Security
I’ll Champion Genuine Reconciliation In Southern Kaduna – Uba Sani
Kaduna State Governor, Sen Uba Sani has said that his administration is committed to right the wrongs and champion genuine reconciliation with the people of Southern Kaduna.
The Governor stated this on Thursday in a message to the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association Pastor’s Congress, held at the Throneroom Trust Ministry Kafanchan.
Speaking through the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Religious Affairs, Christian Matters who is also the Chairman, Kaduna Baptist Convention, Rev. Dr. Ishaya Adamu Jangado, Governor Uba Sani explained that his administration has realized some of the mistakes of past administrations and is willing to address them for the progress and development of the state.
He appealed to the Christian community in the area to support and rally round the current administration at all levels in other to achieve the needed development, even as he pledged to continue to operate an inclusive government in the state that will be fair and just to all.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association, Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Nuhu Kure said the end of year meeting was convened in other to debrief members by way of presenting a mid-term report, reappraise the just concluded general elections, draw up strategies for future engagements, as well as pray for the future of the land.
He announced plans by the Association to organize seminars in different zones of Southern Kaduna, which will improve and further increase the knowledge of Clergies in the area and also raise a special treasury that will be used to assist disadvantaged pastors in Southern Kaduna irrespective of denominations.
While thanking the Governor for seeing the need to bridge the gap created by the previous administration in the state, the SKCLA Chairman pledged the Association’s commitment to continue to support any positive decision that will be to the progress and development of the people.of Southern Kaduna.
He used the congress to also clear the air on some misconceptions and rumors that he received monies meant for members from politicians during the build up to the 2023 general elections.
The meeting commiserated with the family of late Reverend General Yakubu Yerima Kure, retired, over his demise.
In a tribute, Apostle Kure eulogized the deceased, describing him as not just a fine soldier, but an evangelist of Christ who went for missions side by side with him and still remained committed even in his last days.
He prayed God to accept his soul and grant the immediate family, the Government and people of Kaduna State, as well as the Nigerian Army and the Nation as a whole the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
During the congress, the Pastors who were drawn from ten Local Government Areas in the Zone, passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Association and commended them for the zeal and sacrifices they have been making to take the Association to greater heights and improve the image of the church in Southern Kaduna.
Tackle Life Threatening Disasters, Akpabio Tells Ecological Office
By Sunday Isuwa, Abuja
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has advised the Federal Government to channel the ecological funds to tackle environmental issues that are life threatening.
Akpabio gave the advice yesterday when the Permanent Secretary of the Ecological Project Office, Mallam Shehu Ibrahim, led officials of his agency on an interactive session with the Senate leadership.
Akpabio was reacting to the submission of the permanent secretary who said the monthly N3bn allocation to his agency was grossly inadequate to tackle the requests it gets on a daily basis.
Ibrahim had told the Senate leadership that the agency was currently in possession of over 5,000 requests from disaster ravaged communities across the country for urgent attention.
Akpabio in his response urged the agency to prioritize its interventions.
He cited the case of ocean surge that is currently ravaging five states in southern Nigeria and the massive desert encroachment of the Lake Chad basin.
Akpabio promised that the Senate would carry out necessary legislative actions to assist the ecological office to perform well.
He said, “The method of intervening and selection of projects must be such that they will put urgency outside the normal data they are working with.
“The Ecological Office should attend to the most urgent situations that are likely to affect the lives of the people before it goes to the ones that may not affect lives. Those that are life-threatening should be selected first.”
Akpabio also encouraged the office to learn to preempt some of the natural disasters.
He specifically called on the agency to embark on advocacy that would encourage Nigerians to plant at least one tree per year.
He said the current desert encroachment in the northern part of the country showed that the agency was not conscious of the magnitude of the devastation.
He said, “Every child should be encouraged to plant at least one tree in a year. In the areas that are worst hit by the desert encroachment, people should be encouraged to plant one tree per month.
“Considering Nigeria’s population, doing that would help us to reclaim a lot of land to tackle the looming disaster.
“The same climate change that affected the Lake Chad basin, which used to have 125 square kilometers of water about 10 years ago, is now less per cent of its original size.
“The result of this is migration with the people hitherto earning their living from Lake Chad now having to migrate towards the South.
“The lake has shrunk to a point where we are not sure whether we have up to 15 square kilometers of water and it is currently affecting about five countries.”
The Senate President said the situation was a major problem that is currently aggravating the security challenges in Nigeria.
He said, “Herdsmen who were used to taking their cattle to the Lake Chad basin for grazing and water now had to travel towards the South.
“In the course of that, they pass through farmlands and the farmers would resist the destruction of their crops.
“The development forced the herders to become armed in order to protect their cows from being attacked.
“So, your suggestion that you may require international support and sponsorship and maybe aid from international organisations resonates with my feelings and that is why very recently, I was elected into the executive committee of the inter-parliamentary union.
“I have found that within that organization itself, there are budget intervening countries through parliament in ecological matters and climate change is about 30 billion dollars.
“I will let them know that Nigeria is a place they should intervene. Whenever the Dam in Cameroon is opened, it happens on an annual basis, the amount of water that comes normally wipes out a lot of islands including most of the uplands in Bayelsa, those houses will wash away.
“It didn’t go all the way to Ondo down to Akwa Ibom , most of the villages do not exist during that period of the raining season and when those dams are being on through renovation of yearly maintenance.
“Most people have to leave their villages for six months then the other six months they look for a place to hide.
“In Bayelsa, you will be surprised that without war, we have internally displaced persons as a result of climate change. Whatever we can do we will do to assist you to do more.”
