News
Kano Emir, Others Condemns Kidnapping, Selling Of Northern Minors
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, has condemned the trend of kidnapping and selling children, mostly northern minors, to southern parts of the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Emir expressed his concern on Saturday in Kano while addressing newsmen.
Represented by Dan Malikin Kano, Amb. Ahmad Umar, the first class traditional ruler said the Emirate would no longer condone abduction and trading of children in the state.
He said the issue has gotten out of hand that proactive action must be taken to curb it.
“This ugly trend must stop. We have to rise up against it. We will no longer condone a situation whereby our children are kidnapped, sold and their tribe and religion were changed.
“This illicit act must stop. We have to rise up to check the situation as it is going out of hand. The situation cannot stop itself, it is we that will make it stop. It happened few years ago and now it has happened again. Only God knows how many of our children had been kidnapped and sold,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Kano state Police Command on Dec. 27, 2023, said it had dismantled a human trafficking syndicate that specialised in abduction, buying and selling of minors.
The command added that nine suspects had been arrested from the syndicate, which was operating around Kano, Bauchi, Lagos, Delta, Anambra and Imo States.
It also rescued seven children, majority from Bauchi state, from the suspects.
He said the emirate had expressed great disappointment over the abduction of minors.
Describing the situation as disturbing, he called for punishment on the perpetrators to serve as a lesson to others.
The royal member noted that Kano had been accommodating visitors for hundreds of years, emphasising that the visitors should not take the advantage of the hospitality received by the state to commit crimes.
“Kano, for hundreds of years has been welcoming visitors and take them as its sons. Recently we have seen a disturbing and unfortunate incident of rescuing children trafficked to Lagos through Kano.
“The Emir expressed serious disappointment of Kano and northern Nigeria about the incident and wants to see a lasting solution to the problem,” he said.
In his remarks, the leader of Igbo community in Kano, Eze Ndigbo, Boniface Igbekwe, alao condemned the act and called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to book.
Represented by Prime Minister of the Igbo Community, Chief Nwaimo Efanyi, he said the Igbo community had received the news of the kidnapped children rescued by the police with shock and disbelief.
He said the entire Igbo community in Kano had dissociated themselves from the suspects and any kind of heinous acts committed in their name, stressing that they are always committed to live peacefully with one another.
“We condemned the act in its entirety in whatever guise and call for punishment on the perpetrators. We Igbo dissociate ourselves from this criminality. We call for peace with one another,” he stated.
The Eze Ndigbo commended the Kano Police command for dismantling the syndicate and rescue of the victims, urging it not to rest on its resolve until all kidnapped children were rescued.
The Association of Scavengers, Scrap Dealers, and Recyclers, Abuja, has publicly dissociated itself from a Federal High Court suit filed by unregistered scavengers and beggars against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the association’s chairman, Mallam Muntari Mohammed, clarified that the group is a duly registered body, with members holding valid identity cards and engaging in legitimate waste management, scrap trading, and recycling businesses.
He stressed that the association has always complied with the FCT Administration’s rules and regulations, maintaining a clean record.
Muntari noted that the association had formally written to the Department of State Services (DSS) and other relevant agencies to affirm its commitment to safeguarding critical infrastructure and adhering to stipulated guidelines.
He distanced the group from unregistered scavengers, whom he accused of tarnishing the reputation of legitimate operators through theft and other illicit activities.
The chairman addressed the FCT Minister’s recent ban on scavenging, which stemmed from misunderstandings about the distinction between honest scavengers and rogue elements.
“We have never confronted the FCT authorities and will never do so,” Muntari said, emphatically dissociating the association from the court case against Wike.
The Vatican has confirmed that only one round of voting will take place this Wednesday afternoon as the conclave to elect the next pope officially gets underway.
Cardinals from around the world gathered earlier Wednesday in the Sistine Chapel, where they took a sacred oath of secrecy before the chapel doors were ceremonially closed with the Latin phrase “extra omnes,” meaning “everyone out.” The papal master of ceremonies then declared the start of the conclave, invoking a centuries-old tradition whose name comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “locked with key.”
Wednesday’s solitary ballot marked the opening step in the process to choose the new leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. Should the vote prove inconclusive requiring a two-thirds majority to elect a new pope, cardinals will resume the process on Thursday, casting up to four ballots daily until consensus is reached.
Each cardinal votes by writing “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” (“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”) on a paper ballot, followed by the name of their chosen candidate. In a quiet and orderly procession, they approach the silver and gilded urn in order of seniority to place their ballots.
As the final vote is cast, the tension rises in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful and millions watching around the globe await the first sign of smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. Black smoke will indicate that no decision has been made; white smoke will proclaim that a new pope has been elected.
The last two conclaves, in 2005 and 2013, ended on the second day, with Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis elected after a series of swift ballots, respectively.
As the doors remain closed and Vatican cameras withdraw, the world waits in hushed anticipation for the next chapter in the history of the Catholic Church to be written.
Governor Hyacinth Alia will not honour the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, confirmed this to journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi.
The House had summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara, alongside their Assembly leadership.
Kula stated that the invitation is unconstitutional and the governor will not comply with it.
He explained that Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.
“Yesterday, the Benue Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the Reps Committee invitation.
“They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court,” he said.
Kula added that the governor, independently, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.
He said: “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”
Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition is faceless and unregistered.
According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.
He said there is a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue.
In recent weeks, he noted, there have been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.
“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.
He claimed the organisers seek to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.
“Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain,” Kula added.
He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.
“They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.
He assured the public that Benue remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.
“Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges,” he said. (NAN)