TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kaduna State

  • One Year On: Justice Eludes Deborah Samuel, Victim of Blasphemy Killing

    One Year On: Justice Eludes Deborah Samuel, Victim of Blasphemy Killing

    One year after the brutal murder of Deborah Samuel, a Christian woman accused of blasphemy, justice is yet to be served as her killers remain at large.

    Samuel was reportedly beaten to death by a mob in her home in Kaduna State on May 12, 2022, after being accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad.

    The gruesome incident sparked outrage from various quarters, with many calling for justice for the deceased.

    In a statement released by the Inter-Faith Council, they condemned the heinous act and urged the government to ensure that those responsible for the killing are brought to justice.

    One year later, the case remains unresolved, with no one held accountable for the murder.

    The lack of progress in the case has caused frustration among Samuel’s family and human rights activists, who have accused the government of not doing enough to bring the perpetrators to book.

    Speaking on the matter, a human rights activist, Emeka Umeagbalasi, expressed his disappointment at the lack of progress, stating that it is unacceptable that one year after the incident, no one has been held accountable for the murder of Samuel.

    Meanwhile, the Inter-Faith Council has renewed their call for justice, stating that it is essential to ensure that such acts of violence do not occur again.

    They also urged the government to do more to protect religious minorities and ensure that they are not targeted for their beliefs.

    The case of Deborah Samuel is just one of many instances of religious violence in Nigeria, with Christians and Muslims being targeted in different parts of the country.

    The government has been called upon to take decisive action to address the issue and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.

  • Gunmen abduct 40 worshippers at Kaduna Baptist church

    Gunmen abduct 40 worshippers at Kaduna Baptist church

    A service at Bege Baptist Church, Madala, along Buruku Baringi road, Kaduna, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State was on Sunday interrupted by unknown gunmen who stormed the church and abducted 40 worshippers.

    The abduction of the 40 persons has been confirmed by Rev. John Joseph Hayab, chairman Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Kaduna State chapter.

    Hayab told newsmen that 40 worshippers were forcefully whisked away from the church on Sunday.

    He said, “The worshippers were in the Sunday service around 9:30 am when they heard gunshots very close to the church. The gunmen attacked the church and went away with 40 worshippers.”

    He added, “Along the way, somehow, 15 of the kidnapped persons returned, remaining the rest 25 who are presently in captivity without any word from their abductors.”

    According to him, efforts were being made to get in contact with the abductors concerning the remaining people.

    When contacted, the State Police spokesman, DSP Mohammed Jalige promised to contact the DPO of the affected area for prompt action.

  • Labour party suspends three key members in Kaduna

    Labour party suspends three key members in Kaduna

    Kaduna state chapter of the Labour Party  has suspended three of its card-carrying members for taking part in  “the so-called NEC meeting” that held in Bauchi State on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

    Bashir Idris Aliyu, Alhaji Ibrahim Sidi Bamali and Engr Michael Ayuba Auta were among those suspended from the party.

    According to the party, the decision to suspend them would be forwarded to the National Working Committee of the Labour Party and other relevant bodies for further actions.

    Addressing newsmen in Kaduna on Saturday,

    Idris Yusuf, the party state Public Relations Officer while addressing pressmen in the state  noted that the party
    dissociated itself from the illegal and counterfeit group of the party led by one Lamidi Apapa.

    He said, “We hereby affirm and assert our loyalty, support and commitment to the National Working Committee of our great Party led by our lawfully recongnised National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.”

    He called on the members and the general public to disregard anyone or group parading themselves as state officials of the party in Kaduna outside the duly constituted and recognized state exco led by Hon Auwal Tafoki.

    He stated that Kaduna State Labour Party was committed to ensuring that the party remains united and becomes the most formidable political platform in the state and in Nigeria that will produce visionary and transformational leaders.

    He added that members of the party cannot be distracted by a few disgruntled elements whose major aim is to service their greed to the detriment of the party and the country.

    The Public Relations Officer explained that members of the party in the state affirmed and assert their loyalty, support and commitment to the National Working Committee led by the lawfully recongnised National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure.

    He stated that following the sudden emergence of a renegade faction in the Labour Party led by one Lamidi Apapa, the party is being assaulted by agents of destabilisation and commotion, stressing that millions of supporters are watching the shameful drama carried out by these enemies of democracy with disdain.

    He called on the public to note that the entire drama of indignity going on was being sponsored by an electoral bandit whose main aim is to use a fake Labour Party NWC to scuttle the weighty petition the party and their Presidential candidate, Peter Obi tabled before the Presidential Election Tribunal.

