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Tag: Kaduna

  • JUST IN: Abductors of Kaduna school girls, teachers demand N50m ransom

    Abductors of six female students and teachers at Engravers College, Kakau Daji in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State have demanded N50m as ransom to free the abductees.

    Recall that the gunmen had in the early hours of Thursday stormed the college and took away six female students and two other staff of the school residing to an unknown destination.

    The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident.

    According to reports, one of the parents on Friay said the kidnappers had made contact with the management of the school where they demanded for the N50m ransom.

    The parent who does not want his name on print said: “We learnt that the kidnappers had contacted the college where they first demanded for N30m per head of student.

    “We were told that the school authority told the kidnappers that they could only afford to pay N100, 000 for the release of the students and their teachers.

    “The kidnappers told them they are not serious to get the children back. Negotiation is still going on.”

    It was gathered that the students were immediately sent on break following the abduction of the six female students and two members of staff of the college.

    “We have sent the students on a week break pending when the situation would normalize,” a source told our correspondent.

    One of the traumatized parents, Mr. Julde Juli, whose 15 –year- old daughter was among abductees, prayed that the kidnappers release their children alive.

    “We just pray nothing happens to them and they come out alive. We just have to take things the way it come because is how God ordains it to happen.

    “I used to have two children here (school) but one of them has been taken to the Federal Science School, Sokoto.”

    On what attracted him to taking his children to the school, he said: “from my experience over the years, the school is good based on their performance and the school fee is moderate.”

    On how he felt on hearing of the abduction of his daughter, Juli added, “As a parent, I was shocked on receiving the news of the kidnap of my daughter.”

    He urged all those that indulged in kidnapping for business to repent of the sins.

  • Recruitment: Kaduna shortlists 13,700 applicants

    Recruitment: Kaduna shortlists 13,700 applicants

    The Kaduna State Government has shortlisted 13,700 persons out of 41,971 applicants that applied for recruitment, for the next stage of the exercise.

    In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, Wednesday, the shortlisted applicants emerged after an initial assessment.

    According to him, the 41,971 applicants had earlier submitted essays online and they were assessed for plagiarism and Use of English.

    The Special Adviser disclosed that, ‘’applications with a high plagiarism score and essay quality falling below the threshold set by the government will not receive further consideration. Email notices are being sent out to inform all applicants of the status of their applications.’’

    He further said that “candidates on the shortlist will receive email notifications of the dates for their computer-based test which is the next stage in the recruitment process.”

    It will be recalled that on 1st August 2019, Kaduna state government had issued a recruitment notice, inviting online applications for jobs in the core civil service and 26 parastatals.

    At the close of submissions on 26th August 2019, 41,971 applications were received all over the country, ‘’for entry level, middle level and management jobs,’’ the statement maintained.

    Giving a breakdown of the distribution of the applicants, Adekeye disclosed that “applications were received from all the 36 states and the FCT. Kaduna State provided 32,143 of the 41,971 applicants, followed by Kogi with 1,265, Benue 733 and FCT 730. There were 516 applications from Lagos State, 147 from Anambra and 18 from Bayelsa.’’

    “At the end of the first stage assessments, persons aged 35 or below constitute 78.48% of the shortlisted applicants, while entry level applicants are in the majority, with, 7,724 candidates. Kaduna State has 10,696 of the 13,700 persons on the shortlist,’’ he added.

  • Bizarre! Gunmen murder pregnant wife of Kaduna pastor after receiving ransom

    Pregnant wife of a pastor of the Evangelical Church of West Africa, ECWA, Mrs.Ishaku Dogo Katung was brutally murdered by abductors in Kaduna State despite paying ransom for her freedom.

    The deceased was the wife of the minister in charge of ECWA Prayer House, Birnin Gwari ,Kaduna State.

    Report said gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen kidnapped her and demanded N5 million.

    The ransom was eventually slashed to N400,000.

    Although the ransom was paid, the suspected herdsmen killed her with her unborn child.

    The family of Rev. Ishaku and the ECWA members are currently mourning her demise.

  • Buhari reacts to abuse of 300 children in Kaduna, commends Police

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned reported horrific acts at a ‘reform institution’ in Kaduna where about 400 persons were rescued by the police.

    According to a statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Saturday, President Buhari condemned all forms of rights abuses whether of adults or children.

    While commending the efforts of the police for the discovery and subsequent arrest of operators of the horrific hub, the president said all children must be safeguarded and protected from all evil influences in the society.

