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Tag: Kaduna

  • 20 feared killed in fresh Kaduna attack

    Twenty persons were said to have been killed in a renewed attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Ungwan Aku village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    Scores reportedly sustained gunshot injuries.

    A source from the community said the attackers in military fatigue invaded the village at about 7pm on Monday.

    According to the source, the attackers who were armed with weapons including AK47 guns and machetes shot sporadically at anything on sight in the village.

    “As they shot sporadically, some of us escaped into the bush. The attackers were in military uniforms and bullet-proof vests,” the source said.

    The source added that the police came into the village in eight Hilux vans but could not enter the bush to fish out the attackers.

    According to him, there had been speculation of attack on the village but no effort was made to nip it in the bud.

    A former President of the Adara Development Association, Danladi Yarima, confirmed the killings.

    While condemning the killings, he accused the Governor Nasir el-Rufai of bias in the manner he had been handling the crisis in the area.

  • Bandits launch fresh attack on Kaduna community, kill 20

    Twenty persons have been reported killed in a fresh attack by unknown gunmen in Angwan Aku community, Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

    A resident who pleaded not to be named for ‘security reasons’ said the attack was launched at about 7am on Monday by gunmen, allegedly dressed in military uniform and armed with AK47 rifles, machetes and sticks.

    They stormed the village, shooting sporadically, he said.

    The source said: “The attackers stormed the village and they were shooting indiscriminately and everybody started running into the bush. They were pursuing us as we ran. Some people were killed in the bush.

    “Some of them were wearing military uniforms with bulletproof vests… I saw them from where I was hiding.”

    The source said the police arrived in the village in eight Hilux vans after the bandits had run into the bush.

    “The police came in eight Hilux vehicles, but instead of pursuing the bandits who ran into the bush, they just turned back,” he said.

    According to him, there had been speculations last week of the attacks.

    “We had thought that the government would have taken the speculations seriously and be proactive, but they didn’t take it seriously and this led to the killing of more of our people. It is rather very unfortunate,” he added.

    A former President of the Adara Development Association (ADA), Danladi Yarima, confirmed the attack in a telephone interview, describing it as “unfortunate”.

    He blamed it on the government’s handling of the security situation in the state.

    The incessant killings in Kajuru communities stared on February 10 when some herdsmen allegedly attacked Anguwan Barde, an Adara community, at night and killed 11 residents.

    The Adara were alleged to have embarked on reprisal attacks.

    Yarima, a lawyer, had in a recent statement said that about 4,000 people had been sacked from their homes following the destruction of properties by bandits.

    Yakubu Sabo, spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command could not be reached for comment last night. The messages sent to him on the telephone and on the Police/Media WhatsApp platform were not replied.

  • Gunmen kidnap Catholic priest in Kaduna

    A Catholic priest has been kidnapped in Kaduna State, North-west Nigeria.

    John Shekwolo, a reverend father, was kidnapped by armed men in Ankuwa, Kachia Local Government Area of the state, the police said.

    The police spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo, said the cleric was kidnapped at about 8 a.m. on Monday when the gunmen went to his residence and whisked him away to an unknown destination.

    He explained that a team of police officers were mobilised to the village.

    “This with a view to combing the general area for possible rescue of the victim and arresting the criminals. The commissioner of police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, appeals to the general public to assist the police with relevant information that could help in curbing the menace of banditry in the state,” he said

    Earlier, the Archdiocese of Kaduna, Daniel Kyom, in a statement made available to journalists in the state explained that the kidnapped priest was in charge of Saint Theresa Catholic Church, Ankwa, near Kachia.

    “We regret to announce that one of our priests, Rev. Fr. John Bako Shekwolo has been kidnapped by unknown persons.

    “As we ask for the prayers of the faithful of our Archdiocese and beyond the quick release of Fr. Shekwolo, we appeal to the consciences of those who abducted him to kindly release him unharmed,” he said.

    Kidnapping for ransom is high in Kaduna, Katsina and many other states in Nigeria. The victims include clerics across religious divide, business persons, and other residents of the affected states.

     

  • Presidential poll: El-Rufai reacts to Atiku’s claim of winning Buhari in Kaduna

    Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufa, on Friday dismissed the claim by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he won the presidential election in Kaduna State.

    President Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner of the Feb. 23 presidential election by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar, who scored 11, 255,978 votes.

    Buhari won in 19 states including Kaduna, Kogi, Niger and Gombe as against Atiku, who won in 17 states and the FCT to occupy the second position.

    Atiku Abubakar, however, claimed that he won the election in Kogi, Kaduna, Gombe and Niger states that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared were won by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Abubakar stated this in his “state to state computation” contained in his electoral petition filed at the Election Tribunal in Abuja.

    But, El-Rufai told State House Correpondents that the PDP presidential candidate lost the election in Kaduna state, adding that “he will always lose Kaduna, he will lose Kaduna 10 more times because he has never won Kaduna in any presidential election.’’

