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Tag: Ahmed

  • BREAKING: Saraki, Kwara State Gov. Ahmed defect to PDP

    At last, Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed have formally announced their defection from the All Progessives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Mr Saraki made his announcement on his official social media handles.

    “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).” he wrote on his Twitter handle.

    Mr Saraki’s defection has been largely expected from Nigerians especially after all the federal lawmakers from his Kwara State left the APC last week.

    The Senate President is expected to join the main opposition party, PDP.

    Mr Ahmed, Mr Saraki’s political ally, has also defected to the PDP.

    A statement by his media aide, Muyideen Akorede, said the decision followed consultations with people in the state.

    “Following due consultations with the people and in response to calls by major stakeholder groups in the state, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed today defected to the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), having realized that the All Progressive Congress (APC) can longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of his people,” the statement said.

     

  • Offa Robbery: Police lack evidence to prosecute Saraki, Ahmed, others – AGF Malami

    The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has told the police that it lacked enough evidence to link and prosecute Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed to the armed robbery attack that left 31 persons dead in Offa, Kwara State, in April.

    The AGF advised in a June 22 letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the police would need to ramp up their investigation and also painstakingly explore all critical areas before identifying the Senate President as a suspect in the carnage, much less filing charges against him.

    Yusuf Abdulwahab, Mr Ahmed’s chief of staff who was amongst state officials arrested for allegedly conspiring with the prime suspects, was also cleared, with the prosecutor saying “no evidence is credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law against him.”

    The attorney-general’s office said only six prime suspects should be charged to court for armed robbery and murder which could draw capital punishment upon conviction. Olalekan Alabi, a personal assistant to Ahmed, was also recommended for trial, but only on lesser charges of illegal possession of arms.

    Recall that Saraki hinted at the existence of the letter on Monday night as part of a fierce response to the IGP’s latest summon to him. The Senate President said the invitation, which he was asked to honour by 8:00 a.m. today, was unnecessary because the Director of Public Prosecutions had already informed the police that there were no sufficient bases to keep dragging him into the armed robbery investigation.

    “I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the Federation had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018, in which he stated on page 5, paragraph (f) that “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects,” Saraki said in the Monday night statement.

    At least five banks were raided and substantial amount of cash carted away when armed robbers stormed the polytechnic town on April 5. The police initially said 17 people were killed in the attack, including nine police officers, but continued to revise the figure upwards, apparently as some of those receiving treatments for critical wounds were passing on.

    The letter obtained by newsmen on Tuesday, which was signed for the AGF by DPP Mohammed Umar confirmed exactly what the Senate President disclosed.

    Umar examined the crime and the suspects the police lined up in their first information report submitted to the attorney-general’s office for prosecution, and came up with legal and technical suggestions about how to properly build a case that would not be discarded at a glance when the potential criminal trial gets underway.

    “For the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and the suspects,” the prosecutor said.

  • Saraki and I do not have hands in suspected cultists’ activities – Gov Ahmed

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State has said he and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki do not have any links with the activities of suspected cultists in the state.

    Ahmed’s statement a day after the Senate President accused the Inspector-General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, of a plot to frame him up in connection with some suspected cultists.

    Recall that Saraki at Senate plenary on Wednesday alleged that the police chief had transferred some criminal suspects undergoing interrogation in Kwara to make statements to implicate him and the state government.

    Following the allegation, the Senate set up a nine-member committee to meet President Muhammadu Buhari for his intervention in the matter.

    The police later on Wednesday confirmed the transfer to Abuja of some suspects linked to a string of killings in the state but said the transfer was not because of Mr Saraki.

    However, in a statement by his spokesperson, Muideen Akorede, on the matter Thursday on Ahmed as denied as “false and misleading, insinuations linking” him and Mr Saraki “with the suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin, the state capital and transferred by the Nigeria Police to Abuja.”

    In the statement, the governor said neither him nor the Senate President or any of their aides have links with the suspected cultists or their alleged activities.

    “He also denied any knowledge of or any intention to harm any individual as the political leadership in the state has never used violence as a political tool.”