The Oodua Integrity Group, a Nigerian civil society organisation, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to investigate and arrest an alleged gun runner, land grabber,popularly called then insert Lucky Blessings Abuah aka bullets of Achala Ibusa village operating in Asaba and Ibuzor, Delta State, accusing him of orchestrating criminal activities with the aid of rogue police officers.
Tosin Olaoluwa, the group’s South-South coordinator, made the appeal following intelligence gathered from concerned residents.
The suspect, identified as Achala Ibusa but popularly known as “Bullet,” is accused of running a network involving illegal arms trafficking, land grabbing, and cult-related activities.
Olaoluwa claimed Bullet operates with the protection of police officers from Rivers State, in violation of regulations prohibiting officers from working outside their command without approval.
According to the group, four AK-47 rifles were recently discovered hidden in a house in Ibuzor.
Two mobile police officers guarding the property reportedly distanced themselves from the find, raising suspicions of their involvement with Bullet, who is allegedly a leader of the Viking cult.
The Oodua Integrity Group further alleged that an assistant commissioner of police is complicit in Bullet’s activities.
The group highlighted that up to 10 mobile police officers are attached to Bullet, despite IGP Egbetokun’s recent directive to withdraw such personnel from individuals not legally entitled to their services.
“We urge the IGP to take immediate action to arrest the culprit in the interest of the general public,” Olaoluwa said, describing Bullet as a miscreant exploiting government security agents to perpetrate crimes.
In a separate incident, the group claimed that security agents from an agency in Abuja, acting on intelligence, were prevented from arresting Bullet by his police escorts.
The officers, reportedly from Rivers State, allegedly used tear gas and fired shots to obstruct the operation.
The Oodua Integrity Group warned that Bullet’s activities, including stockpiling AK-47s and other weapons in Asaba and Ibuzor, pose a significant threat to public safety.
They called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and the immediate apprehension of those involved.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to respond to the allegations. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The Kaduna state Police Command has debunked reports of a bomb explosion in the Abakpa area of the metropolis, which reportedly killed two children.
The spokesman of the Command, Mansir Hassan, said in a statement that preliminary investigations conducted by the Anti-Bomb Squad indicate that a locally made firearm (Dane gun) was discharged, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life of the young boy.
According to the police, the incident, which occurred at about 8:30 am on Tuesday at Josawa Road in the Abakpa area, claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy, identified as Abubakar Muhammed of Josawa Road, while seven other individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The statement stated that a combined team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer of Kawo Division and the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Chairman of Kaduna North Local Government, all visited the scene following a distress call, and a thorough on-site assessment was carried out.
Police disclosed that further investigations and assessments are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Command equally assured the public that further developments will be promptly and transparently communicated.
The Kwara State Government has come under scrutiny for failing to act on a 2020 security report warning of the rise of a new terrorist group, dubbed the “Mahamuda Terrorists,” in Baruten Local Government Area (LGA), according to documents obtained by Elanza News.
The report, submitted to the governor and top officials, highlighted the potential for escalating insecurity if the situation was left unchecked, a prophecy that has now materialised into a full-blown terror operation.
The Baruten Patriotic Agenda (BPA), which authored the report, expressed dismay at the government’s inaction, describing the situation as “deeply disheartening.”
The BPA’s prescience in forecasting the grave consequences of neglect has only amplified the tragedy, with the region now grappling with a surge in armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry, youth restiveness, and trans-border crimes.
Baruten LGA, located in Kwara North Senatorial District, is the largest local government by landmass in Kwara State, covering 9,749 km². Bordered by the Republic of Benin, Niger State, Kaiama LGA, and Oyo State, it is predominantly inhabited by the Batombu ethnic group and is an agrarian society heavily reliant on grain farming.
However, the rising tide of insecurity has stifled socio-economic progress and violated residents’ fundamental rights to safety.
The 2020 report proposed a comprehensive security framework to address the multifaceted challenges in Baruten, including farmers/herders clashes, communal disharmony, and drug abuse.
Among its recommendations were the establishment of a Peace and Security Committee by the Local Government Council, comprising traditional leaders and stakeholders, to strategise on conflict resolution.
It also urged the state government to expedite judicial processes on chieftaincy disputes to prevent further unrest and to deploy a delegation to pacify warring factions.
Drug abuse was identified as a potent social vice, with the Wadatta Mining site near Biogberu and several locations in Gwanara Township serving as epicentres for the sale of illicit substances like tramadol, marijuana, and “Skake-and-die.”
A recent tragedy in Dameru, Bwen/Kiyoru Ward, saw 26-year-old Abdulrazak slump and die after overdosing on marijuana and other drugs. The report named notorious dealers, including Idris Bagi Abdulrazak (aka Patrick) in Gwanara and Sabi Togo in Yakira, the latter suspected of orchestrating a N1 million theft.
The BPA further highlighted rising incidents of rape, with a recent case in Gwanara involving the daughter of a local vigilante, Ayinde, underscoring the growing threat to vulnerable groups.
To curb the menace, the report recommended that the state government direct local councils to form an anti-drugs task force and establish rehabilitation centres for repentant drug abusers.
Religious disharmony, though rare, was also flagged as a potential flashpoint, particularly due to the use of loudspeakers during worship, which has caused friction among residents near religious centres.
The BPA stressed that the proposed security framework, if implemented holistically, could significantly reduce crime in Baruten.
However, the state government’s failure to act on these recommendations has allowed criminality to fester, leaving residents on edge and the region’s socio-economic fabric in tatters.
Meanwhile ,efforts to reach the Kwara State Government for comments on the matter were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.