    He said: “Let me say this without any fear of contradiction, since President Buhari started contesting for the presidency since 2003, he has never lost Kaduna.

    “So, PDP has never won elections in Kaduna from 2003, even with a sitting governor in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015. It has never happened.

    “I don’t know what will happen that Atiku will win Kaduna in these elections this time.

    “He lost Kaduna, he lost very badly, even though about 100,000 votes he claimed to have got were added because elections were conducted without card reader in some parts of the state, that’s how he even got up to the 400,000 that he got.’’

    The governor, who also dismissed Atiku’s claim on the result of the presidential election found in INEC server, maintained that the PDP candidate was free to prove his case at the tribunal.

    “`Well, I don’t know about INEC server, it must be Atiku’s server. I don’t know about INEC server, we don’t know how they had access to it, they will tell us during the tribunal proceedings what is this server and how they got access to it and how they got their numbers.

    “You do not go to court in an election petition by quoting INEC server or any other server. Anyone can create a server, I can go and buy it, it is a piece of equipment and call it INEC server.

    “But that does not mean that it amounts to anything, we are guided by the electoral act and the evidence act and other enabling legislation and he has to prove his case.

    “But anyone can make claims – we live in the age of fake news and fake claims. Anyone can make claims but you have to prove it,’’ he added.

    The governor, who said that he was in the Presidential Villa to inform President Buhari that he was never involved in an accident as being falsely reported, said he also discussed issues relating to his state with the president.

    He said: “I came to see Mr President after my re-election as governor because immediately after the election I took a break.

    “I came back to report to him that I was not involved in an accident, I’m alive, I am not in coma and also to discuss other issues related to my state.’’

    El-Rufai advised the citizens to always avoid forwarding stories that had not been verified, saying that he was neither involved in an accident nor went into coma as being speculated.

    He disclosed that security personnel had intensified efforts to trace the originators of the fake story with a view to prosecuting them to serve as deterrent to others.

    “My advice to everyone in Nigeria is to avoid forwarding stories that have not been verified. Social media provides platform for disseminating information but it is also a platform for dissemination of lies and hatred.

    “We should be very careful that we don’t use this platform to advance the cause of the enemies of this country.

    “I was never involved in any accident, I was not near any accident, In fact at a time I was supposed to be involved in an accident, I was in an aircraft going to another country.

    “But somebody sat and concocted this story and we are trying to trace who started it. Because criminal proceedings can be initiated against the person. Sometimes it is very difficult to know who started it but we are on it.

    “My advice is that we should rely on reliable news medium, not just any platform or any blog. Unless we hear something from a very reliable news medium, we should be reluctant to begin sharing it as if it is true,’’ he said.

  • 10 confirmed dead in fresh attack on Kaduna village

    Mr Charles Danladi, the Chairman, Sanga Local Government Council, Kaduna State, has confirmed the death of 10 in an attack on Nandu village in the area.

    The chairman in Kafanchan on Saturday that the attack occurred on Friday and 11 houses were burnt.

    Danladi, however, said that normalcy had since returned to the affected village, as the local council intensifies efforts at dousing tension to prevent reprisal.

    He said youths of the area had been summoned and counselled against embarking on any acts capable of escalating the ugly situation.

    A resident of the affected village, who pleaded anonymity said that the attack was suspected to have been launched by Fulani herders in retaliation for an attack on them by locals before the general election.

    He said, at least 11 cows and 28 sheep were killed during that attack.

    Efforts to get police reaction was unsuccessful as the Spokesman of Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo as at the time of filing this report.

  • LG Chairman confirms death of 10 persons in fresh attack on Kaduna village

    Mr Charles Danladi, the Chairman Sanga Local Government Council, Kaduna State, has confirmed the death of 10 in an attack on Nandu village in the area.

    The chairman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kafanchan on Saturday that the attack occurred on Friday and 11 houses were burnt.

    Danladi however said that normalcy had since returned to the affected village, as the local council intensifies efforts at dousing tension to prevent reprisal.

    He said youths of the area had been summoned and counselled against embarking on any acts capable of escalating the ugly situation.

    A resident of the affected village, who pleaded anonymity told NAN that the attack was suspected to have been launched by Fulani herders in retaliation for an attack on them by locals before the general election.

    He said, at least 11 cows and 28 sheep were killed during that attack.

    Efforts to get police reaction was unsuccessful as the Spokesman of Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo did not respond to calls on his handset.

  • Armed men attack Kaduna community; 12 feared killed, nine others injured

    No fewer than 12 people have been killed, as armed bandits attacked Layin Maigwari village along Funtua road in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

    According to a source in Dogo Dawa, Alhaji Ahmed Rufai, that the first attack happened on Monday, when the armed bandits ambushed and opened fire on some people travelling from Zamfara to Niger State.

