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Governor Sani receives repentant bandits, re-opens market In Birnin Gwari
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani on Thursday in Birnin Gwari received the first set of repentant bandits and opened the cattle market which had been closed for about 10 years due to insecurity.
The Governor also said that his administration would be fair and just to all the citizens of the state, vowing, ”i will be fair to everyone, be they farmers, herders and traders, in order to achieve lasting peace and development.”
He disclosed that Kaduna State Government, in collaboration with some federal agencies,had established. ‘ The Peace Dialogue Group’, which has been tirelessly engaging all the stakeholders.
Sani said, ‘’Through numerous meetings and extensive discussions, we have built bridges of trust. Several senior bandit leaders had laid their arms and embraced peace, along with their followers.”’
According to him, these individuals are being enrolled in a rehabilitation programme designed by the state government in partnership with the Federal Government.
‘’This programme adheres to international standards of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, ensuring that these individuals can return to society as productive citizens,’’ he added.
The governor warned that the rehabilitation of the repent bandits was based on the principle of ‘carrot and stick’, adding, ”’while we welcome those who choose peace, we will not hesitate to take decisive action against anyone who continues to perpetuate violence.
’’’The security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have already achieved significant results, neutralising bandits’ kingpins, dismantling criminal networks and rescuing kidnapped victims,’’ he further said.
According to Sani, his government is developing what he referred to as the ‘Kaduna Model,’ which is a comprehensive framework for sustainable peace and security.
‘’This model will include disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, alongside investments in rural development and conflict resolution.
” It is a holistic approach that addresses both the symptoms and the root causes of insecurity,’’ he added.
Sani said that his administration has witnessed remarkable progress, adding, ‘’through strategic communication and inclusive governance, we have earned the trust and confidence of our people.’’
‘’Insecurity is significantly reducing and ethno-religious tensions and farmer-herder clashes are rapidly becoming issues of the past.
” Communities from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds are now united in their support for our peacebuilding initiatives, fostering greater harmony and mutual understanding.’’.
The governor argued that although his government was making strides in revitalising the rural economy, but this effort cannot thrive without security.
‘’We have reopened rural markets, strengthened the regulation of vigilance groups and proscribed the activities of the Yan Sa Kai.
” These measures are aimed at fostering trust and creating an environment where peace can flourish,’’ he said..
Sani said that his administration operates an open door policy and encourages dialogue as the foundation of lasting peace.
He added,.”My message to anyone considering taking up arms is simple: talk to us instead. Let us resolve disputes through dialogue, not violence.
‘’To the bandits who have yet to embrace peace, I urge you to reconsider. Enough is enough. The days of kidnapping , cattle rustling, force levies and other criminal activities are over..
”Those who genuinely seek to change will find a government ready to support them, protect them and help them rebuild their lives.’’ (NAN)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has denied being partisan in handling the failed recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Rotimi Oyekanmi, who was on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, explained how the Commission handled the process.
“In the case of the Kogi Central District, we received a petition and a cover letter and of course what Nigerians were saying was that we were taking sides,” Oyekanmi said on the programme.
“But what happened was that in the covering letter, the representatives of the petitioners did not include their address as required in our regulations and guidelines and what we just did was to ask them to supply their address, it has nothing to do with the petition.
“And of course, there is nowhere in the law where INEC is asked to reject a petition just because the cover letter did not contain the address. So, there was no hanky-panky in what we did.”
Earlier on Thursday, INEC rejected the petition to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, saying that it has not met the requirements.
The electoral commission said the petition to recall Senator Natasha did not meet constitutional requirements.
Senator Natasha was suspended for breaching Senate rules, prompting some of her constituents to initiate her recall. They claimed the move was to ensure their constituency did not lack representation following the suspension of the 45-year-old senator.
Asked whether there could be a repeat of the recall process, the INEC spokesperson said the law did not specify if the process could be repeated and how many times.
“The law just talks about the threshold, the threshold meaning that if you want to recall, you must have, in addition to your petition, 50 per cent plus one signatures. The law did not specify how many times you can undertake that,” he said.
The lawmaker has made headlines in recent months after she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, a claim the Akwa Ibom lawmaker has equally denied.
She was thereafter suspended by the Red Chamber for violation of its rule of conduct.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has handed over 19 kidnapped victims rescued by the security agencies to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The brief ceremony took place on Thursday at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja.
The victims included Ambassador Gideon Yohanna, the former Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga (retired) who had spent 56 days in captivity and 17 others, including a child.
Both Ribadu and Musa pledged to remain relentless until the criminals are wiped out and normalcy restored in the country.
“As a result of the work of our armed forces and other security services, we are able to rescue and bring back our own people,” he said.
“This time, it involves important personalities who served this country. We thank God for their lives, we are grateful to those who made it possible.
“This is an ongoing operation and we are doing it quite silently, we will go after the bad ones.”
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Thursday applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for rejecting a petition to recall her as the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The female lawmaker, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the electoral umpire should have thrown out the petition long before it did on April 3, 2025.
“I’m a lawyer. I’m a senator and I understand how Nigeria works. For me, the most important thing is this recall process has been stalled.
“I give kudos and credit to INEC even though I believe they should have thrown it away from the get-go.
“I think it was void ab initio because there is no law in the Electoral Act that says a petition should be discarded just because there is no address but again, what if the address is false?”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain argued that most of the addresses provided in the petition for her recall were false because most houses in her district weren’t labelled.
“Even though INEC did count 208,000 signatures, I bet you if they had gone into the verification stage, they would have struggled to even have 500 people come out to attest to signing that,” she added.
She accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Usman Ododo and ex-governor Yahaya Bello of sponsoring her failed recall.
In a much-awaited statement on Thursday, INEC said the petition for the recall of the lawmaker did not met the requirement of Section 69(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“Therefore, no further action shall be taken on the recall of the Senator,” INEC declared.