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Tag: Plateau State

  • Jos school building collapse: Plateau govt releases casualty figures

    Jos school building collapse: Plateau govt releases casualty figures

    No fewer than 22 people have been confirmed dead and 132 injured in the Friday school building collapse in Jos, Plateau.

    The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Musa Ashoms, confirmed the figures in a statement in Jos.

    A two-storey building of Saints Academy, a secondary and primary school located at Busa-Buji community of Jos North Local Area, had collapsed , trapping students, teachers and others.

    The incident occurred at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday, when the students were writing their third term examination.

    Ashoms expressed government’s deepest condolences to families of victims of the tragic building collapse that occurred at Saint Academy Jos on Friday.

    The commissioner stated that emergency responders were currently at the scene conducting search and rescue operations.

    “As of 6:00 pm, 154 people have been removed from the debris. Sadly, 22 individuals have died.

    “The injured students and staff are receiving medical treatment at various hospitals across Jos.

    “Breakdown of hospital admissions and casualties shows that 39 were hospitalised at Plateau State Specialist Hospital where three deaths were recorded.

    “Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) Hospital had 32 hospitalised and five deaths; Bingham University Teaching Hospital: 55 hospitalised and 14 deaths.

    “In Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), six were hospitalised and there was no death,” he said.

    According to Ashoms, the state government activated emergency response protocols immediately upon notification of the incident.

    He stated that emergency services, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Red Cross, security agencies, and healthcare professionals, were working collaboratively in the search, rescue, and resuscitation efforts.

    He added that to ensure prompt medical attention, the government  directed all major hospitals in Jos to prioritise treatment of the victims, regardless of documentation or payment.

    “Governor Caleb Mutfwang has specifically instructed these hospitals to accommodate all those affected by the collapse.

    “The government emphasises the importance of adhering to established safety standards in building construction.

    “In line with Executive Order 003, the government urges schools and other facility owners with structural concerns to close their facilities immediately.

    “The Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) will conduct inspections to prevent similar incidents in the future,” he said.

    Tinubu sympathises with victims of building collapse in Plateau

    President Bola Tinubu receives the news of the tragic collapse of a school building, which resulted in multiple deaths and many surviving victims in Jos, Plateau, with profound grief.

    His spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Friday, said the President described the incident as a huge loss to the nation, as well as a devastating development – too excruciating to imagine.

    “The President condoles with the bereaved families, families of all the victims, and the people and Government of Plateau State.

    “President Tinubu commends emergency responders, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), security agencies, and all citizens involved in the search, rescue, and resuscitation efforts.

    “The President assures the people of Plateau State of his fervent support at this difficult time,” said the statement.

  • Jos: About 200 students trapped – Plateau govt gives update on school building collapse

    Jos: About 200 students trapped – Plateau govt gives update on school building collapse

    Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Musa Ashoms, has confirmed that about 200 students were trapped in the Jos school building that collapsed in Jos.

    Saints Academy, a secondary school in Jos, collapsed on Friday, while students were writing their third term examination.

    Ashoms, who visited the scene in the company of other commissioners, including that of secondary education, said that the school had a total population of about 400.

    The commissioner said that part of the school that collapsed was accommodating about 200 students.

    ”The collapsed building has resulted in casualties, and injured students are still being evacuated to hospitals.

    ”We cannot however, ascertain the exact number of casualties until the evacuation is completed

    “The emergency workers are doing a lot in the rescue efforts.

    “The Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged the medical personnel in the hospitals to ensure that they save the lives of survivors.

    “They should not ask for money or anything because this is an emergency situation,” he said.

    The commissioner however, said that the incident had underscored the imperative of order 003 of the state government, which was meant to enforce the implementation of the Greater Jos Master Plan, to prevent such unfortunate incidences.

    According to him, the collapsed school building, which is was built on a waterlogged area, clearly did not meet construction standards.