    Rufai said two persons were killed and nine others injured in the attack.

    According to him, another set of bandits, numbering about 80, also stormed Hayin Gada village Tuesday night and started shooting sporadically, leaving 10 persons dead.

    “As I speak with you, residents of the village have fled to a neighbouring community for fear of further attack, because the attackers were so many. They were up to 80,” he said.

    Kaduna State Police Command could not confirm the incident as at the time of filing this report.

    The command’s spokesman, DSP Yakubu Sabo, said he was on board a helicopter and promised to get back for further details.

  • Kaduna imposes curfew in Kajuru as bandits intensify attack

    The Kaduna State Government on Wednesday imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in Kajuru local government area of the state where there has been a series of attacks recently.

    According to a statement issued by government spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, security assessments had necessitated the imposition of a dusk to dawn curfew in all parts of Kajuru Local Government Area, effective from today, Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

    He said the dusk to dawn curfew was also extended to Kujama and Maraban Rido, which were located in Chikun Local Government.

    statement added that the curfew in the affected areas would be from 6 pm to 6 am daily, until further notice.

    The government has directed security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of the curfew and however appealed to all residents and communities in the affected areas to bear with the inconveniences, Channels Tv reports.

  • No card reader, no voting in Kaduna – REC

    No card reader, no voting in Kaduna – REC

    Alhaji Kaugama Abdullahi, the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kaduna State said on Friday that there would be no voting in the March 9 Governorship and State Assembly elections without the use of the Card Reader.

    Abdullahi stated this while addressing a joint news conference with heads of security agencies in the state a few hours before the March 9 polls in the state.

    “Once there is no card reader, there will be no voting, and if voting is enforced, it would not be recorded,“ Abdullahi said.

    He said that once the card reader failed during the elections, there would be backup and technical experts would be on hand to rectify the gadget.

    Abdullahi said that the Commission had addressed most lapses experienced in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.

    He said voting materials had been dispatched and were already being distributed from the 225 voting areas (Wards) to 8012 polling units in the 23 local government areas of the state.

    “Late arrival of materials will be history in Kaduna State, as 80 per cent of voting materials have been moved to registration areas already are as speak being distributed to the polling units.

    “I am assuring that by 7:30 am tomorrow, materials will arrive at polling units and voting will commence by 8:00 am, according to INEC rule. Our ad-hoc staff are also ready, and they are people of integrity.

    “So the issues of late arrival of materials, card readers’ failure have been taken care of, and such will not be repeated at this Saturday’s polls,“ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria recalled that, in the last poll, electorate waited for several hours before the arrival of the materials, a situation that led to the extension of the hours of the election period earlier scheduled between 8:00 am to 2:00 Pm to allow those on cue to vote.

    Also fielding questions from journalists, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman said no local vigilante groups would be allowed to participate in the election exercise in the state.

    The commissioner said that personnel from the various security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, the Civil Defence Corp, and the Federal Road Safety Corps had been deployed to take charge of the process.

    He said that the measure was taken to ensure a peaceful conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly Poll in the state.

    “After the last election, we sat and reviewed the security deployment and we deployed more security officials to where we found challenges.

    “Any Security official found attempting to disrupt the election will be arrested and local vigilante groups have been warned to stay off during the elections.

    “We are going to engage in Air surveillance with the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Air Force. All private vehicles on election duty must carry tags as means of identification.

    “No food vendors would be allowed because we realized that the presence of such vendors encourages vote trading and leads to eruption of violence in some parts of the country,” he said.

    The police boss said “the PVC is the visa to move to your voting unit.

    “Only those on essential duty would be allowed to move around. No vigilante group is allowed to take part in the election,” he added.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 42 political parties are fielding 436 candidates for the March 9 Governorship and State Assembly poll in the state.

    NAN reports that 38 candidates including the incumbent, Gov Nasiru El-Rufai and Alhaji Isah Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party are running for the governorship seat in the state, while 398 other contestants are vying for the 34 State House of Assembly seats in the state.

  • Election: Kaduna deputy governor loses ward to PDP

    Mr Barnabas Bantex, Kaduna State Deputy Governor contesting for Kaduna South Senatorial seat under the All Progressive Congress (APC), has lost his Registration Area, Manchok, to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Announcing the result around on Sunday in Manchok, INEC Collation Officer, Mr Yusuf Emmanuel, said that the incumbent, Sen. Danjuma La’ah, polled 2,301 votes to defeat Bantex who got 2,113 votes.

    NAN reports this is even as Bantex won his Polling Unit with 227 votes over La’ah who got only 15 votes.

    In the Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP also won with 2,991 votes, while President Muhammadu Buhari APC got 1,443.

    The PDP also won the House of Representatives seat with 2,056 votes over APC who got 1,641 votes, UPN 243 votes, PRP 191 votes and SDP 50 votes.