    The intention, he added is to create parallel structures at the national level and over the states to lend support to the dirty agenda of scuttling the mandate of Mr Peter Obi and Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed in the 2023 Presidential elections.

  • Buhari to relocate from Daura to Kaduna by 2024

    Buhari to relocate from Daura to Kaduna by 2024

    If he does not change his mind, Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari will relocate from his Daura village in Katsina State to Kaduna State by 2024.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Buhari had repeatedly held that he will live somewhere far away from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after he left office on 29 May 2023.

    However, at the State House when he received members of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) led by their Chairman, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi on Thursday, Buhari spoke at length about his retirement proposal.

    While thanking Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna for infrastructural development in the State, Buhari disclosed he intends to be at home in Daura for six months before moving eventually to Kaduna.

    The retiring President said El-Rufai had provided infrastructures that would make the life for his retirement and that of the people of the State much better, adding that the Governor of Kano had equally done well.

  • Technical glitch: JAMB reschedules UTME in Kaduna

    Technical glitch: JAMB reschedules UTME in Kaduna

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rescheduled the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) for some candidates at the Christ Ambassadors College, Sabon Tasha, Kaduna Centre, due to technical hitches.

    Many candidates could not sit for the examination at the centre on Tuesday, resulting in complaints from some of the candidates and their parents.

    A NAN correspondent who monitored the exercise on Wednesday, reports that only 150 candidates wrote the examination in the first batch, and 100 each in the second and third batch.

    This amounted to 350 candidates as against the 750 per day, with 250 candidates expected to write the examination per batch.

    One of the candidates, Francis Patrick, told NAN that he was scheduled to write the examination by 12 p.m. on April 25.

    Patrick, however, said that as at 12:00 p.m., those that were supposed to write the examination at 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m,  were still writing because they did not start on time.

    “We also heard that some of the computers were logging some candidates out while they still had time remaining to finish the examination.

    “I stayed till 6:00 p.m. and eventually could not write the examination. I came this morning only to be told some of us that could not write yesterday were asked to submit their examination slip.

    “Now, I do not know what to do,” he fumed.

    Another candidate, Veronica Isuwa, said she was supposed to write the examination at 9:00 a.m., but was rescheduled for the following day.

    Debora Eze, also a candidate, told NAN that she was supposed to sit for the examination on Wednesday by 12:00 p.m. but was told that the systems could only accommodate 100 candidates.

    “They asked us to wait for further instructions, so we are waiting”, she said.

    Responding to the issue, the JAMB Supervisor at the centre, Mrs Balkisu Abdullahi, explained to NAN that the server could not accommodate 250 computers at a time, as planned.

    Abdullahi said that candidates who missed the examination on the first and second day, were asked to submit their examination slips to enable JAMB reschedule their examination to another day.

    She regretted the technical hitches, adding that JAMB was working with the centre management to address the issue, just as she assured parents that no child would miss the examination.

    She advised parents to guide their children and inculcate good morals in them, saying that coming to examinations with knives was unacceptable.

    “The situation on Tuesday was terrifying as some of the candidates were wielding knives and threatening us when we were explaining the technical hitches and what we intended doing to remedy the situation.

    “The parents did not also help the issue when rather than calming their children, some of them were shouting at the top of their voice, threatening to take legal action against JAMB,” she added.

    On her part, the School Manager, Mrs Tosin Akinpeloye, explained that the technical hitches occurred because the JAMB server was upgraded to work well on computers with Co i7 processors.

    Akinpeloye said that school computer center had 260 laptops and 20 desktop computers but running on Co i5 processors, adding that a server that would accommodate all the computers had been brought.

    “I assure you that all the candidates that will write the examination on Thursday will do so without a hitch,” she said.

    The situation was, however, different at Kaduna State University centre, where the JAMB Coordinator, Mr Benedict Opke, said that the facilities were working perfectly and the candidates well behaved.

    One of the candidates at the centre, 15-year-old Favour Bamiboye, who wants to become a doctor, said that the examination went smoothly without a hitch.

    Similarly, some of the candidates who wrote the examination at Queen Amina College centre, commended JAMB, and the school management for a hitch-free exercise.

    “This is the first time I am writing the UTME, and I am impressed because everything went smoothly,” one of the candidates at the centre, Hafsat Abubakar has said.