    The statement read in part: ‘‘In commending the police for their discovery of this horrific hub and arrest of suspected operators of the unedifying, so-called “reform institution,” the administration of President Buhari categorically condemns rights abuses whether of adults or of children.

    ‘‘We are glad that Muslim authorities have dismissed the notion of the embarrassing and horrifying spectacle as Islamic School.

    ‘‘The place has indeed been described as a house of torture and a place of human slavery.

    ‘‘The President holds the view that children will be safeguarded from roaming the streets and protected from all evil influences that assail idle hands and idle minds, when they are sent to school.

    ‘‘When he inaugurated the National Economic Council for the year 2019/2023 at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja, President Buhari warned that keeping children away from school is a criminal offence.

    ‘‘He also stressed the need to take seriously and enforce the statutory provisions on free and compulsory basic education.

    “Citing Section 18(3) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which he says places on all of us – public leaders and political office holders – an obligation to eradicate illiteracy and provide free and compulsory education.

    ‘‘He added that “Section 2 of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act provides that every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.

    “It is indeed a crime, he stressed, for any parent to keep his child out of school for this period.”

    According to the president, his administration has introduced a number of programmes, including the school feeding programme which is now in 32 states in the country, with 9.8 million children in its roll.

    He said the school feeding programme was meant to encourage school enrolment and enhance the health and learning capabilities of pupils.

    President Buhari maintained that ”state and local governments are obliged under the law to ensure that every child of school age goes to school throughout the crucial nine years of basic education”.

    The president enjoined religious and traditional authorities to partner with the three tiers of government to check the menace of what he described as ‘unwanted cultural practices’.

    He said: ‘‘To stop unwanted cultural practices that amount to the abuse of children, our religious and traditional authorities must work with the federal, state and local governments to expose and stop all types of abuse that are widely known but ignored for many years by our communities.’’

  • Torture school: Police arrest seven suspects, handover 300 rescued children to Kaduna Govt

    Torture school: Police arrest seven suspects, handover 300 rescued children to Kaduna Govt

    The Kaduna State Police Command said it had handed over to the state government the 300 inmates of a rehabilitation centre at Rigasa in Kaduna, rescued on Thursday.
    Parents of some of the children had disputed police claims that the inmates were being abused and held against their wish.
    The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Saturday that the over 300 inmates were handed over to the Kaduna government on Friday for reunion with their families.
    He however said that seven suspects earlier arrested were undergoing investigations.
    The PPRO defended the police raid on the centre, saying it was based on reports of torture and abuse, not whether the inmates were willingly taken there by their parents.
    “Whether or not they were the ones who handed their children over, there is limitation to what can be done to human beings, even by parents.
    “According to law, even if it is the father that subjected his child to inhuman treatment, there is a level where he will be held liable for his action.
    “Nobody is questioning whether the parents took their children there, what we are saying is that inhuman treatment is meted out to those children in violation of the law.
    “The school in question have no license to operate as well. The agencies of government that are supposed to supervise them are not put into consideration. As far as we know, they have not tendered any document to show that they are licensed.
    “The school is concurrently running both educational and correctional programmes which are supposed to be different institutions with different licenses.
    ” If you have license to give correctional program, that in itself does not give you order to do educational program.
    “Even if you are licensed, it does not give you the right to go ahead without having the required manpower and skills to carry out the programme. All these are not there,” Sabo said.
  • Kaduna Islamic school: Mothers of freed ‘inmates’ protest against police

    Kaduna Islamic school: Mothers of freed ‘inmates’ protest against police

    …want their children returned to Islamic facility

    …deny alleged sexually abuse

    Some parents of the freed 300 male children allegedly chained, tortured and sexually abused at an Islamic school or rehabilitation centre in Kaduna have kicked against the police for putting their children in protective custody.

    The protesters, mostly women said the allegation by the police that the children were being sexually abused at the Islamic school was untrue.

    The protesters who openly throw their weight behind the operators of the school and their methods demanded the immediate release of their children by the police.

    According to some of the mothers, there was nothing wrong with the Islamic school methods, and the police had no business raiding it.

    The Kaduna State Command of the Police had on Thursday stormed Rigasa, Igabi Local Government Area of the state, to free300 male children who were allegedly maltreated, sexually assaulted in the Islamic school.

    The police said some of the victims were from Burkina Faso, Mali and other African countries, adding that the students confessed to have been abused homosexually.

