A farmer identified as Saidu Faskari in Katsina State has removed his house’s roofing sheet to sell in a bid to gather ransom money for the release of his eldest son kidnapped by bandits.
A local journalist working with an online news website, Katsina Daily Post News, Ibrahim Bawa, posted a video clip and pictures of the man while his roofing sheet was being removed.
It was learnt that the farmer himself was kidnapped in December in Faskari Local Government Area and spent 13 days with the bandits.
When his son went to pay the N50,000 ransom, the bandits released the old man and kidnapped his son.
“They are now demanding a N100,000 ransom from the old man. In the video clip,” Faskari was heard saying he was doing it for his son.
He continued, “They (bandits) kidnapped my son day before yesterday (Thursday). He had gone to pay the ransom money for my release. I spent 13 days in their den. When my children gathered the N50,000 one of my sons was asked to take the ransom but the bandits released me and apprehended him. I don’t even have what to eat not to talk of the money to go and pay ransom.”
Katsina, despite being the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed the lives of many.
Over 700 people have been reportedly killed by the gunmen in Jibia, Kankara, Dutsinma, Musawa, Danmusa and Safana local government areas of the state in the last five months.
On December 11, 2020, some bandits kidnapped 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, while Buhari was on a visit to the state.
They were released about a week later.
Also on December 19, 84 Islamiyya students of Hizburrahim Islamiyya in Mahuta Village under Dandume Local Government Area of the state were abducted but rescued shortly after.
InsecurityNewsAddThis : Featured Image : Original Author : saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :
A house wife, Maryam Abubakar, who allegedly supplies women to bandits at Galadimawa Forest in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has been arrested.
Maryam, who was arrested by the Intelligence Response Team, a special police unit fighting kidnapping, confessed that she had been luring women including her own daughters and nieces to the bandits for sexual pleasure.
Maryam AbubakarPM News
Maryam, a resident of Rugar Hanwa in Sabon Gari Local Government Area, who was arrested on December 21, said her clients were paying her N20,000 and that the women were being ferried to the forest on motorbikes.
However, another person also arrested for supplying women to the bandits was a girl identified as Fatima Jibril.
She connives with her boyfriend, Muslim Abubakar, to carry out the illicit activity.
The suspect was exposed when the girls they had earlier procured for the criminals in the forest didn’t return.
Another woman, Jummai Ibrahim, was also arrested on the suspicion that she had been engaging in an affair with the bandits’ kingpin in the forest.
"I submitted myself to the bandits’ kingpin to protect my children and my father from their wrath because the bandits threatened to kill them, even after they had rustled the family’s cattle," Ibrahim claimed.
Some of the women, who said they had passed the night only once with the bandits, noted that the gunmen were living alongside their wives, only that they are hosted at different location separate from their families.
NewsAddThis : Original Author : saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :
Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has commended the Nigerian Army for returning soldiers back to correctional centres across the state.
Nigerian Army personnel had vacated correctional facilities in the state some days ago without giving any reason.
Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Akeredolu had while reacting said that the move was going to cause insecurity, adding that it could fuel jailbreaks.
But praising the army for reversing its decision, Akeredolu in a statement on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said, “We note the return of soldiers to the correctional centres as concerting. The security of lives and property of our people remain an onerous task that must be carried out without hesitation or sentiment.
“A federal facility like the correctional centre should not have been left without deserving security for any reason. However, the return of the soldiers to the facilities is a positive development.
“Both the Nigerian Army and the correctional centres belong to the Federal Government. There must be continuous synergy. We will also continue to do our best to give the necessary support when the need arises."
PoliticsNewsAddThis : Original Author : saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, over “their failure to probe and to refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies fresh allegations that N4.1billion of public money budgeted for the National Assembly was missing, misappropriated or stolen.
The suit followed the publication of the annual audited report for 2016 in which the Auditor-General of the Federation raised “concerns about alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds and sought the recovery of any missing funds”.
Gbajabiamila, Lawan.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2021 filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking, “An order of mandamus to direct and compel Dr Lawan and Mr Gbajabiamila to perform their constitutional oversight functions to promptly probe the allegations that fresh N4.1billion budgeted for the National Assembly may be missing.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that, “The National Assembly has legal and constitutional duties to prevent and combat corruption, as well as promote transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
“The National Assembly can only effectively perform its anti-corruption role if it can demonstrate exemplary leadership to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement involving the legislative body.
"Transparency and accountability in the management of public resources and wealth is essential for promoting development, people’s welfare and well-being, and their access to basic public services, as well as good governance and the rule of law.
