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Tag: niger

  • Bandits kill four, kidnap Chief Imam, 20 others in Niger

    Bandits kill four, kidnap Chief Imam, 20 others in Niger

    Armed bandits have abducted the Chief Iman of Beni central mosque, Mallam Umar Mohammed and 20 others in Munya local government area of Niger state.

    The latest attack occurred four days after bandits killed an Army Captain and three others in an ambush.

    Sources said that the bandits, who were up to 50, were said to have invaded Beni Community in Munya local government and Kudami in Paikoro local government in the early hour of Wednesday.

    They were said to have met stiff resistance in Kudami but they had a field day in Beni where they looted shops, houses and kidnapped the Chief Imam on his way for a naming ceremony.

    The invasion also led to the death of four others while several others were severely injured.

    They are said to be receiving treatment at the Kafin Koro general hospital.

    The District Head of Beni, Alhaji Jafaru Umar Sarki confirmed the recent attacks in a telephone interview.

    He said that the invasion of the community by the bandits is the second in three days.

    “They came three days ago and stole over 200 cows from Fulani Men, and this morning (Wednesday), they came again in their numbers. As I speak to you now they are busy looting shops and moving from house to house and collecting people’s property.

    “So far, four people have been killed, they shot another boy in the head and we don’t know if he will survive. They are so many in number, I cannot count them and they are all with guns.

    “The unfortunate thing is that we informed the security agents about it after the first attack but up till now nobody came to our rescue. This community is under siege at the moment and we are helpless,” he lamented.

  • 3 killed, 6 injured in Niger auto-crash

    3 killed, 6 injured in Niger auto-crash

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Command in Niger has confirmed the death of three people in an auto crash on Bida – Kutigi road in Bida Local Government Area of the state.

    The state FRSC Sector Commander, Mr Joel Dagwa, made the confirmation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna.

    Dagwa said that the accident which occurred on Friday involved an articulated vehicle without a registration number and a bus with registration SHA 683 XA.

    He said that nine people were involved in the accident, but three died while six sustained various degrees of injury.

    “We have deposited the corpses at Federal Medical Centre Bida,’’ Dagwa said.

    He blamed the incident on speeding and dangerous overtaking.

    Dagwa said the corps would continue to monitor road users to guard against dangerous driving in all the major highways in the state.

    “We will sustain our ongoing aggressive patrols across highways to ensure that road users adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations to avoid road accidents,” he said.

  • Toxic animal disease hits Niger Republic, Nigerians on alert

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday warned their respective officers about the outbreak of the deadly anthrax disease in neighbouring Niger Republic.

    Alerting its veterinary officers, the FMARD described anthrax as a deadly zoonotic disease with a high rate of mortality in humans and livestock.

    The Chief Veterinary Officer of the Federation, Oniya Alabi, said it had become important to reinforce surveillance systems across all entry points in border communities considering the mass movement of animals and products across the Niger Republic and Nigeria.

    He appealed for adequate measures to prevent the incursion of the disease into Nigeria.

    This came as the Nigeria Customs Service alerted its zonal, regional and other officers across the country about the outbreak of the disease in the Niger Republic.

    The Comptroller, Enforcement, NCS, Victor Dimka, said the alert was necessary to ensure that the disease does not spread into Nigeria.

    The alert notice from the NCS headquarters, dated December 12, 2019, was issued to all zonal coordinators, customs area controllers, comptrollers North-West, North-East, Marine Command, zonal commanders, headquarters strike force, among others.

    In the alert to its officers, the NCS said, “The headquarters received a report which reveals that the Nigerien Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock had notified the World Organisation for Animal Health of an outbreak of Charcoal Anthrax disease, Bacterium Bacillus Anthracis variant, in sheep and cattle in the country.”

    The service further explained that the transmission of the disease to humans occurs directly or indirectly from infected animals or due to occupational exposure to contaminated animal products.

    It noted that given the supply of cattle and sheep from Niger to Nigeria, the comptroller-general of the service had directed that there be an urgent need to place additional precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease into Nigeria through the country’s land borders.