    Some other victims were said to have been subjected to daily recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers with torture.

    The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ali Janga, had said during the raid: “The man who is operating this home claimed that parents brought their children here for rehabilitation. But, from the look of things, this is not a rehabilitation centre. No reasonable parent will bring their children to this place,”

    Some of the boys and men were said to have been held captive for years inside what could be described as a ‘house of horror’, which was advertised as an Islamic school.

    Some of the victims, as young as five years old, said they were tortured, sexually abused and starved and confirmed that attempt to escape attracts severe punishment.

    Many of them had metal chains around their ankles and visible injuries.

    One of those who were saved by the police alleged that some victims had died.

    The police arrested seven teachers of the Islamic centre, including its proprietor, Mallam Ismaila Abubakar, who insisted all they did at the centre was the teaching of Islam.

    “All those allegations of torture, dehumanisation and homosexuality are false and mere allegations. We do nothing here other than teaching people Islam,” he said.

    However, on Friday, some mothers of the freed children protested against the police, saying they wanted their children reunited with them.

    One of them, Maryam Fatika, whose four children attended the centre, said there was nothing wrong with the school, wondering why the police decided to raid it.

    According to her, none of her children had ever complained of any form of maltreatment.

    Fatika said, “We are aware that they (children) are being punished whenever they do wrong because they are dangerous and stubborn children.

    “There is nothing wrong with the school because we took our children there by ourselves. So, we don’t know why the police raided the place,” Punch reports.

    Another woman, who identified herself as Mama Jibril, said her son had spent six years at the centre.

    According to her, there is nothing wrong with the centre.

    She said she sent her son to the centre because “Jibril was becoming a threat to the family.”

    She said, “We took him to the Islamiyya school for rehabilitation and to God be the glory, he has changed.

    “I visited him and I have never seen anything wrong going on in the school.

    “We don’t even know where they (police) took our children. We are appealing to the government and police to return our children to us and we are also okay with the way the children are being handled by the Islamiyya authorities.”

    Shafa’atu Zakari, who said she had six children in the school, said the children were drug addicts and uncontrollable.

    She said, “That’s why we took them to the school to acquire Quranic knowledge.

    “We took the children to the school because we didn’t know what to do with them. Presently, four of my children are among the students taken away by the police.

    “We demand their release because the founder of the school, Mallam Ismail, is doing everything possible within Islamic teachings to rehabilitate them for us.”

    Some residents of the area where the centre is located also claimed some of the students were drug addicts.

    Ahmed Balarabe, who lives close to the school, denied the children were being sexually abused.

    He said, “I share a fence with the school and my two sons attended the school and they never told me anything about being sexually abused.

    “Being a neighbour that always enters the school, if such thing was happening, I should have known.”

    Police taking freed children’s details –Spokesperson

    Speaking on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in Kaduna State, Mr Gambo Isa, said the command was still taking the details of the children rescued from the facility, adding that the owner of the school and six teachers were still being held.

    He said, “Investigation is still on. We are trying to compile the list of the children. The facility is like a school and it has been operating for some time. From the information we got, the children were kept there; they (the suspects) operated it like a school.

    “We got intelligence and went there. Seven suspects – the owner of the place, Ismaila Abubakar, and six others who act as teacher – have been arrested. Chaining them is what we are saying is illegal. You cannot chain human beings just because you want to punish them.”

    Meanwhile, one of the Islamic centre’s directors, Mohammed El’Zubair, has denied the allegations by the police.

    “No responsible father would take his child to where he would be molested sexually.

    “We expected the police to investigate us well before invading the school.

    “So, we are seeking justice from the authorities concerned and we leave everything to God who knows what we are doing,” he said.

    El’Zubair listed public figures who had visited the centre in the past to include a former Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Abdurrahman Ahmad; Islamic scholar and preacher, Dr Ahmad Gumi; the Chief Imam of Sultan, Bello Mosque; and ex-Lagos State governor, Gen Buba Marwa.

    Islamic schools, known as Almajiris, are common in the Muslim-dominated north and have for years been dogged by allegations of abuse, including of children being forced to beg on the streets.

  • CAN reacts to El-Rufai’s decision to halt demolition of 110-year Kaduna Church

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has reacted to the recent decision by the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai led Kaduna State Government to halt its initial decision to demolish the 110-year St. George Anglican Church, Zaria.

    The body in a statement signed by its Director, Legal and Public Affairs, Evang. Barr. Kwamkur Samuel Vondip, said the governor only acted for ‘historical value’ and not for the purpose for which the church was built.

