TheNewsGuru

Tag: Niger State

  • Gunmen release 11 out of over 200 abducted students in Niger State

    Gunmen release 11 out of over 200 abducted students in Niger State

    Eleven students who were part of scores kidnapped earlier from an Islamiyya school located at Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State have been released.

    This is according to a communique by Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary to the state governor.

    In the statement late on Sunday, Ms. Noel-Berje noted that the released children were deemed too small and couldn’t walk, and this prompted the kidnappers to release them.

    The state’s chief scribe stated that Governor Abubakar Sani Bello expressed shock and is saddened by the recent reports of abduction of innocent people by armed bandits in several communities across three Local Government Areas of Rafi, Wushishi, and Bida.

    Gunmen invaded Tegina community in Rafi Local Government Area, shot one person dead, and left one seriously injured as well as kidnapped an unconfirmed number of Islamiyya Students and Teachers from Salihu Tanko Islamic School alongside some passengers of a Sharon Bus travelling to Minna.

    Speaking further regarding the ugly event, Governor Bello said it is outrageous that banditry in the state is escalating. He reiterated his emergency call on the Federal Government for prompt intervention.

    “The situation has reached crisis level, in fact, it’s a war situation that we have to confront without further delay,” the governor fumed while also stating that the state government is still searching and conducting a house-to-house headcount to ascertain the exact number of children abducted at Tegina.

    Niger State has had a bad run in recent times, with bandits constantly threatening the peace of the state. Only yesterday, there were reports that gunmen, on about 70 motorcycles, attacked 17 communities in Wushishi Local Government Area where they shot several people.

    In a bid to escape the bullets of the marauders, some women and children drowned as they tried to get across River Kaduna.

    Sources say more than ten people are still receiving treatment at the Wushishi General Hospital even as searches are still ongoing to ascertain how many persons are missing from Babako, Tashan Girgi, Kwakwagi, Fakara, Ndiga, Buzu, Akare, Kala Kala, Agwa, Anguwan Gizo, Tsamiya and other neighbouring villages which were attacked by the bandits.

    The governor described the current situation as unfortunate and unbecoming and assured that the Joint Military Taskforce has been mobilized and are already tracing the tracks of the criminals for possible isolation and ambush.

    Governor Bello appealed for calm and restated the “strong resolve” of the state government to continue to protect the lives and property of the citizens as a matter of utmost importance and priority.

  • BREAKING: 200 students of Islamiyya school kidnapped in Niger State

    BREAKING: 200 students of Islamiyya school kidnapped in Niger State

    At least 200 students of an Islamiyya school located at Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State have been abducted.

    It was gathered that One person was shot dead while another lays critically injured after gunmen carried out the kidnap operation at about 4:30pm on Sunday.

    A resident of the area Zayyad Mohammed confirmed the incident to Channels Television via telephone.

    According to him, the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya school where the incident took place, was built by a retired Immigration Officer.

    Details of the attack are still sketchy, but according to sources, the Islamiyya school is not the usual Sangaya boarding Islamic school, but a conventional one where parents send their children on a daily basis for the purpose of acquiring Islamic education.

    At the time of filing this report, the police were yet to make any comments regarding the development.

  • Gov Wike threatens to flog hell out of former Gov of Niger State [VIDEO]

    Gov Wike threatens to flog hell out of former Gov of Niger State [VIDEO]

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has threatened to flog hell out of former Governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu for calling him a dictator.

    Governor Wike, made the threat in a video that has since gone viral, stated that “no PDP congress has been held in Niger State because of Aliyu’s dictatorial tendencies.”

    Aliyu had in an interview last weekend, allegedly said a certain “dictator in Rivers State” was behind the travails of the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, because of a “personal ambition to either become Vice President or a political godfather.”

    Reacting, Wike accused Aliyu of being a political liability in the PDP and worked against the party in 2015.

    The Rivers State Governor thus threatened to “flog” Aliyu who he said thinks “it is still that time they were moving around saying they are fighting PDP”.