    Ashoms said that the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) would ensure that faulty buildings were brought down, while ongoing constructions would henceforth conform to standards.

  • Troops arrest suspected bandits, gunrunners in Plateau, Kaduna

    Troops arrest suspected bandits, gunrunners in Plateau, Kaduna

    Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) and 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, have arrested some suspected bandits and gunrunners in Plateau and Kaduna State.

    Maj. Samson Zhakom, the Media Officer of OPSH disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Jos.

    According to Zhakom, the suspects were arrested following the joint operation conducted by the men of OPSH and 3 divisions.

    He explained that various types of arms and ammunition were equally recovered during the raid that lasted one week.

    “On June 21, troops conducted an operation to flush out armed militias and other criminals in a suspected bandits’ hideout at Pandam forest in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau.

    “During the operation, troops recovered 3 AK-47 rifles, 5 AK-47 magazines and 75 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition.

    “Also, in a combined operation with a sister security agency on June 21, troops tracked and arrested a notorious gunrunner along Jos-Abuja road, around Riyom local government area of Plateau.

    “The suspect was arrested while on his way to supply 35 AK-47 magazines to another gunrunner who, unknown to the first gunrunner, has been tracked and arrested in Kano state on June 20.

    “Information obtained from the arrested suspect led to the immediate arrest of the major arms supplier at Manchok, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

    “This is while he was making efforts to receive the 35 AK-47 magazines from the first gunrunner for onward delivery to bandits in Zamfara State,” he said.

    Zhakom said that the troops conducted further search operation at the home of the major gunrunner and recovered the 35 AK-47 magazines, 60 rounds of 7.62 mm (Special), three Bajaj motorcycles, three mobile phones and items suspected to be local charms.

    The media officer called on the residents of the two states to support and cooperate with the security agencies in their bid toward ending all forms of security challenges confronting them.

  • Plateau pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia

    Plateau pilgrim dies in Saudi Arabia

    Mr Ismaila Musa, a pilgrim from Plateau, has passed on in Makka, Saudi Arabia.

    Alhaji Daiyabu Dauda, the Executive Secretary, Plateau Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Jos.

    Dauda said that the deceased, who hails from Mangu Local Government Area of the state, died on Tuesday after a brief illness.

    ”He was ill and had been on admission at Annur Specialist Hospital in Makka since May 31.

    ”We wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, the government and people of Plateau.

    ”We pray that Allah will accept his hajj, grant him eternal rest and give his family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” Dauda prayed.

  • Hoodlums on rampage, set houses, cars ablaze in Jos

    Hoodlums on rampage, set houses, cars ablaze in Jos

    Some hoodlums on Monday set on fire  several cars in the Bukuru metropolis, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    TheNewsGuru.Com (TNG) gathered that the hoodlums suspected to be against the city renewal drive led by the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, attacked passersby, injuring many in the process.

    Trouble started after some members of the Jos City Renewal Committee attempted to clear a site in the Bukuru community, but encountered resistance from hoodlums who attacked the officials burning cars and setting houses ablaze.

    According to The Punch, a resident who witnessed the incident, Usman Ibrahim, said that when the officials were sighted, the hoodlums started stoning them.

    Usman said, “It was this afternoon in the Bukuru community around 2 pm. We saw some officials of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board as they arrived in the community and moved to a site which they earlier cleared before.

    “As soon as they began to mark the site, some hoodlums emerged and started throwing stones at the officials and said they would not allow any project in the area. Before you knew it, they started burning cars parked along the road and attacking innocent passers-by.

    “They also set some houses ablaze. So everybody started running and that is what happened.”

  • Ex-Rep Deputy Speaker warned against stoking crisis in Plateau

    Ex-Rep Deputy Speaker warned against stoking crisis in Plateau

    The member representing Wase Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Idris Wase has been warned against stoking political crisis in Plateau State.