    Read full statements below:

    PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN) NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS ABUJA ON THE THREAT TO DEMOLISH ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH ZARIA BY THE KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT.
    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) under the leadership of His Eminence, Rev. Dr Samson Supo Ayokunle has followed with keen interest the threat by the Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency to demolish the St George Anglican Church, Sabon Gari, Zaria.
    We acknowledge the fact that the Kaduna State Government has decided to retract their threat to demolish the ancient church building which has been standing for over 110 years in that location for historical value of the Church.
    While we commend the Government for taking the bold step to withdraw from their earlier threat to demolish the Cathedral, we are concerned that the only reason for withdrawing such threat is for “historical value” not for the purpose for which the church is built and the blessings it has brought to the immediate communities and the entire nation. This is a church that has developed the spiritual and moral values of many people in the ancient city for decades, yet the only reason the government will advance is the historical value of the church! To us the reason suggests lack of respect for the church in Nigeria and a probability of future threats to other churches without that long ‘history of historical value,’ not only in Zaria but the entire Kaduna State. By the time that church started there, about one hundred and ten years ago, how many structures were in the vicinity to now warrant threat to the existence of the church? If the market came there many years after the existence of the church, should it be the church which first got there that should have its existence threatened? If overriding public interest was the excuse given, is the church equally not serving the public? Is the church serving an individual? The threat issued in the first instance was a provocation which ought not to happen in the first instance.
    Nigeria is passing through very critical challenges of insecurity, poverty and high level of joblessness leading to many Nigerians giving up on life to the extend of committing suicide. This is the time that calls for more commitment to God and spiritual values are desirable and all arms and tiers of government are expected to recognize this and promote more commitment to God rather than waging war against religious organizations like this. Don’t we have abundance of land in Zaria Local Government Area to which the so-called market can be relocated?
    From recent developments in our nation, we observe that some politicians in power are the ones using their selfish ambitions or immature political decisions to cause political tensions in our land, not the religious leaders as such. We seize this opportunity to plead with them to desist from provocative political decisions that border on religion that can set the religious groups against one another. We the religious leaders in the country have promised never again to allow any politician or any other group to use their actions or statements to divide us again. Without religious harmony in Nigeria, there cannot be peace and progress. We urge those in political leadership never to give flimsy excuse of overriding public interest again in this country to order for the relocation of any church or mosque all over the country. We equally urge some states, especially in the North of the country who refused to give Certificate of Occupancy to churches that had applied for it to stop the discriminatory and unconstitutional policy. Different religious adherents in all states of the Federation should have unhindered opportunity to build their places of worship within the ambit of the law. Deliberate refusal to issue Certificate of Occupancy in order to destroy such facilities later if built must stop. Those in government are expected to be seen to be promoting religious peace and harmony at all levels.
    We commend greatly the Vicar of the church and Bishop of the Anglican Dioceses of Zaria for drawing the attention of Nigerians to the threat.
    We sincerely appreciate the Chairman and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State Chapter for the peaceful approach taken in resolving the matter. We equally commend the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) for the actions taken on this matter.
  • Photos: El-Rufai enrols son in Kaduna public primary school

    Photos: El-Rufai enrols son in Kaduna public primary school

    Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Monday enrolled his six-year-old child, Abubakar Al-Siddique El-Rufai into primary one in Capital School Malali, Kaduna, a public school, in fulfilment of a promise he made in 2017.

    El-Rufai in a state broadcast in December 2017, promised to enrol his child in a public school when he turns six years.

    “The move is part of reforms to revamp public schools in the state to make them more competitive. We are determined to fix public education and raise their standards so that private education will become only a luxury.

    “As we make progress, we will require our senior officials to enrol their children in public schools. And I will by personal example ensure that my son that will be six years of age in 2019 will be enrolled in a public school in Kaduna State, by God’s grace,” El-Rufa’i had said.

    Briefing newsmen shortly after he enrolled the child, El-Rufa’i explained that it was a commitment that had been fulfilled.

    “I made that commitment because I believe that it is only when all political leaders have their children in public schools that we will pay due attention to the quality of public education. I went to a public school like this. The school I went to is not as good as this one, but here I am, because of the quality teaching I got.

    “I intend to ensure that all our public schools offer quality education, and so we are encouraging all our senior public servants to send their children to public schools. Once the public schools are improved to a point they are nearly as good or even better than private schools, no one will waste his money taking his child to private school,” he said.