    Watch video below:

  • JUST IN: Troops confirm mass movement of herdsmen from Abuja

    JUST IN: Troops confirm mass movement of herdsmen from Abuja

    Troops and Police operatives have confirmed the mass movement of some herdsmen from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the herdsmen were sighted around Tafa in Kagarko local government Area.

    The troops trailed the group to an open field at Toba village, Tafa, Niger State, following several distress calls from citizens on movement of armed bandits in the area.

    However, following confirmatory checks, it was discovered that they were herders in transit from Dobi in Gwagwalada (FCT) and Gawu-Babangida, Lambata (Niger State).

    According to a statement by Kaduna State Commissioner for Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the herders were on transit to their original stations in Jos, Plateau State and Bauchi, Bauchi State.

    “A head-count was conducted by the troops, which revealed 53 herders in the traveling party: 9 adult male, 7 young male, and 37 women and children.

    “A thorough inspection showed that they had three motorcycles, and no dangerous or incriminating materials were found in their possession,” the statement reads.

  • Bandits kill five soldiers, one NSCDC officer in fresh attacks on Niger communities

    Bandits kill five soldiers, one NSCDC officer in fresh attacks on Niger communities

    Seven persons including five military officers and one Civil Defence Officer have been feared killed in a bandit attack on five communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

    According to a report by Channels Television, ten other persons were kidnapped with seven motorcycles stolen and military vehicles burnt down in the attack carried out from Wednesday night into the early hours of Thursday morning.

    The communities include Allawa, Manta, Gurmana, Bassa and Kokki all in Shiroro council.

    Locals said the bandits as early as 2:00am on Thursday stormed the camp of the Joint Security Task Force comprised of the Army, Police, Civil Defence and vigilantes at Allawa and opened fire on them unaware, killing five soldiers and one Civil Defence Officer.

    Many villagers were injured in the attack and are reported to be receiving treatment at various health centers.

    Confirming the incident, Chairman, Shiroro Youth Movement, Mohammed Idris said the bandits armed with AK-47 numbering about 100 attacked each community for about five hours unchallenged.

    “During the invasion, they killed one Alhaji Sale in Madalla community under Bassa ward and kidnapped four people and went away with two motorcycles.

    “Also in Kokki Boddo a community under Gurmana ward, they abducted six people and took away five motorcycles; five people were also kidnapped in Manta ward,” Idris said.

    Idris then appealed to both the Federal and State government to increase their effort in securing the lives of people at the various communities.

    The Co-convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Abubakar Yusuf Kokki also confirmed that five soldiers and one Civil Defence Officer were killed in Allawa by bandits, who attacked their camp early on Thursday morning.

    According to him, “the criminals took the personnel of the Joint Security Task Force unaware and opened fire on them. In the process, they burnt down the camp to ashes including the operational vehicles and also killed about six personnel (five Army Officers and one Civil Defence Officer) while many others sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries.”

    He explained that Allawa before the attack was one of the few towns standing in Lakpma axis of Shiroro local government that have not been invaded in the recent past.

    Lamenting the rate of attacks by bandits in the area, Kokki said, “We, the affected victims view this phenomenon from the angle of ethnic cleansing as we have been abandoned to our fate. As a result of sheer negligence from the authorities constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of providing adequate security to the citizenry, there is deliberate efforts by criminals through crude means to depopulate us which from all indications.”

  • PDP faction suspends ex-Governor of Niger State

    PDP faction suspends ex-Governor of Niger State

    A faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger has suspended former Gov. Babangida Aliyu from the party for alleged anti-party activities.

    This is contained in a statement signed by eight ward Chairmen and seven members of the PDP in the LGA in Minna on Tuesday.

    “The former governor of Niger, Dr Babangida Aliyu is hereby suspended from the party in Chanchaga LGA in pursuant to a stakeholders meeting held on March 29.

    “That the allegations leveled against him be forwarded to him to respond within 14 days,” the statement reads.

    However, Mr Jemilu Saidu, the LGA PDP Chairman, exonerated the ex-governor of the allegations, insisting that he was still a member of the party.

