundering, financial misconduct and violations of the Public Procurement Act in the disbursement of the grant meant for health sector improvements in the state.

According to an acknowledged copy of the petition dated March 7, 2025, and obtained by our correspondent on Friday, Oyetola, during his tenure as governor, chaired a special Health Intervention Committee tasked with allocating and applying the grant funds.

The committee, whose members included former government officials such as Remi Omowaye, Dr. Rafiu Isamatu, and Bola Oyebamiji, decided to use the entire $20m for renovating 320 primary health care centres across the state.

According to the petition written by the government’s lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, “This so-called renovation of primary health care centres involved building, renovation and adjustments/restructuring of some of these centres in order to attain the position of modern health centres. Having made these decisions, the Oyetola-led committee decided to award the contracts for the renovation.

“In flagrant violations of the above clear provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, Oyetola did not call for bidding as mandatorily required under the PPA, let alone allowing competition which would have afforded the state the best qualified contractors to handle the projects.

“Rather, the former governor in observing the provisions of the Act in breach, awarded the contracts to individuals who were either his cabinet members, head of one agency of government or the other, his proxies and cronies who claimed to have incorporated business names/inactive companies.”

The government noted that the beneficiaries of the contract allegedly included businesses with no construction experience, such as food vendors, salon operators, supermarket owners, and web designers.

Among the companies named in the petition are Poshpreneurs Nig., owned by the children of the former Head of Service, Olowogboyega Oyebade; Dotfam Multiventures Ltd, linked to the siblings of the former APC State Chairman; The Ice Firms Nig. Ltd, allegedly owned by Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Adebayo Adeleke; and Afamoks Web International, linked to former Amotekun Field Commander, Amitolu Shittu.

The state government alleges that the companies, lacking the expertise for construction, executed substandard renovation works while receiving full contract payments, thereby leading to the misappropriation of the $20n grant.

On the allegations of money laundering, the state government alleged that over ₦1.5 bn, was funneled through the Osun chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria between January and October 2022.

The petition named former ALGON Chairman, Abiodun Idowu, Secretary, Olubisi Oladosu; 28 former local government caretaker chairmen; and the former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Yekeen Adebayo Adeleke, as key actors in the alleged scheme.

“In a similar vein, the government equally laid its hands on some financial records which clearly show a clear case of money laundering of huge magnitude by the past administration of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.

Financial records cited in the petition indicate that funds “were repeatedly transferred from the ALGON account at Zenith Bank (Account Number: 1016607858) into the private account of one Akeem Ibitoye, a local government employee and Director of Finance at Ejigbo Local Government.”

The state government alleged that withdrawals ranging from N30m to over N10m per day were made in cash, with no records of the funds being used for any official projects.

However, Adebayo dismissed the allegations, describing them as frivolous.

The former commissioner who requested for more details on the petition, said, “EFCC has not invited me and I have not seen a copy of the petition for me to know what it is all about.

“If there is no proof, then the allegations are frivolous and of no stance.

“I have bec6ome a torn in the flesh of Gov adeleke and PDP and I won’t be surprised if some baseless allegations are levied against me.

“Anyway, they think trying to dirty my white garment will make me keep mute about their fraudulent ways of governance.”