    Ummi El-Rufa’i, the mother of the child said: “l am glad that we can send a strong message to our leaders and the elites, that we need to start making things work from within our homes. By the time we start attending public hospitals and send our children to public schools, the system will get better. This is a very huge step,” she said.

    On his part, the little child said: “I am sad that I will miss my old school, my friends and my teachers. But I have to help my father keep his promise”.

  • Procession: We lost 15 members in Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi others – IMN

    The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has claimed that 15 of its members were killed during the Ashura mourning procession on Tuesday in Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Sokoto and others.

    It also claimed that several people sustained gunshots injury, fearing that casualty figure may rise.

    The movement said three people were killed by the police in Kaduna and 10 others injured some fatally when thousands of Muslim brothers and sisters trooped out in the early hours of Tuesday.

    Spokesman of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, said in a statement “In Bauchi, reports also have it that three people were killed during the Ashura procession when the police attacked the mourners. Likewise three other people were killed by the police in Azare, also in Bauchi state.

    “Another three people were killed by the police in Gombe, Gombe state.

    “One person was reportedly killed by the police in Illela, during the Ashura procession there and another person was killed in Goronyo all in Sokoto state.

    “In Malumfashi, Katsina state also another person was killed. In Katsina town however, several people sustained bullet wounds when the police opened fire on the mourners, not only during the mourning procession, but afterwards as the well- armed policemen attempted to forcibly make their way into the Islamic centre of the Movement.

    “These casualty figures may however rise due to the fatal gunshot wounds sustained by some of the peaceful mourners.

    “This year’s Ashura procession was held in all the state capitals of the North and Abuja.

    “It ended peacefully in Abuja, Jos, Kebbi, Minna, Lafia, Yola, Gusau, Zaria, Kano, Jalingo, Damaturu, Hadejia and Potiskum.

    “Today’s show of shame and rage by the police across the states was sequel to the tragic orders given to it by the Inspector general of police, Mohammed Adamu to brutally attack the peaceful Ashura mourners.

    “That the mourning procession ended peacefully in places not attacked by the police is sufficient evidence as to who the instigators of violence are whenever we are carrying out our legitimate religious duties.

    “We are grateful to Allah the Almighty that has granted us the courage to come out in several cities and villages across the country to commemorate the brutal killing of Ima1m Hussein (AS), the Grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S) as it is done in several cities across the globe, despite intimidation and threats by the federal government and its agents, acting on behalf of the Saudis by proxy.”

  • El-Rufai hails Tribunal judgement upholding his re-election as Kaduna governor

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Monday hailed the affirmation of his re-election by the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

    A statement by the Special Adviser, Media & Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, quoted the governor as thanking the tribunal for its verdict and expressing his gratitude to the people whose electoral choice has been reaffirmed.

    The tribunal on Monday upheld the election of El-Rufai as the duly elected governor.

    The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ibrahim Bako, said the petitioner, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Isah Ashiru, was unable to prove his allegations of massive rigging and other electoral irregularities against Governor El-Rufai, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In the petition filed before the tribunal, the PDP candidate had alleged that irregularities marred the conduct of the March 9, 2018 governorship election and asked the tribunal to declare him winner.

    The Vice Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Mohammed Bello, who was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, had said El-Rufai polled 1,045,427 to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru, the PDP candidate, who scored 814,168.

    The PDP and its governorship candidate, Ashiru, had petitioned the tribunal asking it to nullify El-Rufai’s election.

    The petitioners, in their final written address, asked the tribunal to cancel 515, 951 votes, which they contended, were unlawfully added to the total votes cast during the poll.

    The petitioners called 135 witnesses out of the 685 they assembled to prove alleged massive rigging, ballot stuffing and other irregularities during the poll as contained in their petition.

    The petitioners accused the INEC of adding 391,741 votes to El-Rufai’s and 124, 210 unlawful votes to the PDP through wrong or double entry on the result sheets.

    They said that declaring El-Rufai as the winner by INEC was illegal, as he did not poll the majority of lawful votes.

    The PDP through its legal team led by Mr. Emmanuel C. Ukala (SAN), said deducting 391,741 votes from 1,045,427 scored by El-Rufai and 124,210 from Ashiru’s 814, 168 votes would give victory to PDP and Ashiru, its candidate.

    The PDP Chairman in Kaduna State, Hassan Hyet, has said his party will appeal the tribunal’s judgment.