  • How mother, son squandered N5.6 million on sport betting

    How mother, son squandered N5.6 million on sport betting

    A mother, Mrs Samuel Oluwayemisi and her Son, Joshua have been convicted for false information after squandering the sum of N5,600,000.00 on sports betting.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Oluwayemisi and Joshua were convicted by Justice A. A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court on separate one-count charge each bordering on false information.

    They were prosecuted by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after causing a false petition to be sent to the anti-graft agency.

    Oluwayemisi and Joshua alleged that the N5,600,000.00 was fraudulently withdrawn from their Opay account to a sports betting account without their authorisation by an unknown individual.

    However, investigations by the EFCC proved that they actually used the money on sports betting via Bet9ja. They were subsequently charged in court for false information.

    They pleaded guilty to the charges. In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, N. Salele urged the court to convict them accordingly.

    Justice Bello, however, convicted and sentenced both defendants to 7 years imprisonment each with an option of N150,000 fine.

  • Hajj 2023: Edo, Kaduna give intending pilgrims deadline for fares

    Hajj 2023: Edo, Kaduna give intending pilgrims deadline for fares

    The Chairman, Edo Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Malam Ibrahim Oyarekhua, on Tuesday said intending pilgrims in the state have up till April 21 to complete their full payment.

    Oyarekhua, while speaking with newsmen in Benin, said failure to comply, would deny them the opportunity to perform the 2023 holy pilgrimage to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

    “The Hajj fare for Edo pilgrim is N2,958,000, and the deadline for the payment for the Hajj fare is April 21.

    “Those who have made part payment for the fare should pay the balance, on or before April 21, to be able to take part in the Hajj operation.

    “The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has fixed the inaugural flight for pilgrims for May 21.

    “In Edo state, intending pilgrims payment responses have been very encouraging following the announcement of the complete fare by NAHCON, and the state government has been very supportive in ramifications,” he said.

    The board chairman noted that about 350 intending pilgrims had so far made either full or part-payment for the 2023 Hajj operation in the state, but noted, however, that the target was 400.

    “Our target is 400. We have applied for additional 150 slots and during our emergency meeting, we have officially presented the request to NAHCON chairman, and he has promised to oblige us with the request,” he said.

    He charged intending pilgrims who had already made part payment to  complete the money within the stipulated time to enable them perform the pilgrimage.

    “Also those who have not forwarded their forms, medical reports and international passports to the board, should do that, so that that the board would forward them to  Saudi Arabia Portal before it is shutdown by April 30,” he advised.

    The chairman said it would be dangerous for any intending pilgrim, who had made a substantial deposit and had his documents perfected, to refuse presenting it to the board for documentation.

    Kaduna agency urges each pilgrim to pay N2.9m hajj fare

    The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency has urged intending pilgrims to pay N2,919,000 each for the 2023 hajj fares to avoid losing their seats.

    The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Yusuf Arrigasiyyu, unveiled the figure at a news conference in Kaduna on Tuesday.

    According to him, those who have not completed the money should do so before April 21, to avoid reallocation of their seats to others.

    He said that the National Hajj Commission allocated 5,987 seats to Kaduna State which have already been exhausted, adding that the state had written for additional seat.

    He noted that the agency had more than 300 requests from intending pilgrims, and it would not want to lose any seat from Kaduna State.

    The executive secretary said that there were some people who would have gone for the Hajj in 2023 but couldn’t make it.

    He urged the pilgrims to complete their money to meet up with the recent Hajj fare.

    On the increase, Arrigassiyyu said Kaduna had one of the lowest prices compared to other states like Lagos, and because of its distance to Saudi Arabia.

    “Borno has the lowest fare because of its closeness to Saudi Arabia,” the executive secretary said.

    He explained that the increase in the Hajj fare was because of the Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision where most of the houses close to the Holy Mosque are demolished for reconstruction.

    ”Therefore, houses are very difficult to get for Pilgrims to be accommodated in that area,” he said.

    Arrigasiyyu, however, said that the agency had begun enlightenment of Pilgrims in all the local government areas in the state.

    “We are working to ensure that the issues raised last year and this year are addressed before commencement of airlift by May,” he said.

    The executive secretary thanked the commission and other stakeholders for the necessary support in ensuring that the Pilgrims are successfully airlifted from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia.

  • Troops ambush, neutralise bandits in Kaduna

    Troops ambush, neutralise bandits in Kaduna

    Acting on a tip-off from a human intelligence source, troops of Operation Forest Sanity under 1 Division Nigerian Army has again ambushed and successfully neutralised 2 bandits leaders capturing arms, ammunition and other equipment.