    A socio-political group known as Plateau Patriotic Front gave the warning, following Wase’s call for the leadership of the National Assembly (NASS) to intervene in the affairs of the Plateau State House of Assembly.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Plateau Patriotic Front described the call as an invitation to stoke violence and disrupt governance in the State.

    The group in a statement issued on Tuesday on the heels of the call and signed by its Chairman, Mani Imman said for Wase, a former Deputy Speaker to describe the situation as “the crisis surrounding the swearing-in of new members of the Plateau State House of Assembly” portrays him as “a lover of crisis”.

    The statement reads: “It has come to our notice the development at the floor of the House of Representatives as reported in the media that the former Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase raised a motion during the plenary.

    “He called on the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene in “the crisis surrounding the swearing-in of new members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.”

    “It baffles us the consistent love that Mr. Wase has for graphic words like “crisis, threat to security” at the time that the State Governor, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, the security agencies, and people of goodwill are working to ensure relative peace for the State and its citizens.

    “We view this alarm as an attempt to stoke problems and disrupt governance and the peaceful atmosphere under the guise of a crisis in the State House of Assembly.”

    Recall that Wase had been quoted to have said: “The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly has refused to swear in all the new members, instead demanding that they submit letters of resignation with accompanying court affidavits as a condition for swearing-in.

    “Failure to address the delays and biases in the swearing-in of the new members poses a threat to security in the state and undermines the principles of justice, fairness, and democracy.

    “The Court of Appeal hearing appeals arising from judgments of the Plateau State Election Tribunal made decisions which resulted in the nullification of Certificates of Return of 16 sitting members of the Plateau State House of Assembly and ordered the issuance of new Certificates of Return to the new Members by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

  • I’ve not touched LG funds since I became Gov – Mutfwang

    I’ve not touched LG funds since I became Gov – Mutfwang

    Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau says he has not touched or misused local government funds since he became the governor of the State.

    Mutfwang said this on Monday in Jos at the swearing-in of the newly appointed chairman and members of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC).

    The Governor, a former chairman of Mangu Local Government, said he believed that the funds meant for local government councils should be used by that tier of government.

    “It therefore pains some of us when they make generalisations that governors are stealing local government money.

    “I think they should be specific rather than make generalization. Let me say that I am a firm believer in the effectiveness and efficacy of the local government system. I believe that government must come closer to the people.

    “The only way we can get government and governance closer to the people is to allow the people themselves to elect those who they want to lead them,” he said.

    Mutfwang said that the appointees were carefully selected to lead the commission and bring integrity to the organisation.

    “It is unfortunate that when we came on board, we had to dissolve PLASIEC, and we did that based on sound legal truth.

    “PLASIEC, as it was then, was improperly constituted by an illegal Speaker (of House of Assembly) and there was a court judgment to that effect.

    “The speaker who confirmed their appointments was set aside by the court, so every action he took was against the law“, he said.

    According to him, he believes that the people deserve to choose who will work for them, and that must be guaranteed.

    He told members of PLASIEC that they were coming in at a time when the commission had a trust challenge.

    He said that the people no longer believed that a state electoral commission should exist with even some people calling for it to be scrapped.

    “I certainly don’t agree with that because we’re operating a federal system; ours is a federation, not a unitary government.

    “If people are worried about allowing the local government system to work, they should also allow the state governments to function“, he said.

    The new PLASIEC Chairman, Mr Plangji Chishak, thanked Mutfwang for the opportunity to serve the Plateau people.

    Chishak, who until his appointment was a staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), assured the people of a credible and transparent election that would be acceptable to all.

  • Bandits kill 9 persons, raze 6 houses in Plateau

    Bandits kill 9 persons, raze 6 houses in Plateau

    Bandits have killed nine persons and destroyed six houses in Zurak and Dakai communuties in Wase of Local Government Area of Plateau.

    A statement by Mr Alfred Alabo, the Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Police Command in the state has, however, indicated that the bandits met an “aggressive onslaught” by a combined team of security operatives.