     

  • ‘Electricity is not charity’, FG threatens to cut off Togo, Niger, Benin

    ‘Electricity is not charity’, FG threatens to cut off Togo, Niger, Benin

    The Federal Government of Nigeria has told the international electricity customers – Niger, Togo, and Republic of Benin-to pay up their outstanding $7million debt because “electricity is not charity”.

    The chairman, West African Power Pool (WAAP), Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, whom reporters in Abuja accused of playing the big brother with Nigeria’s electricity to the countries, disclosed that Nigeria was also strict with the international customers just as the Nigerians in debt recovery.

    Mohammed, who is also the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), recalled that on his assumption of office, the outstanding bills of the international customers were over $100million.

    Stressing that Nigeria does not supply any customers electricity for free, he noted that the Federal Government disconnects the international customers just as it does to Nigerians when they owe electricity debts.

    The WAAP chairman said that the Federal Government has now restricted its electricity supply to only contracted international customers.

    According to him, Nigeria has insisted that the indebted international customers that were disconnected from the grid pay up their debts before they are reconnected.

    His words: “It is not because I am the chairman of the West African Power Pool (WAAP) that I will be allowing international customers to cheat Nigeria.

    “When I took over as MD TCN, both Benin and Togo were owing Nigeria more than $100 million. The debt now remains $7million.

    “Niger is owing less than $2million. In short, we are not leaving them. We disconnect them as we disconnect customers here in Nigeria. Electricity is not charity. We cannot just allow people to consume electricity and leave us like that.

    “As at now, we have restricted their supply to only their contracted ones. We are insisting they pay all their outstanding before we reconnect them and we increase the off- take.”

    He corrected the impression that electricity across the border is charity, noting that it is a business from which Nigeria makes millions of dollars like any other exported commodity.

    Mohammed said that Nigeria has a comparative advantage of electricity generation in Africa.

  • APC wins 22 out of 25 LG seats in Niger

    APC wins 22 out of 25 LG seats in Niger

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) has swept the Local Government elections conducted in Niger State at the weekend.

    The party won 22 out of the 25 local government areas.

    Chairman, Niger state Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), Aminu Baba said that nine political parties presented 85 Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates for the elections.

    Reading the results submitted by the Returning Officers, Baba said that APC won 22 local government areas while PDP won one local government, the other two local government areas are still being awaited at the time of releasing the results.

    “From the results submitted by our Returning Officers, the All Progressives Party (APC) has won the chairmanship position in 22 local governments while Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won Gbako local government.

    “Two local government areas, Mashegu and Tafa are yet to submit their results to the Commission.”

    He further said that seven wards in Shiroro, Chachanga, Bida and Rafi local government area were declared inconclusive.

    “It is also pertinent to note that one ward in Shiroro local government (Bangajiya ward) is inconclusive, similarly, Tudun Wada north in Chachanga local government is also inconclusive.

    “Bida local government has four wards which were declared inconclusive while in Rafi local government, Kakuri ward was declared inconclusive,” he said

  • Police nab 3 suspects for stealing female pants

    The Police in Niger have arrested three suspects for allegedly stealing female pants in Lapai and Gurara local government areas of the state .

    The command’s spokesman, DSP Muhammadu Abubakar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Friday that a complainant was lodged at the Lapai Police Division of the theft on Oct. 18.

    He said that the case was assigned for investigation which resulted in the arrest of a 24-year-old man, Mohammed Ali, a resident of state low cost housing estate, in whose possession the pants were found.

    Abubakar said that when quizzed by the police, Ali confessed to have broken into the house of the complainant through the window and removed the pants from where it was spread.

    Further investigation revealed that the suspect also stole three other pants from different rooms in the same neighborhood.

    The suspect said that he delivered the stolen pants to one Malam Madaji Yabajeko of Agaie Local Government Area, now at large.

    Abubakar said that the case would soon be charged to court after completion of Police investigation.

    Similarly, on Oct. 9 acting on another report, operatives of Kaffin-Koro Division arrested one Abubakar Sadiq, 18, and Ephraim Isaiah, 19, both student’s of Izom Science Secondary school, Gurara Local Government Area for stealing female pants.

    Abubakar said that the two suspects had since been charged to court.

  • Police nab suspected kidnapper in Niger

    Police in Niger have arrested one Mohammad Betuwa, 35, of Kudungure Fulani Camp in Mariga Local Government Area of the state, for alleged kidnapping.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Adamu Usman, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday.