“The failure of the National Assembly to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and to refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies the allegations documented in the annual audited report for 2016 is a fundamental breach of the oversight and public interest duties imposed on the legislative body.
“The National Assembly has no legally justifiable reason to refuse to investigate the allegations documented by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, read in part, “Granting this application would serve the interest of justice, reduce corruption and mismanagement, as well as end impunity of perpetrators, and advance the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.
“This suit seeks to vindicate the rule of law, the public interest, and to promote transparency and accountability. Government agencies and institutions are responsible to a court of justice for the lawfulness of what they do, and of that the court is the only judge.”
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2021 filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to compel Dr Lawan and Mr Gbajabiamila to perform their constitutional oversight functions to promptly probe the missing N4.1bn budgeted for the National Assembly.
SERAP had last year sent a letter to Lawan and Gbajabiamila requesting them to “use their good offices to urgently probe and refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies allegations that fresh allegations of missing N4.1bn of public money”.
The letter, read in part, “These fresh allegations are not part of the disclosure by the Auditor-General in the audited reports for 2015, 2017 and 2018 that N4.4billion of National Assembly money is missing, misappropriated or stolen.
“According to the Auditor-General report for 2016, N4,144,706,602.68 of National Assembly money is missing, diverted or stolen. The National Assembly paid some contractors N417,312,538.79 without any documents. The Auditor-General wants the Clerk to the National Assembly to ‘recover the amount in question from the contractors.
“The National Assembly reportedly spent N625,000,000.00 through its Constitution Review Committee between March and June 2016 but without any document. The Auditor-General wants the Clerk to the National Assembly to ‘recover the amount from the Committee.
“The National Assembly also reportedly spent N66,713,355.08 as ‘personnel cost’ but ‘the payees in the Cashbook did not correspond with those in the bank atatement’. The Auditor-General wants ‘the irregular expenditure recovered from the officer who approved the payments.
“The National Assembly also reportedly paid N116,162,522.60 to some contractors between April and June, 2016 without any document. The National Assembly deducted N56,985,568.55 from various contract payments in respect of Withholding Tax and Value Added Tax but without any evidence of remittance.
“The National Assembly also reportedly paid N126,264,320.00 as cash advances to 11 staff members between March and December, 2016 to procure goods and services but failed to remit the money.
“The Senate reportedly paid N747,286,680.00 as personal advances to staff members between February and December, 2016 for various procurements and services but failed to retire the money. The Senate also deducted N118,625,057.48 as Withholding and Value Added Taxes but failed to show any evidence of remittance to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“The Senate also spent N109,007,179.73 from the Capital Expenditure vote but without any document.
“The House of Representatives reportedly deducted N821,564,296.48 from staff salaries but failed to remit the money to tax authorities. The House also paid N254,059,513.70 as advances to staff members to procure goods and services between January and December, 2016 but failed to retire the money.
“The National Institute for Legislative Studies reportedly spent N375,867,000.00 to buy 11 motor vehicles in April 2016. But the institute also paid the same contractor N36,610,000.00 in September 2016 under the same contract without approval.
“The institute also reportedly paid N10,927,768.80 to seven members of staff who were redeployed from the National Assembly to provide specialised services but without details about the staff paid, and without any justification.
“The National Assembly Service Commission reportedly approved N109,995,400.00 to train some officers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates but spent N127,629,600.00 as estacode allowances to participants, and fees for two consultants engaged for the training. The commission also spent N9,975,000.00 as course fees for 34 officers but it also paid a consultant N4,987,500.00 for the same course fees.
“The legislative aides section earned N12,274,587.77 as interests on bank accounts in a commercial bank between January and December 2016 but failed to remit the money to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.”
Some indigenes of Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State have staged a protest over alleged imposition of a candidate in the next local government election.
The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission had fixed February 23, 2022 for election in the 17 local government areas of the state.
Enugu State House of Assembly Speaker, Edward Ubosi.
The commission disclosed this in an election timetable released in November and signed by its Chairman, Dr Mike Ajogwu.
The tenure of the current local council chairmen in the state expired on December 5, 2021.
The agrieved protesters stormed the Enugu Government House, insisting that they would no longer allow a single family to decide the fate of the entire people.
They asserted that since the creation of the Council Area, the chairmanship position had remained under the control of one family, vowing not to let the status quo remain.
According to Daily Post, one of the protesters, Prof Paul Nnamchi, who is from Eko Nike, affirmed that they came to register their displeasure over the age-long injustice in Enugu East Local Government Area.