    “Some of the bandits were killed and one arrested at the Bangalala forest in Wase which is a border between Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba States,” he said.

    According to him, other bandits who fled during the operation, attacked Zurak and Dakai Villages, killed nine persons and burnt down six houses.

    ”Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police has deployed more personnel to the area and directed the Area Commander of Langtang to relocate to Wase with immediate effect

    ”One of the bandits, who escaped and went to seek treatment at a hospital in Wase, was arrested with gunshot wounds.

    ”He has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), for further investigation,” he said.

    He said that the commissioner, who commiserated with those who lost their loved ones, assured residents of the command’s readiness to secure lives and property in the state.

  • ASUU holds peaceful protest in Jos

    ASUU holds peaceful protest in Jos

    Members of the University of Jos Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has organised a peaceful protest over the non implementation of agreement it reached with the Federal Government.

    Prof. Jurbe Molwus, Chairperson of the union in the University led the protest on Tuesday in Jos.

    Members of the union took the protest to the office of the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Tanko Ishaya.

    Presenting the union’s demands to the vice chancellor, Molwus, represented by his vice, Prof. Kiri Jaryum, said that the protest was in line with the directive of its National Executive Council (NEC).

    ”This peaceful protest is in line the 14-day ultimatum issued by our NEC, calling on the Federal Government to honour the agreement reached with it a long time ago.

    ”We are  particularly calling on the federal goverment to pay the balance of the earned academic allowance, unpaid and withheld salaries arrears of our members, which are all captured in the 2023 budget.

    ”Government should also check the proliferation of universities in the country and remove universities from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), among others.

    ”As we speak, university lecturers have been on the same salary structure for 15 years and that’s very bad for the university system,”he said.

    Molwus called on the vice chancellor to transmit the demands to the federal government for immediate action.

    Responding, the vice chancellor commended members of the union for conducting themselves peacefully during the protest.

    He particularly thanked them for not disrupting the ongoing examination and other academic activities in the university.

    Tanko, who described the demands by the union as genuine, promised to transmit them to the government.

    A cross section of students of the university, led by the President of the Student Union Government, Sambo Peter, joined the lecturers for the protest.

  • RCCG holds regional convention in Plateau after 7 years

    RCCG holds regional convention in Plateau after 7 years

    The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has held its annual regional convention for 2024 in Plateau, seven years after it suspended the activity.

    The convention held at its campground in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

    The annual regional convention was suspended due to the incessant security challenges in the state, particularly in Kassa and neighbouring communities.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony of the event on Sunday, Pst. Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of RCCG, promised that  henceforth, the convention would be organised annually.

    Adeboye, who promised to continually commit Plateau into prayers, added that the current challenges confronting the state would soon be over.

    “We were uncertain if this meeting was going to hold this year, but I told them that this year, I must come to Plateau.

    ”I told them that because light is not to run from darkness, it is darkness that will run from light.

    “So, I said no more, and as the Lord lives, henceforth, I will be here for this convention every year,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang urged participants to pray for the return of lasting peace to the state.

    He also called on them to promote the positive image of the state in their respective locations, adding that his administration had put modalities in place to tackle all security challenges.

    “I stand on behalf of the people of this state and, perhaps the church in northern Nigeria, to welcome our father in the Lord to Plateau.

    “Your coming is symbolic; before now, the testimony about Plateau is that it’s a no go area, but we believe that the days of such testimony is over.

    “Plateau will be a land to be desired and your coming has broken the gate of iron and the glory of the Lord is returning to the land.

    “We want to thank you for being led by the Lord to this land of glory, and we trust that as you leave your blessings here, this glory that has been sparked around us will not depart from us.

    “I want to thank all of you that have come from far and near and tell it to all who care to listen that Plateau is ready to receive her visitors, so nobody should be afraid of coming to the state,” he said.

    The 2024 regional convention had the theme: “Promoted for a Purpose”.