    This was contained in a statement by Lieutenant Col Musa Yahaya, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations 1 Division Nigerian Army.

    Earlier, intelligence source revealed that a bandit leader named Isiya Danwasa intended to send his errand boy Yunusa to purchase some arms and ammunition in Kaduna town.

    Subsequently, the errand boy was trailed and picked up by plain cloth soldiers and later used to lure two of the bandits’ leaders to a selected ammunition collection point. Upon their arrival, troops who had laid an ambush engaged the criminals with superior firepower and neutralised the two bandits leaders..

    Items recovered from the criminal elements include one motorcycle (destroyed institu), two AK 47 rifles, six AK 47 magazines, quantity two hundred and fifty rounds of 7.62 mm special, one power bank, two charm vests and the sum of two hundred thousand Naira.

    The General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army and Force Commander Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Punch Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has commended the troops for their professional conduct and perfect execution of task.

    He further charged the troops to go after all bandits and show them no mercy.

    Again, the GOC appealed to the general public to continue to avail the troops and other security agencies with credible and actionable information so as to bring banditry, kidnapping and other crimes to a lasting end.

  • Kaduna Govt debunks report of kidnapping on Abuja-Kaduna road

    Kaduna Govt debunks report of kidnapping on Abuja-Kaduna road

    The Kaduna State Government, says stories of kidnapping on the Abuja-Kaduna road are false and misleading.

    The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, debunked the story in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna.

    Aruwan said a report published today by a newspaper, alleging that bandits kidnapped scores of citizens on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway is false and misleading, as no such incident occurred on the highway which straddles five Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Kaduna and Niger states.

    “An excerpt from the inaccurate report with the headline ‘Bandits Abduct Travellers On Abuja-Kaduna Highway’ reads:

    “Scores of travellers were abducted after bandits opened fire on motorists in Iche community, some few kilometres away from Kagarko town, along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.”

    He said contrary to the story, reports received from security agencies and the Kagarko Local Government Council indicated that armed men barricaded the Gwaje village axis of the Kagarko-Jere Road on Wednesday, April 5, and kidnapped an unspecified number of occupants from two vehicles, a Volkswagen Golf Wagon, (Reg No. LGT 228 XA) and Volkswagen Passat (Reg No. FSK 556 AV).

    “The vehicles were subsequently found empty,” he said.

    According to him, the coordinates of the scene of the incident (Gwaje village) are 9°29’34″N 7°39’18″E, which gave a location nowhere close to or even off the Abuja-Kaduna Highway as reported.

    From available facts, the incident did not occur at Iche as reported by the media.

    “The description which gives Kagarko town as being along Abuja-Kaduna highway is likewise inaccurate.”

    The Kaduna state government expresses its displeasure over the misleading piece of reportage which has unfortunately gained undue traction on social media and beyond.

    “The government views inaccurate and misleading reports as a major disservice to the campaign against banditry being prosecuted by officers and men of security forces, at the risk of their very lives,” he said.

    The Commissioner said government is following up closely with security agencies on all issues regarding security and safety of citizens.

  • Bandits murder clergyman, abduct wife in Kaduna state

    Bandits murder clergyman, abduct wife in Kaduna state

    Bandits have shot dead Rev Musa Mairimi, the minister in charge of ECWA Church, Buda two, Kasuwa Magani in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    Rev Mairimi’s death was confirmed on Saturday by the Rev John Joseph Hayab, the Kaduna State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)

    According to him, Rev Mairimi’s killers stormed the community on Thursday and killed the clergyman in his residence.

    He added that the bandits also abducted the deceased’s wife.

    Rev Hayab further avowed that over 100 people abducted from various local government areas such as Kauru, Jaba, Kachia, Kagarko and Kajuru are still in captivity for over six months now.

    He said: “The insecurity, especially killing and kidnapping of innocent souls is so disturbing that it is no longer news because many are left to carry their crosses; while many have been killed in the hands of the terrorists, many homes have been completely destroyed with valuables and nothing is being done to alleviate the sufferings of the common people affected.”

    He lamented that CAN is worried by the alarming rate of kidnapping of innocent souls at this hard time when people can hardly put food on their table.

    The most disturbing of the situation, according to him, is that the government was not doing enough to ensure the killings in the state are curtailed to enable rural dwellers to go about their normal lives and provide for their families.

    He believed that insecurity was a major problem that hindered many eligible voters from coming out to exercise their franchise of electing candidates of their choice in the just concluded general elections.

    He called on security agencies to be more proactive in ensuring that society is free from the activities of bandits.