He said “the local government is made up of three zones and we feel it is time it moves to another zone. Since the local government was created 26 years from now, it has remained in one zone and more or less one family.
“It is time to move it round for equity, for peace. Call the stakeholders, call everybody, it becomes consensus and not this kind of deceit.
“So, we enjoin the peace-loving governor of Enugu State to ensure that peace is enthroned in the local government. We are one people, Nike is not divided. We are good people, nobody is more than others.
“The governor should come to our rescue; there is need for fairness, equity and fair play and this is the time.”
Bethrand Anike, another resident of the area, also said they had suffered much humiliation and injustice in Enugu East Local Government Area.
He explained that the governor invited them on January 5, 2022, during which they were given the opportunity to meet and choose the next chairman of the council.
He said, “instead of the stakeholders meeting to that effect, the directive of the governor was flouted. Nobody met anywhere, including the traditional rulers.
“The traditional rulers, the stakeholders, the youths, the women, nobody invited them. This is not democracy; we have a peaceful governor who has a listening ear but the reverse is the case in Enugu East. But we say ‘No’ to this kind of intimidation. The governor should invite us and address this matter.
"The Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi, who is from the area came and announced a name to us without discussing with anybody. He told us, he lied to us that the governor gave him and Reps member, Cornelus Nnaji, the authority by virtue of their position to impose a candidate on us where we are preparing for election. We cannot take it."
PoliticsNewsAddThis : Original Author : Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements :
![[GIST] Katsina Man Removes House Roof For Sale To Raise Ransom For Son’s Release From Bandits’ Captivity](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tDQ5vebZLx7lWy8Wwjkx4RWnYh-BIyje7EajB5r0Z1M2WCSdQEzvUBSte_WyHDrbt2n3KJbzCdEDgK7eVj4G_K1CR2oD18obx9qWxecmvtiF155_Iy7XCrOU_IvokQsQ=s0-d "[GIST] Katsina Man Removes House Roof For Sale To Raise Ransom For Son’s Release From Bandits’ Captivity")
Original Author : saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :
![[GIST] Housewife Arrested For Taking Daughters, Other Girls To Bandits For Sex](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vxXDPdQIquDbmNx31qvOcePLEEaidGAZR_Qzjt5dPwVWcIHaECbaF3vNGf-XHCsDJHZsuh8xtPkupeK3rflTGp1t2yzf2qizuM1AoZG5cuD2AsaFoLsHtjOXCMxCdjqNRFmbrdruwR=s0-d "[GIST] Housewife Arrested For Taking Daughters, Other Girls To Bandits For Sex")
![[GIST] Governor Akeredolu Commends Army As Soldiers Return To Correctional Centres In Ondo State](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vr5ayueNskxg9Ypz9WnTpozZanrjmX0N4jgtysIn1sd7gkE8UcP_Y0X19PeCFebZvrJxhiAuUjb1iCk2wYM7LeNzIw3c1yg03IRhEEPY1F_j9WuQhL-NVswnuUyBitl40ZPQSTAcRoH6R_s5mfPDPrPVzRL7pKa7_LccA8gy1UX-j5IBGjqfQTJAYLCLG41HM=s0-d "[GIST] Governor Akeredolu Commends Army As Soldiers Return To Correctional Centres In Ondo State")
![[GIST] BREAKING: SERAP Sues Senate President, Lawan, House Of Reps Speaker, Gbajabiamila, Over Failure To Probe Missing N4.1billion NASS Funds](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tjRPPbImCg4f1Ey6ri4LIR4MJJEH4L1e53nTJjQQr2tesw2HaxarnrdGMtFZCRXjF3bH9M_ctFBcCyRfBl3hv2iFp7j-mfU2o7J3BCZd6xxFY18n_y0HiJAUjuGg1-6xkMSEB1N8oQjoDO8w=s0-d "[GIST] BREAKING: SERAP Sues Senate President, Lawan, House Of Reps Speaker, Gbajabiamila, Over Failure To Probe Missing N4.1billion NASS Funds")
![[GIST] Protest Rocks Enugu As Ubosi, Others Are Accused Of Imposition](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tiR5Nv8HS-k57JyrMyJLgqBLrlVuQOneWCAVEODxgdgDdXbk6y0ts1TqHahAfRnfz5-lRFsWpBdZ67wwgwwnEIaLspkTfL9xcySOwuF4ApkMpFP1BrolV0HOmrxDYH6hLkrCFQuY6561rbvSxA6oMwBqxorwibkeZ7ofQ=s0-d "[GIST] Protest Rocks Enugu As Ubosi, Others Are Accused Of Imposition")