    The statement referred the general public to the parade of the suspects by the state commissioner of police, Aminu Pai Saleh on Thursday, May 10, in Ilorin, “during which he announced that the suspects were arrested for alleged murder and membership of cult groups but made no mention of any confessional statement linking their activities to any sponsors.”

    Ahmed described the alleged killings as the outcome of clashes between rival cults in the state “as most victims have been identified by security agencies as members of cult groups.

    According to the statement, “Governor Ahmed emphasised that the growing problem of cultism and cult-related criminalities formed the basis of his charge to the new Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Saleh to focus on ending the menace on his resumption last month.

    “According to him, the state government sees cultism as a serious security issue requiring urgent attention and has accordingly amended the State Cultism Law to prescribe stiffer penalties for convicts and those who aid and abet them, besides providing operational support to all security agencies in the state in their fight against all forms of criminalities, including cultism.

    “Governor Ahmed warned that cultism is a serious security challenge which should neither be trivialised and turned into a political tool nor be treated with levity.

    “He, therefore, urged well-meaning Nigerians to disregard any attempt to politicise the menace of cultism but focus instead on joining hands with the government and security agencies to bring the menace to an end in the interest of public safety while allowing the rule of law and justice to prevail in the matter.”

     

  • Offa robbery: Ahmed offers N5m for information on attackers

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, has offered N5million to anyone who provides information that will lead to the arrest of those involved in the robbery attack in Offa on Thursday, in which about 30 people were killed.

    This was contained in a statement by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr Muyideen Akorede.

    The governor called on anyone with useful information on the incident to contact the state police command on the following numbers (0803 739 1280 and 0803 702 4320).

    “While we mourn our dead with a heart full of sadness, and care for the injured by paying all their medical bills.

    “We will do everything in our power to bring the attackers to justice, and ensure that never again does any community or people in our state experience such tragedy”, Gov. Ahmed said.

    Ahmed assured such informants of anonymity, confidentiality and safety, as no harm will befall them on account of assisting the security agencies to arrest the attackers.

    He said the police and other security agencies in the country have begun a vigorous manhunt for the perpetrators of the dastardly and wicked attack on Offa community.

  • Ahmed signs bill stopping payment of pension to Governor, Deputy in Kwara

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara has signed into law an amendment bill stopping payment of pension to former governors and deputy governors in the state.

    Recall that the State House of Assembly recently passed by the bill stopping payment of pension to former governors and deputy governors in the state.

    The passage of the bill followed consideration of a report presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Emmanuel Abodunrin.

    With the signing of the amended law by the governor, former governors and their deputies shall no longer be entitled to pension and other benefits whenever they hold a political or public office.

    Similarly, the governor gave his assent to the Ilorin Township (Prohibition Against the Production, Sale and Consumption of Liquor in Certain Areas) Law, 2018, as passed by the Kwara State House of Assembly.

    Under the law, no person will be allowed to produce, sell, store or openly consume alcohol within specified areas in the metropolis.

    The bill stipulates that any person who contravenes the provision of this law shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N100, 000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six month or both.

  • Ahmed dissolves Kwara cabinet

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State on Thursday dissolved the state executive council.

    A statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, said all special advisers, senior special assistants and special assistants are affected by the dissolution.

    According to the statement, Governor Ahmed directed the commissioners to hand over to the permanent secretaries of their various ministries and assured citizens that additional measures have been put in place to sustain government business pending the reconstitution of the state executive council.

    Alhaji Gold added that the governor thanked the former executive council members, special advisers and assistants for their valuable service and contributions and wished them the best of luck in their future engagements.

  • Ahmed Hegazi: West Brom make on-loan defender’s move permanent

    On-loan defender Ahmed Hegazi has joined West Bromwich Albion on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The club has triggered an option to keep the 26-year-old, who was on loan from Egyptian side Al Ahly.

    The Egypt international has signed a deal until summer 2022.”This is great news for the club – Ahmed has been absolutely terrific for me since I arrived and I am sure there is even more to come from him in the future,” said boss Alan Pardew.

    “He is one of the players we can build around on the road ahead. He has a big role to play and it is good for the player and the club to remove any doubts and make the transfer permanent.”