    “How can you suspend a member of the party without confirmation from the party Chairman from his local government area.

    “We heard the news this afternoon that the state party leader, Dr Babangida Aliyu has been suspended by a group of party members.

    “In fact, we held a meeting with Aliyu yesterday and this group in question was not at the meeting,” he said.

    Malam Yahaya Ebbo, the PDP ward Chairman of Tudun Wada where the former governor hailed from also dissociated himself from the suspension.

    “We are not aware of any suspension against our party leader,” he said.

    Hajiya Habiba Haruna, the State PDP Women Leader, said there was no need for the gang-up against the ex-governor as he was carrying along every member asthe party leader.

    “What these people are doing is to serve their selfish interest. If not how can you suspend such a calibre of person without following due process,” she said.

  • Chief Medical Director replies Buhari on why Nigerians travel abroad for medical care

    Chief Medical Director replies Buhari on why Nigerians travel abroad for medical care

    Dr Mohammed Usman, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Bida, on Sunday said that people seeking medical treatments outside the country were the bane of the successes of healthcare policies and operations in the country.

    Usman, who was the guest speaker at the annual general meeting of the Kutigi Old Students Association (KUOSA) and election, said this while presenting a paper on the theme “Medical Tourism, Matters Arising” in Minna.

    Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had named the unfriendly attitude of health workers across Nigeria as a major reason why prominent Nigerians like himself seek medical care outside the country.

    However, contrary to the position of President Buhari, Usman said the failure of primary healthcare structures within states and the country have been a major contributor to why most Nigerians travel abroad for medical care.

    He said in order to reduce the tide of domestic and international medical tourism, Nigeria would have to change its healthcare policies and patterns of operations.

    “This change should accommodate the healthcare needs of Nigerians at lesser cost but on the right standard,” he said.

    Usman noted that there was the need for a review of all issues that fuels medical tourism such as the restructuring of the structures viz: the primary, the secondary and the tertiary facilities as a way forward.

    He said that the Federal Government had released between 70 per cent and 100 per cent financial intervention to the health sector since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic for the provision of medical equipment, consumable and manpower training.

    Usman said that such investment and intervention in the healthcare sector had led to a reversal in medical tourism.

    In his address, Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger decried the huge resources spent on medical tourism in the state, saying that it could be channeled into overhauling the healthcare sector.

    Bello, who was represented by Dr Muhammed Makusidi, the State Commissioner for Health said that the State Government spent over N300 million on medical tourism for indigent citizens in 2019.

    He noted that after that, the State Government came up with a strategic plan to revitalise its healthcare system aimed at reducing medical tourism.

    “We realised during the COVID-19 pandemic that if we don’t kill medical tourism, it will kill our healthcare sector. COVID-19 exposed many wrongs in our health sector, we needed to come up with a development plan for COVID-19 and post COVID-19.

    “In 2020, we were given N20 million for medical assistance from the state government. Since people were not able to travel out, we were referring patients to our tertiary healthcare institutions within the state and across the country,” he said.

    In his remarks, Alhaji Abdullahi Isah, the newly elected National President of the Association, said the association would continue to complement the efforts of the State Government in ensuring a better learning environment for their students.

    He called on the members of the association across the country to unite and contribute their quota toward enhancing the productivity of students of Government Science College, Kutigi.

  • PDP faction rejects Saraki’s reconciliation committee recommendation in Niger State

    PDP faction rejects Saraki’s reconciliation committee recommendation in Niger State

    A faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger, led by Mr Tanko Beji, has rejected the recommendation of Sen. Bukola Saraki led reconciliation committee urging all candidates for the state party chairmanship position to step down.

    The state congress for the election of the new state PDP chairman was stalled, following violence among supporters of the two candidates -Mr Tanko Benji and Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed.

    The faction said in a statement by its Media Officer, Alhaji Yahaya Usman on Thursday in Minna that the recommendation was illogical.

    “We find such recommendations as inconceivable, unheard off and cannot stand commonsense nor logic.