    ” The suspect, along with four others now at large, attempted to kidnap Alhaji Ibrahim Isa of Kudungure Fulani Camp but when they did not see him, they kidnapped his 15-year-old daughter, Delu Ibrahim,” Usman said.

    He said that the suspect along with four others, upon sigthing the police on patrol, abandoned the girl and ran into the bush.

    He said that the police patrol team succeeded in arresting the suspects in the bush, while the four other suspects took to their heels.

    The commissioner said, upon interrogation, the suspect who is married with two wives and five children, confessed to the crime.

    He said the suspect added that he was into cattle rustling before changing to kidnapping because, according to him (suspect), there was more money in kidnapping than in cattle rustling.

    ” Efforts are on to apprehend the other gang members and recover their operational weapons,” he said.

    Usman said the command had resolved to find lasting solution to the rising security challenges in the state, and had therefore, intensified a carefully planned and well coordinated raid on all identified bandits’ camps.

    ” Combined teams of policemen from the command’s operational units and Special forces have been mobilised for the operation, ” he said.

    He urged residents of the state to support the command with information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of criminals in the state.

  • Mob lynches VIO in Niger

    Mob lynches VIO in Niger

    The Niger State Police Command on Friday confirmed the killing of a Vehicle Inspector Officer by a mob in Mariga Local Government Area of the state.

    The VIO, Ahmed Bello was lynched on Thursday, according to the State Police Commissioner, Adamu Usman.

    Explaining the circumstances of the VIO’s death, the Police Commissioner said the deceased had waved three youths riding on an unregistered motorcycle to a stop.

    The young men refused to stop and were subsequently given a chase by the VIO.

    “They ran into a moving trailer with registration No. FKJ 512 XW that was coming from Tegina- Kampani Bobi area. All of them were crushed by the trailer and died on the spot,” Usman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “On realising what he did, the deceased VIO ran towards Kampani Bobi Police outstation for safety. Unfortunately, he was pursued by irate mob and lynched,” the Commissioner said.

    He said that already reinforcement from Kontagora Division was drafted to the village to restore normalcy.

    The Commissioner warned members of the public to desist from taking the law into their hands as anybody found wanting would be arrested and prosecuted.

    He said:“We will not tolerate any act capable of bringing confusion to the state as concrete security measures have since being put in place to guarantee peaceful coexistence among residents.”

    The police chief warned that any person or group found wanting in connection with the incident would be arrested and prosecuted.

  • Immigration arrests two Niger nationals with weapons at Katsina border

    Two nationals of Niger Republic have been arrested at Kongolam border in Katsina state, the Nigerian Immigration Service announced on Saturday.

    According to the Public Relation Officer of the Service, DCI James Sunday, they were arrested in possession of Pistols, computers and phones.

    Sunday explained that their arrest was on the heels of the visit of the Comptroller of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede and his counterpart in Customs, Hammeed Ali to the border town following the launch of a drill operation.

    He added that the comptrollers were on a visit to the area as part of strategic synergy to secure the nation’s borders.

    He said vigilant officers arrested the two Nigeriens who had attempted to open fire in defiance and to evade arrest.

    According to him the gallant Operatives of the service overpowered them, leaving one dead in the cross fire, while the survivor is helping with useful information about their activities.

    He stated that after interrogation and profiling the surviving criminal has been handed over to the police for further necessary action.

    The PRO said in a statement that the Comptroller of the Command, Bin Umar and his men were commended by the CGI Babandede on the feat.

    He asserted that the Border Drill Exercise Operation Swift Response is yielding positive result with arrests of irregular migrants, criminal elements and Smugglers whose activities have been curtailed.

    He, therefore, advised the border communities to desist from conniving and sabotaging government effort.

    Meanwhile the nationwide spot assessment by the two Comptrollers General and representative of the National Security Adviser has been very successful, the statement added.

  • JUST IN: Tribunal upholds Niger Governor’s election

    The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal holding in Minna, Niger state has upheld the election of Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State.

    The Tribunal dismissed the petitions of the PDP and its candidate Umar Nasko declaring that it lacks merit.

    Details shortly…