    “The decision of the Saraki led reconciliation committee that the two contestants for the position of party chairmanship in the state should step down for no reason other than satisfying wishful interest is hereby rejected and if need be, might be tested in a court of law to strengthen the party’s constitution and obedience to the rule of law and democratic tenets.

    “The committee which came on board one year after the two contestants; Mr Tanko Beji and Mr Muktar Ahmed have purchased and filled nomination forms, cannot ask persons who have purchased PDP forms to contest positions to step aside for no reason.

    “It is even worse when it was clear that the target was to stop Beji by all means; if you take into accounts that Ahmed and former Gov. Babangida Aliyu preempted correctly the outcome of all the committee’s meetings weeks before such decision were announced and even leaked it before Saraki and other members of the committee at a meeting.

    “We stand by our position, and if we are to nominate 100 times, we will nominate Beji as our candidate, again and again. Make no mistake,” he said.

    He said that the nomination can only be override or upheld by a free, fair and transparent congress and not a reconciliation committee or any other committee.

  • Niger State records outbreak of avian flu

    Niger State records outbreak of avian flu

    The Niger State Government has announced the outbreak of avian influenza (flu) in a cluster of poultry farms in the state.

    The Information Officer, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Abubakar Kuta, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Minna.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered that the poultry in the state were being infected by type A flu.

    The statement disclosed that thousands of birds in the state, worth millions of naira, had been lost to the Avian flu.

    It advised poultry farmers to be vigilant and to report any incident of sudden high mortality of their birds to the ministry.

    The statement advised farmers to maintain strict farm hygiene, restrict movement of vehicles and people into their farms.

    It also advised them to disinfect farm premises and utensils to check the transmission of the virus.

    It also cautioned farmers against the exchange of egg crates and other equipment from other farms.

    The statement advised the public and livestock marketers to minimise contacts with sick and dead birds.

    According to Wikipedia, Avian influenza, known informally as avian flu or bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. The type with the greatest risk is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Bird flu is similar to swine flu, dog flu, horse flu and human flu as an illness caused by strains of influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host. Out of the three types of influenza viruses (A, B, and C), influenza A virus is a zoonotic infection with a natural reservoir almost entirely in birds. Avian influenza, for most purposes, refers to the influenza A virus.

    Though influenza A is adapted to birds, it can also stably adapt and sustain person-to-person transmission. Recent influenza research into the genes of the Spanish flu virus shows it to have genes adapted from both human and avian strains. Pigs can also be infected with human, avian, and swine influenza viruses, allowing for mixtures of genes (reassortment) to create a new virus, which can cause an antigenic shift to a new influenza A virus subtype which most people have little to no immune protection against.

  • Niger Govt. directs closure of public schools

    Niger Govt. directs closure of public schools

    Niger State Government has announced the closure of all secondary schools in the state for two weeks, from March 12 to March 26.

    A statement from the Ministry of Education signed by the Information Officer, Mr Jibrin Kodo, in Minna on Thursday, said the Commissioner, Hajiya Hannatu Salihu, announced this during an emergency consultative meeting.

    The meeting was held with the leadership of Association of Proprietors of Private Schools and Association of Model Islamic Schools.

    Also at the meeting were the Executive Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board, Heads of Education Agencies, Directors of the Ministry and other stakeholders.

    According to her, the directive was based on the decision earlier taken during an interface the ministry had with
    officials from various security agencies in the state.

    The commissioner said 22 secondary schools, consisting of 11 day and 11 boarding schools had earlier been closed.

    Salihu explained that the two weeks closure was to enable security agencies conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the schools.

    She noted that the exercise would provide an all inclusive mechanism and strategies that would restore and guarantee sustainable security and safety of students, school infrastructure, education managers and teachers.

    Salihu commended the education actors, parents and communities for their patience, understanding and support in this trying times.

    She reiterated the government’s commitment of ensuring that all schools are safe for effective teaching and learning.

    The commissioner urged people of the state not to relent in their show of solidarity, cooperation and collaboration with the government in surmounting the security challenges in the school system.